About Time

Thirty Six - Engagement Party

This chapter quickly goes from okay to bad to worse to are you fucking serious Kaylee?

When they finally went back to the office, nobody knew yet. So when they walked in on a Thursday morning, everybody kind of freaked out.
"Oh my god, Dr. Foster! Is that a ring on your finger?" Anna asked excitedly.
"Yes!" Gillian exclaimed happily.
Eli and Ria saw next.
"Congrats, Mom and Dad. We've always known you'd be married for real one day."

Gillian went into her office at lunch and found a stack of money on her desk. She counted it. There was three hundred dollars. She looked around her desk and found a note.

"Looks like you won our New Year's Eve bet. We all owed you a hundred dollars. Here you go.

~Eli, Ria, and Anna"

Gillian laughed out loud. She had long since forgotten about the bet she'd jokingly made on December 31st.

"Hey, Foster, when are both you and Lightman free? Ria wants to know."
Gillian gave Eli a confused look.
"Anytime really. Why?"
"Engagement party."
"Oh, you two don't have to do that-"
"We want to."
"Thank you."

Two weeks later, Cal and Gillian arrived at Ria and Eli's new house. Several people were already there.
They walked in and were greet by Ria, Eli, Ben, Anna, Sarah, Charles, Emily and Sophie, and even Zoe.
"She wanted to come when she asked me why I couldn't make it to dinner tonight." Emily explained when she'd pulled aside the guests of honor. "I told her she had to play nice."
"It's fine."

