The Orphan Club

The Wedding: A Flashback

While Liam and I walk back to the apartment—he told me he was going to come back from his meetup after my tutoring was done to walk me home—Kristen calls.

"Is everyone settled into your apartment?" She asks.

"Macy texted me 20 minutes ago that she was there. I told her to take my room, Liam is still with me." I reply.

"Oh still? I thought he had some friends he wanted to see?" She questions.

"He did. He saw them, but since he wasn't too far, he came back to walk me." I quickly say. I know she is planning our wedding in her head as I speak.

"Okay." She says with an extra emphasis on the k. "Don't make dinner plans. Heidi wants everyone to come over for dinner." She demands. "But eat before—she is trying to cook Indian today." She adds, unenthused.

"What room am I getting?" Liam asks after I hang up.

"Do you want to stay in my room too?" I raise my eyebrows at him. "Or you'll wait till Macy invites you?"

"Oh god, am I that obvious?" He blushes.

"Both of you are. You know Matty—Mathew is also going for it. Hard!" I inform.

"As if he has a standing chance. He didn't in high school, and he doesn't today." Liam dismisses Matty with a flick of his hand. I want to tell him not to underestimate Matty. He has his way of getting under someone's skin. Granted for me, it's more of an annoyance but I can easily see it working in his favor the other way too. However, I decided to just shrug.

"Also your sister is cooking tonight. Dinner is at their place."

"Great...where should we go eat before dinner? I figure the Oraphan Club leader can take out the people she doesn't see every day! You, me, Mac and Matty can go out. Bond. Rekindle our old bond!" He suggests.

I laugh. "Sure. I am sure Mac and you are in but Matty—he would rather eat vomit than the food I paid for." I honestly say.

"He is full of it. He is staying with you isn't he?"

"Okay deal! Let's all do dinner. I know a really great Italian place a few blocks this way." I point to the block of houses we just passed.

"Awesome. It's a date. Well, it will be once you and Matty fight and leave in anger leaving Mac and me to rekindle our bond—if you know what I mean." He gives me a big smile. He is cute, and just this moment I realize how much I miss him. He is still charismatic and doesn't mince his words.

****

I sit across the circular table as the three of them talk about their past two years. Macy and I had been chatting via Instagram, sporadic calls, and FaceTime so I knew she was working as a director of sales at a local Ohio supermarket. However, Liam and I had only a few conversations in the past two years because every time he called he'd ask me a billion times if I was okay. So eventually I just stopped answering and he stopped calling. So when he told us he was working on opening his firm, I was dumbstruck.

"That's amazing," Macy beats me to it. "Good luck. If anyone can do this, I know it's you."

From the corner of my eye, I see Matty mock Macy's compliment, moving his lips and hands in a similar motion. He is a clown.

"It is amazing. You're doing it alone or with a partner." I ask further, not because I am remotely interested but so I can enjoy Macy being proud and Matty being jealous.

"A few people from my company. It's a big step for us all and well it's a risk, but it's worth it. Our idea is to link up ex-industry professionals and have them predict stock prices. We will..." Liam continues but I am laser focused on Matty. Every word Liam says is met with an eye roll, a low scoff, or some sort of mockery. He is so jealous of his far superior brother, I can't help but enjoy it.