Chance Encounter

by Jerry Cole

  “Okay. I guess.” I always swore that the only person I’d be there for was Becca in this situation. I felt close to Vivian, just not this close at the moment. “What’s wrong with her mom?”

  “The flu. She can’t even get out of bed, much less be here. Vivian is devastated.” His face fell, and I knew that Gray was speaking the truth. The father never attempted to support her, and we were her family now, along with the girls.

  “Becca and Mari are at a gallery thing. They’re going to be here as soon as they can,” I told him as he nodded. They had a small baby shower for Vivian at their apartment with some of her friends from the coffee shop. People worked together to get her the things she’d need the most, even helping to set up a small nursery in Vivian’s room at her mom’s place. It was close quarters, but cute, nonetheless. I enjoyed seeing Becca bond with someone else. I just hadn’t spent a lot of time with my best friend lately and missed her.

  Life wasn’t working out as expected. Moving into the building was supposed to bring us together, but everyone seemed to be working too much. When we weren’t, Becca was with Mari, and they spent a lot of time with Vivian. I’d let myself fall into a sad pattern of spending time by myself at home when I wasn’t at work. Going to the bar tonight was a nice break from that, but here I was at the hospital.

  I made my way into the room to greet Vivian, who looked scared. Her light blue eyes were tired and dark circles marked her skin. I kissed her hair and told her that we were there for her, not going anywhere. The nurse who popped in to check on her regularly, announced that it was time.

  The doctor appeared, and we each took a side as they prepped her for delivery. I looked at Gray, meeting his tired eyes as he forced a smile. Vivian insisted on doing this on her own, so the pain was hard for me to take. I just held her hand as she pushed, assuring her that she was doing great.

  An image of Gray holding our baby flashed across my mind, making me look at him. Did he want that? I blinked as Vivian let out a scream, hearing the doctor tell her that the head was out.

  She squeezed hard as she finished delivering her daughter, crying as the doctor told her that she had a baby girl. They placed the baby on her chest, and I took in the tiny heart-shaped mouth and red skin.

  By the time they cleaned the baby up, Mari and Becca arrived at the hospital. They were wearing cocktail gowns and hugged Vivian with mascara running down their cheeks. Ava was placed in her mom’s arms, wrapped loosely in a blanket as she snuggled against Vivian.

  We stayed as long as the visiting hours would permit, leaving in a group. “That’s amazing. She’s a mom.” Mari wiped at her eyes as she gazed at all of us.

  “Ava is beautiful,” Becca gushed as I nodded in agreement. Once she was cleaned up, she was a pretty baby that looked a lot like her mom.

  “Want to get something to eat?” Mari asked us, and I looked at Gray. “I feel like it’s been forever.”

  “Yes. I haven’t eaten since lunch.” We decided on a place and met there in our separate cars so that we could head home afterward. I slipped into the booth beside Gray, breathing in his refreshing scent that I loved. We all caught up on life and talked about the baby some more. Vivian seemed to become like a little sister to all of us.

  We left to go home, exhausted by the night's events. Gray was quiet at home as he prepared for bed, and I watched him. “What’s wrong?”

  Chapter Nine

  Gray

  I heard his question and froze. I didn’t know how to tell him anything after tonight.

  “Gray?” I looked at the man that I lived with and loved.

  “This is the first time I’ve seen Vivian in a few weeks,” I said as he tilted his head. “She called about labor, and I knew I couldn’t just leave her at home.”

  “What happened?” Hayden asked with worried eyes as he dropped to the couch.

  “I was over there before work one day just to bring her some lunch. It was like any other visit until it wasn’t.” He stared at me, and I let out a ragged sigh. “She kissed me, Hayden. She kissed me and tried to touch me.”

  “She knows about us,” he said in shock as I nodded.

  “Yes, she does. She just fancied herself in love with me or some such shit. I left that day and went right to a bar. I didn’t work, but I told you that I did. I said that I got held up with the clients having drinks.” I moved to the couch to sit beside him. “I didn’t know how to tell you. We were all a part of her life, and there was a part of me that pitied her.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I was there first tonight. She told me that she loved me.”

  “You stayed in there with her. You supported her,” he said, and I nodded.

  “Not for that, or because of that. You were there beside me even though I could tell you weren’t thrilled with the idea. I had to stay, but there’s a part of me that never wants to see her again. That baby is so tiny and sweet, but her mom makes me uncomfortable.”

  “Shit. I thought something happened with a client. You were acting so weird that night, and we already never saw each other.” I looked at him to see anger on his face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I have no fucking idea. It sounded crazy in my head for one. She was also like a sister to everyone but me. The girls adore her.” I shrugged, wishing I talked to him right away. I gazed at him. “You thought that I cheated on you?”

  “I wasn’t sure. We’ve just been working so much, and then there was the thing with the fire.” He ran a hand through his hair that was messier than normal.

  “What thing with the fire?” I asked as he stared at me.

  “I ran into some friends at a bar one night after work. They told me the fire was arson and that it started in my old apartment. I didn’t know what to think and saw Ryan briefly the same night. He told me that I shouldn’t be okay.” Hayden looked at me as rage filled me.

  “He started a fire in your old place?”