Gillian ate more than Cal had ever seen her eat. He didn't know where she put it but she could pack it away like no one else.
"Gill, save some for the rest of us." He joked.
"I'm starving!"
"Alright, time for a game!" Ria announced.
Gillian finished the little food that was left on her plate and they headed into the living room.
Ria gave everyone marker boards and a dry erase marker. Gillian and Cal sat on the couch beside each other with Sophie in Cal's lap.
"I'm going to ask some questions and you have to write down the answer. Every one you get right is a point. Person with the most points at the end wins."
"Alright, first question. It's an easy one. Where did Gillian and Cal first meet?"
Everyone scribbled on their boards.
Gillian and Cal held theirs up.
"The Pentagon."
Everybody got that one right.
"Okay, where was Gillian born?"
Only Emily, Cal, Gillian, and Zoe wrote on their boards for that one. Nobody else knew.
"Augusta, Maine."
"Well, props to you two for knowing that one because I wasn't entirely sure Cal even knew." Gillian told Zoe and Emily.
"What is Gillian's favorite TV show?"
Oh, Cal knew this one. He'd heard the singing from the TV many times.
"Glee."
Of course, Cal, Gillian, and Emily had gotten it right. But surprisingly, Sarah had guessed correctly too.
"Next, who takes longer to get ready?"
Of course, everybody got that one right.
"Cal."
"Who is more likely to get lost?"
"Cal."
Besides Cal, Gilliam, Emily, and Zoe, Ben, Sarah, and Eli got that one right.
"Only because he refuses to ask for directions. He thinks he can do it himself." Gillian said, elbowing him the side.
"Almost done. What's the gender of the baby?"
"Haha, nice try. Next question." Cal said.
"It was worth a shot." Ria shrugged.
"Okay, the last question is just for Cal and Gillian. Who do you love right now more than anybody else?"
They wrote on their boards am held them up.
Gillian's said,
"Cal, Emily, Sophie, and the baby."
Cal's said nearly the same thing.
"Gill, Emily, Soph, and the baby."
A collective "Awww!" was heard through out the living room.
"Okay, I need the four guys to stand up. Gillian, put on this blindfold."
"Why?"
"The guys are going to line up and kiss you and you guess who it is."
Gillian tied the blindfold around her eyes.
"Alright, everybody's lined up."
The first man stepped forward and kissed her.
"Ben."
She kissed the next one.
"Charles. His lips taste like curry." Gillian giggled.
The next lips were significantly softer.
"Ria."
Everybody busted out laughing.
"Damn it! How did you know?"
"Because no other woman in the room would dare kiss me!"
Gillian couldn't mistake the next set of lips if she tried.
"Cal."
The last, of course, was Eli.
Gillian took of the blindfold. She'd gotten every one of them right.
"Well, that was impressive." Cal told her.
"I try my best."
"We have one last game. Sorry, Foster, it involves drinking. You can read the questions though." Ria said, handing a piece of paper to Gillian.
"Ten minutes in between each round."
"Okay."
Cal was sitting the couch again.
"Cal, you can drink."
"No, you can't and something tells me I'll end up drunk and you hate it when I get that way."
"I'm looking at this and I think you'll be the least dunk one here."
"Are you sure?"
Gillian nodded.
"Okay."
He got up and Emily took his spot.
"Guess I'll be your sober company."
Sophie had fallen asleep thirty minutes ago after saying she didn't feel good and was currently in the bedroom.
"Guess so."
Everybody made their way back into the living room after filling their cups with copious amounts of their drink of choice.
"Round one. Drink if you're wearing a necklace." Gillian began.
All the women drank.
"If you're wearing a belt."
Cal, Ben, Eli, and Sarah.
"If you're having fun."
Everybody.
"If you're on my right."
Sarah, Charles, Anna, and Cal.
"If you like chocolate."
Everybody but Cal.
"If someone bought you flowers last week."
Ria and Zoe.
"If you made the bed you slept in last night."
Ria, Zoe, Ben, and Cal.
"Last one, if you've already had at least three drinks."
Everybody.
Whatever Ria was drinking was strong and it working fast because she was already tipsy.
She tried to get out of her seat but after two failed attempts, gave up and settled back in her chair.
A few minutes later, Emily announced it was time for round two. This time it was her who rattled off the directions.
"Drink if you have a tattoo."
Cal and Charles.
"If you drank coffee this morning."
Everybody.
"If you drank last time."
Everybody drank once again.
"If you know Gill's middle name."
Only Cal.
"If you're wearing black shoes."
Cal, Ben, and Zoe.
Ria finally stood up.
"I say we ditch this game and act like teenagers we all know we are and play truth or dare."
Everybody tipsy as they were, agreed to the suggestion.
Emily knew all the people in the room and knew this game was bound to end up uncomfortable for her.
"I'm going to go lay with Sophie." She whispered to Gillian.
"Okay."
The remaining adults gathered in a circle, Gillian included minus a cup of alcohol. Cal had put his down as well.
"Alright, I'll go first." Ria said. "Zoe, truth or dare?"
"Dare."
"I dare you to kiss Ben."
Zoe leaned to her side and gave Ben a quick kiss on the lips.
"Next time, give me something better than that. Ben, truth or dare?"
"Hmm, truth."
"How many people in this room have you slept with?"
"Three."
That was news to everybody.
"Gillian, truth or dare?"
"I dare you to take off the nearest woman's bra with only your teeth."
Ria. Gillian was too sober for this shit. But she'd do it anyway. She had to admit, acting like immature teenagers again was fun.
The group watched in awe as as she did it without taking off Ria's shirt.
Gillian dropped Ria's bra in her lap.
"Cal, truth or dare?
"Truth."
"When was the last time you watched porn?"
"Nine years ago. Haven't needed to since I met you." He smirked.
Anna nearly spit out her drink as she busted out laughing.
"Anna, truth or dare?"
"Dare."
"Dare you sit there in nothing but your knickers."
Anna stood up and pulled off her top, followed by her pants, then sat back down on the floor.
"Eli, truth or dare?"
"Dare."
"I dare you to strip down to your underwear and run up and down the street twice."
"Fine."
He stood up and started undressing himself.
The rest of the group stood up and followed him outside. Anna hadn't even bothered to put her clothes back on.
It was dark out. Gillian looked at her watch, it was nearly ten. They'd all lost track of time.
It was also chilly. Eli noticeably shivered.
"It's cold."
"Alright, buddy. Let's go." Ben said, patting him on the back. Eli took off down the street much to everyone else's amusement. Ria was hysterical. She was laughing so hard she was wheezing.
Gillian turned around when she heard the front door open behind her.
It was Emily.
"Sophie threw up. She feels like she has fever too."
Gillian went inside and into the bedroom. Sophie was laying in the bed, looking miserable. Gillian put a hand on her forehead.
"Oh, Soph, you're burning up."
"Mama, I sick."
"I'll have to take you to the doctor in the morning. But I think it's time for us to go home."
Cal came into the bedroom.
"She okay?"
"She's sick. I'll have to make an appointment in the morning."
"Come on, let's go home."
Cal picked up Sophie, who wrapped her arms around his neck. Gillian whispered to Sarah that they were leaving since she seemed to be the most sober.
Sophie was asleep before they even got to the car. Cal gently put her in her car seat and buckled her up.
He backed the car out of the driveway, followed by Emily.
When they got home, Gillian carefully changed Sophie into her pajamas and tucked her into her bed and took the puppies out before changing into her own pajamas.
Cal was already in the bed. Gillian crawled in beside him.
"I'm exhausted." She said tiredly.
"I can tell. Go to sleep. I'll get up in the morning and make Sophie's appointment. I'll let you sleep in."
"Thank you."
Gillian curled up into Cal's side and promptly fell asleep.