Page 2 of Always Been You

Pulling away, I say, “Look who I ran into around the corner, your favourite person in the world,” I jest with a smile.

He chuckles, planting a kiss on my cheek. “My favourite non-blood related person, today you’re my number one favourite. Happy birthday, Livvy.”

“Thanks, Matt.”

He pulls Josh into a bro hug, patting him on the back. “Hey, man. Good to see you. Planning to join us for lunch?”

“If that’s alright with you. Olivia insisted.”

“Of course, man, take a seat.”

Josh grabs the chair across from Matt and pulls it out, nodding, indicating for me to take the seat. He helps me push the seat in before taking the seat next to mine. Being this close to Josh has my skin feeling like it’s on fire. I don’t even have to look at him to feel the energy radiating off of him. My mind briefly moves to the fact that I never feel like this with Drew, even though he is my boyfriend.

We each grab a menu and begin to peruse the options. I know what I am getting. I get the same thing almost every time, lasagna with bolognese. My family picks on me for it, but I am a strong believer that if I am going to spend a decent amount of money on something, I want to know that I will like it. I don’t make a lot as a teacher and am always cautious about how I spend my money.

Like he can read my thoughts, Josh leans closer and whispers in my ear, his warm breath skates over my ear, “Order something new; today’s on me,” I blush and shake my head.

I don’t recall ever telling Josh that I always order the same thing. I don’t remember going out to eat with him enough that he would have noticed.

“Olivia, please don’t fight me on this,” his voice is insistent, “it’s your birthday. Lunch is on me.”

I look up and to my left, making eye contact with him. “Thanks, Josh.”

When I glance at Matt, he is watching us with a small smile, like he knows some secret the rest of us don’t. Growing up, I never told anyone about my crush on Josh. He was the attractive older guy–star of the hockey team, smart, and funny. Plus, with him being Matt’s best friend, I always knew that he was off-limits. Not only that, but I never thought that Josh would go for someone like me. I am average height, with unruly hair that I sometimes have issues taming and I’m plus size.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve learned to embrace my body and to stop comparing myself to all the other girls at school, but it’s not something that’s been easy for me to deal with. There are times that I have had major difficulties with my body image. I have dated; I have been with Drew for almost two years. Unfortunately, not all guys will date the plus-size girl, and it’s taken a lot for me to be able to accept that.

Our server comes up and takes our orders. I decide on something new this time, switching to a baked tortellini with alfredo sauce. When I order, Matt’s head visibly jerks back in surprise, and I can hear the small chuckle that Josh lets out next to me.

“So, Liv, how’s work?” Matt asks.

“You know, same old, same old. We have parent-teacher conferences next week, so I am preparing for those. I just redid my seating chart–I put Sarah and Jake together, so I am looking forward to seeing how that turns out,” I chuckle.

Matt shakes his head while trying not to laugh. He looks over at Josh, “Sarah and Jake are two students that Liv swears up and down have a crush on each other. She is attempting to play matchmaker.”

Josh turns to me, his eyes a little wider than normal, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Looking between these two men, I smile. “What? I am a hopeless romantic. I feel like I have to do my part.”

Josh regards me like he can’t quite figure something out, and Matt stares at me for a second longer before nodding. Matt clears his throat and changes the subject. “So, how’s Drew?”

I typically avoid talking about Drew with Matt. I know he’s not Drew’s biggest fan. Matt has made remarks about how Drew should act his age or how he should treat me better. I know he says these things because he loves me, but Matt doesn’t get to see the Drew that I do when it’s just us.

“He’s good. He has some family stuff that he has been dealing with,” I say, playing with the edge of my napkin.

“Does he have anything planned for your birthday?”

“No, well… actually, the girls have something planned for me. Drew is with his family this weekend; he is helping them with something. He will try and meet up with us wherever it isthat we end up going. But we are supposed to go apartment hunting tomorrow. We are talking about moving in together. My lease is up on June 30th, so I have to let my landlord know in a couple of weeks or go month to month.”

As I speak, both Josh and Matt visibly tense at my words. I am not entirely surprised that my brother isn’t completely thrilled that I am moving in with Drew. I wonder why Josh cares? Matt straightens himself up and takes a deep breath.

“So, you’re really serious about him then. Moving in together.” I can tell he’s not saying everything that he wants to.

I nod and move the napkin I’m playing with onto my lap. “Yeah, I am. I love him and I am excited about building a future with him.”

Matt nods just as our server drops off our food. As we dig in, we move on to lighter conversation. Matt and Josh discuss upcoming games for the recreational hockey team they play on with some friends. We sit enjoying conversation, and laughing with each other, and just as I finish eating, my phone buzzes with a calendar reminder. I look down and see that it’s already two p.m.

“Hey, I’m sorry, but I have to run. I have an appointment before the girls all show up at my place,” I say, standing up and giving Matt a peck on the cheek and a hug. “Thanks for meeting me for lunch. I’ll call you later this week to set up something else soon.”

“Yeah, of course. I love you, Liv. Happy Birthday.”

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