Maybe this time [Completed]

Chapter 4

I was about to ask what he meant when we were joined by some colleagues at our table.

"Paul, my man! Congratulations on that Peabody award. When did you get back?" Raff asked him.

Raff was our batchmate and also now an executive producer at the station like me. He was an okay guy, but quite loud and liked to poke his head in everybody's business. I've been trying to avoid him since the divorce but there's no running away now.

I sighed. He's probably not the only one in the room who would interrogate me so I'd better be prepared anyway.

"Thanks man," Paul answered him. "I've been back for about two months now but I filed for a leave so I haven't been reporting to the station."

I looked at him in surprise. He's been here for two months and never said a word? Has our friendship been reduced to that level already?

He met my eyes and gave me that smile again. That smile is starting to give me the creeps. It's like one part of him wants to cry but another part is happy, and he doesn't want to show either emotion so he just smiles like that. It's weird and it's off.

What the hell happened to him this past 4 years?

"Elisse, I don't see Ray around. Isn't he joining us?" Raff turned to ask me. Here it comes.

I shook my head.

"You know him. He won't leave the station this close to a broadcast."

"Why didn't he ask for a replacement just for today? It's been a while since we've gathered together like this."

"I don't know, I didn't ask," I shrugged, hoping to end this line of conversation.

"Are you two avoiding each other?" Raff prodded, eyeing me suspiciously. "You said you're still friends. Ray told me the same thing."

I could feel all eyes on the table turn to look at me, Paul's eyes the most intense of them all. As if he was trying to look into my soul.

"We are, but I'm not his babysitter you know. Why don't you ask him?"

"Guys, guys, what are we talking about here?" I heard Cristy's voice behind me and I sigh in relief.

"We were just wondering where Ray was. I haven't seen him since their wedding." That was from Brad, one of our batchmates who had moved to another station years ago.

"And you were asking Elisse because...?"

"Because she's his ex-wife, isn't that obvious?" Raff shot back.

"Exactly my point. They're divorced, they don't keep track of each other's schedules anymore. So back off. If you want to know, just call him. Do you want me to give you his number?"

Cristy is now the Vice President for Internal Affairs at the station, and the organizer of this gathering, so I'm pretty confident no one will challenge her.

"I have his number, maybe I will call him," Raff told her. "It won't be a batch gathering without him. Even Paul here made time for us, Ray should be here too."

"Go call him. And while you're at it, why don't you go to another table as well. Shoo!"

Raff laughingly stood up, and Cristy immediately took over his seat.

"Can we all agree not to talk about Elisse and Ray's divorce today? I'm tired of hearing about it for the past year, and to be honest it's not even that interesting!" 

She grinned at everyone on the table, and they grinned back as they silently accepted her condition.

Well, Cristy being Cristy, it would be really hard to say no to anything she says. She has that kind of charisma, I've been quite envious about it actually. But she's good natured and sweet, so you really won't take it against her.

Soon enough we started chatting about randomb stuff and I felt my tension ease up. Cristy was right, I did miss being with old friends. There are things that kids these days don't know anymore and only people your age can relate to.

"We're here to party, guys! Why is everyone just sitting around the table?"

"Because we're old. Our knees can't take it anymore."

"Hey, speak for yourself. I'm still young, never felt better!"

I chuckled along with everyone at the table, feeling the past years melt away and seeing us as we were when we were all so naive and excited about finally becoming adults.

I glanced at Paul and caught him looking at me thoughtfully. I raised my eyebrows at him, silently asking why and he just gave me that mysterious smile again.