Page 51 of Some Things Never Change

Twenty-One

I was never cool as a cucumber when it came to first dates. I always got a little antsy beforehand. The idea of making a good first impression mixed with the anticipation of getting to know someone new was what got the better of me. But something felt a little off with how I felt hours before my first date with Eric.

I wasn’t restless.

After a week of texting back and forth and getting to know each other a bit, Eric and I decided to go on our first date. He said he’d plan it, so I had absolutely no idea what we were going to do besides grabbing something to eat first. I was excited, but it was a little strange how I wasn’t nervous.

I spent more than half the day priming and painting the two farmhouse-style spindle nightstands I thrifted last week into a lush sage green. I was so excited to work on this project that I went to town stripping down the horribly scratched up white paint on both nightstands the moment I came home with them last Sunday. I did most of the work last week, so today was only a painting day.

I smiled ear to ear at the way the beautiful green paint was giving this old nightstand a makeover. I couldn’t wait until the new hardware I ordered online came in, so I could finally add the finishing touches. Now that my room was fully furnished, I couldn’t wait to sell these timeless beauties. I was gaining more confidence in my work slowly, but surely.

Once the paint dried, I figured it was the most I could do for the day since I still needed to get ready for my date. After putting the nightstands to the side, I pulled my car back into the garage, closed it, and headed inside with a grin on my face.

It had been a week since Andy had been sick, and he came back even stronger than a bull. The man was up and busting long hours at the gym in the wee hours of the morning and, despite knowing how strong he is, even I was surprised. It was as if the flu had only added more to his vitality. Thankfully, he recovered quickly and was up heading to work by the time Thursday rolled by.

He should be working on his new Lego project in the living room. He recently bought a typewriter set. It arrived earlier this week, and I knew he was dying to start on it this weekend. But instead of hearing a screaming horror movie play in the background of the living room, I heard him on the phone with his brother and Shoua. Their call was on speaker.

“Wait, what? Julie’s going on a date? And, it’s tonight?” boomed Anthony’s loud voice.

Andy groaned. “You don’t need to yell. I can hear you perfectly fine and you’re on speaker.”

I paused in the doorway leading into the living room, listening in on their conversation. I wasn’t technically eavesdropping since his call was on speaker. But I was curious about what Andy had to say about my date.

“Julie’s been texting me a bit about him. Eric, right? He sounds nice, to be honest,” piped up Shoua.

“Julie and Eric, huh?” said Anthony. He let out a hum. “It doesn’t have a ring to it at all.”

“You’re just being biased, Anthony.” What did Andy mean by that? “But, yeah, she’s going on a date tonight with this guy.”

There was something in his voice that I couldn’t pinpoint as I watched him. My smile fell as I took in the sight of him. He was sitting on the couch with a paused horror movie on the screen of a dark, long, eerie hallway. Instead of being on the phone, I was actually expecting him to be sitting on the floor and in front of the coffee table where his Lego blocks should be spread out. But they weren’t. The coffee table was bare, unlike the usual Saturday afternoons we have had before.

“Hey,” I said, pretending to casually walk into the room.

Andy flashed me a look of surprise. “Hey,” he responded back, interrupting whatever Anthony started saying. He gave me a sheepish, embarrassed smile. “Speaking of the devil, here she is.”

“Julie! Send me a pic of your date outfit!” said Shoua. “I wanna see how cute you’re going to be!”

“Be safe and don’t come home too late. Remember to share your location with Andy, just in case anything happens,” started Anthony sternly. “If you’re not planning to come home, then let him know. Also, make sure you have some extra rubbers! You can’t always trust men to have those on hand.”

I rolled my eyes as if he could see me. Shoua was laughing hard in the background, as I could hear her tell him to stop his rant. “I’m not a teenager anymore. I know,” I said.

“They’re just reminders!” said Anthony. “It’s better to be safe than sorry these days.”

Andy let out a long, exasperated sigh. “She’s an adult, Anthony. Stop treating her like she’s still a kid,” he said. Then he glanced at me with an unreadable look etched onto the lines of his face. “She’ll do whatever she wants with this Eric guy, and that’s none of our business.”

There was an edge to his statement, and I didn’t know why.

“Anyway,” continued Andy. “I’ll have to let you go.” Once Anthony and Shoua bid us a goodbye, he ended the call. “You can have the TV to yourself. I’m tired and need a nap.”

I nodded as he got up from his seat on the couch and exited out of whatever streaming services he was on. He turned to give me a small smile on his way out, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. I watched him as he headed down the hallway to his bedroom and then closed the door without a single look back at me.

Andy had been more on edge lately. I doubted it had anything to do with him getting sick or with work since his irritation seemed to be mostly targeted at me. Although he had been indirect with it, it was clear he had been trying to avoid me the last two days. He spent most of his spare time at the gym for late sessions, which was something he never did, or holed up in his room or in his office. We even stopped eating our meals together for whatever reason.

Something was off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. With a sigh, I knew it was best to focus on getting ready for my date with Eric. It would be a pleasant distraction from the building tension between Andy and me.

I could hear Andy scoff loudly on the other side of my bedroom door. “I can’t believe you didn’t even get sick from that awful flu both Cindy and I got.”

I also couldn’t believe I didn’t get sick either. More than anything, I was expecting myself to come down with Andy’s flu since he accidentally coughed in my face more than once.

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