A Tangled Web We Weave (Completed)

43. Saturdays are...

Cal

Marvin Gaye crooned from the radio in the corner of the kitchen as I danced. Sunshine shone through every window, little rainbows from the chandelier scattering across the walls.Tapping my hand against the bowl I was stirring, I sang along. The whisk slipped from my fingers and I chuckled, bending to pick it up. As I straightened my back, I noticed my mother standing there. Setting down the baking supplies, I reached out my hand and pulled her close, rocking back and forth to the beat.

She laughed, setting her head on my shoulder. "Why are you in such a good mood?"

I smiled, kissing her cheek lightly. "Because I'm happy, Mom. So very happy."

She lifted her head to look at me. "You should be. It's been a rough year, hasn't it?"

I nodded, thinking about Andy, Hudson, and Sabrina. I'd been so invested in making sure the people I loved were taken care of, I'd forgotten about myself. "Don't worry. I have a good feeling about what's to come."

She patted my arm and pulled away. "I've got work I still need to do, but," she bowed low. "Thank you for this dance, monsieur. "

I laughed, bowing too. The doorbell rang and she lifted her eyebrows, leaving the room quickly. I ran through the house, knowing Andy was on the other side on that door.

I opened it and grabbed her, hugging her tight. "Oh, I have missed this."

She giggled, stroking the back of my neck. "What, me?"

"No," I grinned. "My sweater."

She looked down at the Adidas sweatshirt, an adorable blush spreading across her cheeks. "I guess this is yours, isn't it?"

I led her into the kitchen, pushing her into a chair. "Now, sit there and be impressed. I made spaghetti and meatballs, a nice Caesar salad, and dessert, but that's a surprise."

There was a noise of distress behind me. "Cal, we need to ta-"

"No, no, no. All possibly unpleasant conversations can be saved for after dinner, because I don't know if you heard or not, but I made dinner all by myself." I kissed her not too quickly, admiring how she no longer seemed nervous every time I did so. As I pulled away, I noticed the sad look on her face. "Oh my God, is your dad back? I swear, if he's touched you, I will rip him to shreds. No, I'll, I'll-"

She touched my arm lightly. "He's still gone, I'm fine."

I relaxed. "Oh, ok, nothing's worse than that." She looked like she wanted to say something, but she was quiet.

More than willing to fill the silence, I chattered about how Hudson was moving, the next football game, the girl who'd tripped me in the hallway and kept touching my arm, and how beautiful Andy was. 

She hardly spoke, focusing on the plate in front of her. Something was wrong, but I had basically told her that I didn't want to hear it until after we ate. 

I ran to the bathroom quickly and when I returned, she had started washing the dishes. I crept up behind her and put my hands on her waist, pulling her closer. "You didn't have to do that, we have a dishwasher," I murmured, kissing her neck.

She stiffened visibly and I spun her around. She was crying.

"Andy?" I asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "What's going on? Tell me and I'll make it better, I promise. I'm in your corner, ok?"

She broke down in sobs, collapsing against me. "Stop being so nice, dammit."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Andy, tell me, baby. It's gonna be alright."

She shook her head, pushing me away. "I can't do this, I can't do this." She wrapped her arms around herself, like she was going to disintegrate if she didn't. "Cal, we need to talk about Tampa."

I froze. The possibility of Florida coming between us hadn't even occurred to me. "Long distance, right? I'll fly once month, we have FaceTime, we can do this." I grabbed her hand.

She shook her head. "No, Cal, we can't do long distance. Best case scenario, at some point, you'll forget about me for a moment, notice another girl, and resent me for existing. Worst case scenario? Somebody cheats."

My mind was reeling. "You think I'm going to cheat on you?"

She rushed forward. "No, that's not what I-"

"You don't trust me enough to do long distance?" I stepped away from her.

"It's not about trust, it's about how many other couples do this and fail."

I scoffed. "I don't care about other couples, I care about us. We can do this."

"I can't draw this out until you hate me, don't you get it?" She yelled.

I tried to slow my breathing. "But I love you," I whispered. "Don't do this, Andy."

She stared into my soul for a moment before shaking her head, taking off my sweatshirt, and handing it to me. "I love you, Cal. But this is the end. I'm sorry. Bye."

My car pulled up to Hudson's house and I slammed the door behind me. His going-away party had already started and I knew I was going to get teased about being late, but I didn't want to show up crying.

Pushing open the front door, I stepped over the couple making out in the front walkway and yelled, "Hudson!" over the music.

There was relative quiet for a second and then a resounding, "MY BITCH" called back. Hudson came running through the doorway and practically tackled me. "Good to see you living. Want a drink?"

I glared at him. "Hudson, you know I don't drink." Seeing the grim faces around me, I suddenly grinned. "Unless it's one of your parties." The crowd that had gathered around us cheered, except Hudson. 

He shoved the guys knuckling my head away. "You heard the man, get him a beverage." He pulled me towards the basement, which was empty except for his brother, Ronan. "Ok, Cal, tell me what's wrong." He glowered at me. "You never drink. Ever. Why now?"

The smile I had plastered on my face in the car fell. "Me and Andy broke up. And I just need a distraction with my best friend before he leaves me to chase the bad men."

He nodded slowly, like a sage old man in a Marvel movie. "That's wise." He kicked Ronan's foot. "Hey, now you have to join the festivities."

Ronan sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Well, if I have to, I guess I should at least help." He sat up a little, pulling a bottle of Jack Daniels from behind him.

As he passed the bottle, I flicked off the lid, took a swig, and cheered. I had missed this. As Ronan slapped my back and Hudson crowed triumphantly, I thought about how this was where I was meant to be. "For the boys!"