Page 28 of Always

“Running, obviously,” James said, a little tersely.

Hannah looked at him in surprise.

“No racquets,” he said.

Hannah laughed, “Of course, Sherlock. You notice everything.”

It was true. Anika used to say the same thing to James—he was remarkably perceptive.

“I had to bring James to this shop,” Hannah gestured back to the record store. “My friend owns it. He told me he had a copy of a Stones single with the original picture sleeve showing the ‘68 riots.”

“Did you get it?” Marco asked keenly. He apparently knew exactly which album Hannah was referencing.

Anika did not. She only knew secondhand from James that you were supposed to call record-players “turntables” and the records themselves were “albums” or “vinyl.”

“I didn’t buy it,” James said. “He wanted too much for it.”

Marco laughed, “What does that matter to you?”

James shrugged, looking annoyed.

In times past, he had always enjoyed negotiating, getting a deal. But Anika suspected that wasn’t why James had passed up the album. He looked like his mood was low. She had noticed it on his face as soon as he came out of the shop, before he had glanced over and spotted them.

“We were on our way to get a bubble tea,” Marco said.

He probably would have followed that up with something like, “Nice to see you again!” but Hannah said, “We were going to get coffee too! We’ll join you!”

Neither Anika nor James wanted a double date, but there wasn’t any reason to decline. So all four made their way to the Bamboo Cafe. Hannah ordered a frappuccino, James an iced latte. Marco asked Anika to choose from amongst the dozens of flavors and combinations of bubble tea. She ordered almond with black tapioca for both of them.

“I don’t promise you’re going to like it,” she warned when their order came ready. “It’s a little weird.”

Marco took a sip and then chewed.

“God that’s bizarre!” he said with relish, sipping again.

“I can’t stand bubble tea,” Hannah said with a shudder.

“Me either,” James said.

“Well, you don’t drink anything that’s sweet!” Anika said.

Their eyes met across the table and Anika’s heart lurched. Whenever she forgot and made a comment on the thousand things she knew about him, she felt embarrassed and confused. It seemed faux pas, yet to pretend they were strangers would be false.

“No, I don’t,” James said quietly. “Do you still drink that chardonnay with the horse on the label?”

It was cheap swill, something they used to buy at the convenience store closest to campus. There was something in the flavor they both liked—a sort of buttery taste that appealed to James, a caramel flavor that Anika loved.

She shook her head. “I haven’t seen it anywhere else,” she said, almost in a whisper.

“James,” Hannah said, drawing back his attention, “are we still going hiking over Labor Day?”

“What?” James asked.

“Are we still going hiking I said. Over the Labor Day long weekend.”

“Sure,” he said.

“They should come with us!”

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