Page 3 of In Your Dreams

I’m a little shocked to see him being so rugged and hands on. But then again, my dad will pretty much pull anyone into his projects and somehow everyone loves it. Maybe them getting to spend more time together could be a really good thing for Aiden.

“Okay, well make sure you shower before bed and brush your teeth and don’t forget to have your gym bag ready for tom—”

“Moooooom, I know,” he says, rolling his eyes.

“Go on, honey, we got this,” my dad says.

“You’re right, okay,” I say, waving one last time before closing the door again.

I’m not usually a hovering mom but I’m nervous about tonight and seeing everyone. I’m especially nervous and excited to see Emma. We were best friends up until I moved away. We kept in touch after that but it wasn’t the same. I’ve missed her.

Behind the wheel of my car and navigating to Hop’s Bar feels so very familiar. I was too young to go there before I moved, but everyone used to drive past the bar to get to the empty field we all used to illegally drink in too. Well, it wasn’t completely empty. Over the years a fire pit had been made and some very large logs for seating had been placed around. It makes me wonder if it’s all still there.

I pull into the gravel parking lot and shut off the engine.Deep breaths. Everyone coming loves you. There’s nothing to be nervous about.When Wayne and I were together, we didn’t really go out with friends a lot. And we definitely didn’t whenever we’d come back to visit my parents. The more I think about it, the more it seemed like he felt he was too good. Too good for this town, too good for my friends, maybe even too good for me.

I push those negative thoughts aside, not wanting to give them the space to ruin my entire night. Then, I step out and head toward the door, feeling the full spectrum of feels about what’s on the other side.

“There’s the birthday girl!” My brother Theo’s words over the crowd are the first thing I hear, followed by cheers and clapping.

In the far corner of the bar next to the dance floor, I spot Theo with his arm around Ellie surrounded by everyone else. Emma is front and center, holding up a drink toward me. Wade, Emma’s cousin, is behind the bar waving in my direction. Garret is staring at Kelly Ann, who’s trying her best to ignore him. Parker, who I haven’t seen in ages, is sitting off to the side. There’s a few others who look very familiar as well, though it’s been a long time since I’ve seen them outside of social media updates.

I walk toward them, waving and smiling, feeling grateful they’re all here but still nervous about all the questions I might have to field or the looks of pity they might give me. But I need to push that all aside. This night is about fun and feeling good. The rest can be dealt with later.

“Happy birthday, bestie,” Emma says, pulling me in for a hug.

“Thank you,” I say, embracing her and delighted she still thinks of me as her bestie.

“I know we have a lot of catching up to do and we will. I want it to be like you never moved away,” she says, low in my ear. “But we will save the intense stuff for when you come to my place for a sleepover.”

“A sleepover?” I ask, laughing.

“We are never too old for slumber parties,” Emma says, pulling back to look at me.

She always did have a way of comforting me. God, I’ve missed her. I agree to a slumber party in the very near future and then move to say hello to Kelly Ann and Garret, who seem to be awkwardly avoiding each other. Their hate for one another runs deep. All the way back to sophomore year or something, I believe. Which is very inconvenient for them considering Garret is best friends with my brother and Kelly Ann is best friends with Ellie. Up until recently, Theo and Ellie were best friends as well. Now, they’re dating and living together, which I’m sure makes it even harder for the two frenemies to avoid one another.

“Happy birthday, Poppy,” a deep voice from behind me says.

I turn to find Parker smiling sweetly. The features of his face are still the same as they were in high school. Pretty hazel eyes framed with tanned skin and messy brown hair. Except I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the unshaved scruff over his jawline and the subtle signs of aging he’s taken in stride. He’s the same Parker and yet also very different. That’s definitely the same warm smile that sat behind me in English. But it belongs to a man now, not the boy I knew.

“Thank you, Parker,” I say, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. If I didn’t know better, I’d say there’s a warmth in my cheeks as he looks down at me.

“Can I get you a drink?” He asks.

“Sure, that would be great.”

“What would you like?” He asks.

He’s got a drink in his hand but I can’t tell what it is, maybe something mixed with Coke. “I’ll just have what you’re having.”

Parker presses his lips together and runs his hand through his hair.Oh. I like when he does that.

“This is… just Coke,” he says. “I don’t drink anymore. It's a recent change.”

“Oh,” I say, surprised. “I’m sorry, that was dumb of me.”

“No, don’t apologize,” he says, letting out a small laugh. “The truth is, I drank way too much when I was younger and my efforts to cut back weren’t working so I decided to stop altogether.”

“But is it hard for you to be here?”

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