Peaks and Valleys

One

I raise the coffee cup to my lips and take a huge swig as I stare down at all of the notes I have in front of me. The clock tells me it's been two hours since I've arrived at Starbucks, and I feel like I've gotten absolutely nothing done. Usually, this is a great place for me to study, but the stress is building throughout my entire body and my mind can't focus on anything. My heart rate increases as I keep looking down, and my hands are beginning to shake.

    Then I set my coffee down and take a deep breath.

    Freaking stimulants and their ability to make everything better and worse at the same time.

    The door opens, and I look up. A part of me expects Gabriel, because this is where we meet all of the time for studying and writing papers together. Then I remember what day it is, so I'm not surprised when Erin walks through the door instead. She begins scanning the crowd as she slowly walks forward, so I hold my hand up and wave her over. After a moment, she spots me and smiles before heading over my way and sitting down opposite me. As she does, I suddenly realize how big her hoodie is. It's about to swallow her small frame, though I know it's for good reason.

    The first thing she does is scoot my coffee cup closer to me. "Please get it away from me before I give in and order some."

    I smile, grabbing the cup and taking the longest sip I can manage. Then she begins to glare as I take a small whiff of the coffee. "Erin, this is so good. The peppermint is strong in this one. You don't know what you're missing."

    She crosses her arms over her chest. "I hate you."

    I smirk. "You love me." Then I slide the cup a little closer to her. "But not as much as you'd love this. It's your favorite."

    "Shut up." She smiles a little as she says it. Then, as an afterthought, she adds, "We really have to stop meeting here. Especially if you're going to taunt me like this every single time."

    A laugh escapes me as I take the cup back, and then I convert back to serious mode. "But really, how are you doing? Are you still getting sick?"

    She nods and grimaces slightly, looking down at the table. "Every single morning." The sour face diminishes and is replaced by a smile as her gaze shifts down to her stomach. "But it's worth it for this little girl."

    "Excuse me, I think you mean 'little boy,'" I laugh as she groans.

    "Don't do this again." We've been having this conversation ever since she found out, and I know in my heart that none of us are going to stop until it's officially announced.

    "Come on, even Pete agrees with me!"

    "When has he ever been known to know much of anything?" she grins.

    "What a kind thing to say about your husband." Pete's voice makes the both of us jump as he approaches our table out of nowhere. Erin smiles and scoots over, allowing him some room. He sits down and gives her a kiss on the cheek before turning to me. "Where's Gabriel? Isn't he usually here?"

    I nod. "Usually, yeah, but it's Wednesday afternoon." His expression changes for a split second as he finally remembers, then he shifts his eyes down to the table. After a few moments, though, he looks back up at me. "Is he doing alright? I haven't seen him around as much recently."

    Taking a sip of my coffee, I consider the many different ways that I could answer his question. As far as I know, he's been doing decently. Or, at least, that's always his reply when I ask him. There are days, though, where I can tell that Gabriel is still highly uncomfortable with discussing his thoughts and emotions. I can't begin to imagine how difficult is is for him to make that decision, and I'm so proud of him and astounded by his courage to speak as openly as he can manage.