Once Again

Chapter 10: December 1994

"Sarah, I haven't seen you in over a month. Why are you avoiding me?" Rhys is saying over the phone.
"I'm not avoiding you. You're the busy one." I say indignantly. I am avoiding him but he has also been pretty busy.
"You can come over any time! You know you're always welcome!" He protests.
"I don't like your new friends. They're stuck-up and rude." I say.
"No, some of the guys—"
"Rhys, you know I'm right."
"Ok yeah, some of them are. But a couple of the guys are actually pretty cool and if you'd give them a chance—"
"Look, Rhys, I'm fine with you hanging out with your new friends. I just don't like people who judge me based on what designer jeans I don't have. If you want to hang out with them, hang out with them. I don't know why you need to include me in that." I twirl the cord around my finger tightening it and watching the circulation cut off.
"Because I miss you." He sighs.
My heart melts. "Well what are you doing tonight?"
"I'm supposed to be watching Brandon." Rhys says, referring to his younger brother.
"I can come help. Brandon loves me."
"Yeah, I think he likes you more than me."
"Can you blame him?" I tease.
Two hours later I'm at Rhys's house helping him clean up after his disaster attempt at making Kraft Mac & Cheese for Brandon.
"Thanks for coming over. I'm guessing you already knew I'd screw this up." He nods at the mess on the stove.
"It just takes practice." I reassure him.
"You keep telling me that, don't you?" He cracks a small smile.
"Yeah and I'll keep doing it. Mr. I-have-to-be- perfect-at-everything." I give him a pointed look.
"I just like things to be easy." He says fiddling with the buttons on the dishwasher. "I like everything falling into place and not having to worry about it."
"Don't we all?" I frown "So far nothing I've done has been easy. It's all awkward and messy and takes a lot more than one try."
"Yeah, I know. I love you for that." He grins pulling a garbage bag out.
I pause at his words. "I love you" has never been a phrase Rhys has said to me before though I feel it for him and have for a while now. I know he doesn't mean it in the same way I do, but it knocks a piece of my heart loose that I never recover.