Page 36 of Some Things Never Change

“That’s perfectly fine,” I said, feeling touched he’d even think of both Cindy and I. “Thank you.”

“Always,” he said. Then, as quick as he came, he motioned to leave. “I’m going to head up now. See you later.”

It wasn’t until he left that I noticed his hand was on the small of my back. Now the warmth from the heat of his hand was dissipating. He gave me a quick wave and was off before I could even say bye. In the distance, I could see two other men waiting for him. They were his coworkers.

One of them was holding a big pink box like the one Andy gave us and the other was a familiar face. I think his name was Henry. He often chatted with Andy from time to time in the parking garage when we bumped into him.

As I watched Andy’s long and strong legs stride their way toward his group, I was suddenly very aware of his other two coworkers’ eyes on me. They seemed to observe me in a general interest, but I still couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. These people just kept blatantly staring. Was my hair all over the place? Did I have salad dressing on the corner of my lips or maybe even on my shirt? Or worse, did my lipstick smear?

“Hmm, those people sure like to stare,” quietly commented Cindy, as if she was reading my mind. “Well, you are beautiful.”

I shook my head. “I think they just have a staring problem.”

“But, it’s the truth. You’re hot. Own up to it,” she said with a laugh. “At least Andy does.”

I rolled my eyes at Cindy before giving him a quick wave as he looked over his shoulders at me. He waved back to me one last time before walking back into the building with his coworkers. He was cheerful today, and it was rather contagious. I didn’t realize how wide I was probably grinning until I turned back to Cindy. She was watching me closely with a sly smirk.

“What?” I asked. I grabbed my phone to take a quick picture of the cupcakes Andy brought us.

“I think this is the most comfortable I think I’ve ever seen you two,” continued Cindy.

“What do you mean by that?”

My friend shrugged as she took a bite of her carrot stick. She continued to chew slowly for a dramatic pause. We both let out a shared chuckle as I waited for her to continue.

“First of all, your Andy is a decently nice guy. I’ve only seen him in passing, but I’ve seen him interact with enough people over the years to know he’s at least polite,” she started explaining.

“But, from what I’ve also gathered is that he’s actually pretty reserved, even shy. He’s polite, quiet, and keeps to himself. With you, he’s practically a different person. He’s chatty and, surprisingly, really energetic. He’s like a ball of sunshine. I can tell he’s comfortable and relaxed around you. I guess that truly is a testament to you two being good childhood friends, huh?”

I’ve never really thought of Andy as a reserved or shy person. I wouldn’t ever really categorize him as a rowdy person either. But I could see what Cindy was getting at. Andy was often nice and very polite, especially in public or with people he would rather keep at a distance. Or in situations where he was the center of attention, which was more times than I think he would like. That was just Andy, though. It was just how he was outside of home or outside of his close-knit circles.

I snorted. “My Andy?”

“You know you’re the only one that calls him that, right? All his coworkers call him Andrew. I didn’t even know he went by Andy until you started working here. He even introduced himself as Andrew when you introduced him to me.”

This was something I completely forgot about. I guess I was so used to just calling him Andy that I hadn't even taken a second to realize his coworkers had been calling him by his legal first name this whole time.

“I honestly didn’t know that either,” I said. “Growing up, no one called him Andrew except for teachers and when his dad was angry at him.”

“Makes sense. Maybe it was just easier going by Andrew than correcting everyone to call him Andy.” Cindy’s grin grew wider. “Then, there’s you.”

“What about me?” I gave her a baffled look. What was there to even say about me?

Cindy laughed. “Don’t look so offended. It’s not like I have anything bad to say, Julie. I feel like this is the happiest I’ve ever seen you in the many years we’ve known each other. I’m glad to see you seem more content here.” Her teasing, wide grin fell into a gentle, softer smile.

I smiled back. “I was struggling over in San Ignacio, wasn’t I?”

“A bit? You were struggling the whole nine yards! You always sounded so tired and dejected. But, ever since moving here, you’ve started to sound more like yourself.”

“Which is?”

“You sound more lighthearted and passionate about things again. Especially when you’re going off on your furniture flipping. I bet Andy always gets an earful about the latest things you’ve done on your projects.”

“Actually, I talk about those sorts of things to his twin instead. He also loves to flip furniture.”

Cindy’s jaw dropped. “Andy has a twin?”

“Fraternal twin.”

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