Crash and Burn

29. Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day

I pulled up in front of Dianna's house and turned to Mel. Nerves were eating me alive. "Do you think he's in there?" She looked confused. "Who?" Ugh. Did I really need to spell it out for her? "Barack Obama." She frowned and looked at me like I was crazy. I groaned and pressed my temples frustratedly. "Who do you think? I'm talking about her boyfriend!" She rolled her eyes and reached behind her to grab the bottles of sparkling apple cider that we bought. "Don't be such a pussy. You told her that you understood and that you'd be fine staying friends. Friends, Alex. They invited us here because you're friends and without them, we'd be having a sorry ass Thanksgiving. Even if he's in there, suck it up and be thankful."

"Girls! I'm so glad that you made it. Come on in, you're just on time." I shuffled in behind Mel, trying not to show the reluctancy behind my actions. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Mel, that's for sure. I flickered my gaze around the house repeatedly, trying to spot Demi and her new boyfriend. "Thank you for the invite, Dianna. We didn't want to come empty handed so Alex and I bought some sparkling apple cider." Dianna took the bottle in her hands and gave us a warm smile. "That's so thoughtful of the both of you but you really didn't have to. I'm going to finish up dinner so make yourselves at home and Alex, please relax. He's not here." I gave her a sheepish smile as I took off my jacket and handed it over to Maddie who also came to welcome us at the door. "Is there anything we can help with?" Mel looked over at me with raised eyebrows, as if she was surprised that I could talk. "Everything's almost done so I'm good. Thanks for the offer though." I felt an elbow dig into my ribs and winced, glaring at Mel. She glared right back then rolled her eyes, clearly not amused at how I was behaving.

This was going to be a long night.

I stood in the silence of the dark backyard with my back facing the house. Dinner was amazing, and I wasn't saying that just because I haven't had a proper meal in months, but the Lovato/De La Garza family had this energy that made everything feel whole. Dianna could've served chicken noodle soup and it still would've been amazing. It didn't stop the memories from surfacing, though. I tried to fight them away, but it all became too much so I grabbed my jacket after dinner and excused myself. "What are you doing out here?" I shuddered just at the sound of her voice. "Just enjoying some quiet time. It's been a while." I heard her footsteps falter. "Should I leave you alone?" I was quick to protest. "No!" A little bit too eager there, stupid. "You can stay. It'll be nice to have some company." She walked up to me and handed me a mug of steaming coffee, just the way I liked it and I couldn't stop my heart from palpitating when I realized that she still remembered.

I kept my gaze on the pool as we stood in silence for a few minutes. She stood a few feet away to give me some privacy but I could feel her gaze on me. There was a growing need in me to start talking to her, but my mind couldn't think of a conversation starter that wouldn't turn into me being a salty and jealous bitch. I took a deep breath and sighed, finally convincing my mind to think of her and her wellbeing instead of myself. I turned to her and I couldn't stop my eyes from roaming. The light from inside the house broke through the darkness and blanketed her perfectly. It was like she was standing in the warm glow of a spotlight.

What are you doing? You're just friends now. I shook the thoughts out of my head, desperate for my mind to revert back to when we were just friends so I could stop getting lost in her beauty. Well that's a lost cause.

"How are you holding up?" Due to how recent Demi's discharge from rehab was, her family had decided to hold a small one in their house this year. Despite the efforts, I knew that Thanksgiving would still be a struggle for her and for anyone in recovery of an eating disorder. She shrugged and gave me a small smile. "I'm glad that we kept it small this year. It's actually been easier than I thought it would be." I gave her a proud smile and walked over to her. "You're stronger than you think, Dems." I reached out to give her shoulder a squeeze but frowned when I could feel how cold her skin had gotten. She was only in a T-Shirt.