Love Again

7. Back to Square One

As she finished her last exam of the semester, Lane breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She had been lucky her professor for that class was a fan of online exams, meaning she could cuddle with Mooch for emotional support throughout the three hour exam slot. Lane hit submit on the exam page, closing the lid of her laptop as soon as she saw the confirmation message. She smiled down at Mooch, "thanks for your help, bud." Mooch simply blinked up at her, but Lane knew that he would be expecting deli meat as payment for his labor for the last week.

Lane stumbled out of bed, getting caught in the covers she had used to build a 'comfy environment' for her exam as she did so. She mumbled a few curse words before walking to her closet. It was 2 PM, and Brandy had promised her a post-finals drink on the last day of exams. Lane pulled on a cable knit pink sweater and a pair of black pants before putting on her winter coat and Doc Martens. The chill on Boston air in late November was something that took Lane a minute to get used to, but she was appreciative of the opportunity to buy more sweaters and cardigans nonetheless. As she made her way to her living room to grab her wallet and keys, her phone began to buzz in her back pocket. "Hello?" Lane answered her phone, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hey girlie! Happy last day of finals. What are you up to with the rest of your day?" Brandy's overly cheerful voice rang through the phone.

Lane smiled at her friend's ability to always seem so chipper, "oh hey! I'm actually heading to the bar now. I do believe someone owes me a drink."

"Okay! Sounds great, I got her for nightly prep a few minutes ago, and Theo is walking in the door now. Want me to say hi to him for you?" Brandy's teasing tone made Lane grimace.

"That's okay. I'll be there in 10 minutes anyway. And besides, he hasn't even spoken to me since before finals. I'm not sure what's going on, but it feels weird," Lane sighed as she closed her front door and started making her way to the bar. Theo hadn't reached out since the night before her first final, and it had been bugging her more and more. She thought he would have at least reached out to set up a time for their next museum ... hang out? date? Lane still wasn't sure what he wanted and was itching to find out so she knew how to navigate whatever it was.

Brandy gasped dramatically, "not even dating yet and already having relationship issues. I'll knock some sense into him for you."

"Please don't. Whatever is going on with him, he needs to tell me himself. If he wants to go out that's fine but I can't and won't do the whole no communication thing," Lane rambled. She had been in enough relationships like that in the past and, no matter how much she enjoyed Theo's company, she would not put herself through that again.

Brandy sighed, "fine, I won't say anything. But if he's a dick to you I will punch him. I have done it before and I will do it again."

"Always so violent. Okay, I'm like a minute away, I'll see you soon," Lane said as she approached The Abbey. She quickly hung up and put her phone in her coat pocket before clasping her hands together for warmth. Curse Brandy's poor timing for a phone call, Lane thought.

She quickly made her way to the front door before shoving it open to reveal an eerily quiet bar. As she closed the door, people popped out and started yelling "Surprise!", causing Lane to grab at her chest, startled by the sudden noise and movement. Her eyes flitted around the room, noticing a handmade sign, no doubt Brandy's handiwork, and regulars she had come to know and her friends all around her.

"Surprise! I figured you could use a serious break from all of that schoolwork and who doesn't love a good party?" Brandy laughed as she hugged her friend. "Andy made cookies, cupcakes, and brownies. They're over there on the bar. I made sure that he even made you some extra in case any of these hooligans wanted to eat them all."