  “He got dragged away, so I don’t know for sure. He never knew that I moved, at least not from me. I don’t know why he would do that.” Shock covered his face, making me pull him against me.

  “We’re going to the police with this. He thought you lived there and tried to kill you.” I took deep, slow breaths. “Was anyone hurt in the fire?”

  “No. Everyone escaped.” We both breathed a sigh of relief. “We can go tomorrow to tell them. I don’t know how much weight his drunken slur will hold up, but he could find out where I do live.” It was so much more than just me and Hayden now. “I missed you. I love you.”

  “I should have told you. I think I just tried to block it out or something.” I clung to him, realizing how far apart we’d been drifting.

  “I didn’t talk about the fire with you, either. I mean, apart from when I first heard about it. I’m sorry about that.” We snuggled together for a moment, and I realized how much he meant to me. I realized that we might have been losing each other.

  “Let’s go to bed. I am taking tomorrow off, and if you don’t have it off, call in sick.” I stood up and locked the door before offering him my hand. We walked to our bedroom, undressing before we fell to the bed in a deep kiss.

  I made love to him, first hard and fast. The second time, it was slow and sweet. I told him how much I loved him when I held him afterward, asking if we could work harder on us. I didn’t have to work as much as I did, and neither did he.

  We talked in the morning over breakfast, agreeing that we needed to cut ties with Vivian. She pushed a boundary with me and our relationship. The girls would take care of her and Ava, and hopefully, Vivian might find her way in life.

  I also promised to work normal hours, and he told me that he’d push to hire someone. They knew how good Hayden was and inadvertently took advantage of him. It wasn’t malicious on the part of the theater, or at least that was what he thought.

  We had lunch with Becca and Mari in the city to explain why we were backing away from Vivian. They were stunned by what she did, confused as to what they should do. �
��Don’t do anything based on this. She’s a good person, if not misguided. She might need a couple of friends.”

  Becca and Mari shared a look. “She’s putting us down as the godparents.”

  “Shit. Not her mom?” Hayden asked, and Becca shrugged.

  “I guess not. Should we decline?” Mari asked, and I shook my head.

  “No. She needs someone.” I sipped my water, remembering the day Vivian kissed me, cupping her hand over my cock. I pushed her away immediately, but she cried and told me that she was lonely. She told me that she loved me. I didn’t take another call from her until the night she called me several times in a row to tell me that she was in labor. “I think she was just in a bad place.”

  “We both had stuff going on that we weren’t talking about. It’s fine,” Hayden told them as Becca frowned at him.

  “I remember when you used to talk to me.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and he sighed.

  “We’ve all been too busy to talk about anything. I thought living in the same building might bring us all closer, but we only see each other on Sundays.” We looked at each other, all slowly smiling. “Okay. Sundays are awesome.”

  “They are. That’s almost worth moving into the building in itself.” Becca smiled, and we all laughed. “We’ll make an effort. The theater has been crazy for us, but Helen said they’re planning to hire two more people. It is a little ridiculous that we see each other less living one floor away from each other.”

  Becca said she would tell Vivian why we were keeping our distance. She wasn’t shy about knowing what happened or confronting Vivian. We hugged each other before parting, telling each other that we’d see the others for dinner in two days.

  I held Hayden’s hand as we entered our building. “Feel better?”

  “I guess so. I didn’t realize how bad things were getting. I just thought we weren’t spending time together.” He paused in front of Gram’s door. “Want to say hi?”

  I cut off any new clients to allow me some free time. I didn’t have time for more to begin with, and my work on the ones I did have mattered a lot to me.

  Hayden came home the following night with news that he was training two new people. They’d replace him and Becca in the extra hours that they’d been working.

  Becca said that Vivian was devastated when she told her that we’d no longer be a part of her life. She apologized, saying that she regretted everything. She wanted Ava to know her friends, and Becca and Mari agreed to remain a part of it. They just made it clear that she went too far with me. We saw pictures of the baby on their phones and kept it at that.

  The one place that we all met up was dinner with Gram. She loved having adopted granddaughters, and girls in the family, especially since those girls wanted to learn how to cook. Having two boys, she never saw anyone with interest before now.

  We also went to the police about the fire, though it wasn’t certain if they could go after Ryan based on his lack of a confession. I was happy that there were cameras all around our building; obtaining access to them through the company would help the police.

  Chapter Ten

  Hayden

  Within three weeks, I was back to normal hours. Gray tried to schedule his work around my schedule so that we could spend time together.

  We also made regular plans with the girls, having lunch or dinner as often as we could. They were learning to cook, and we had no problems being their guinea pigs. Becca learned quite well from Gram, impressing us with her skills. All felt right in the world again as we planned Thanksgiving. Jackson was coming with his new girlfriend, and we tried to figure out how to fit seven people in the apartment for dinner. Gram cooked a feast and had two eager girls to help her this year.

  Becca came up with the idea of incorporating all of our homes into the holiday. We could have snacks set up in one, dinner at Gram’s, and desserts at another. Our other option was renting some kind of room, but that would involve transporting food from one place to another. Gram would never not cook the meal.

  It felt strange for us to plan a real holiday. We always just cooked something simple or went out to eat. Becca and I felt lonely during most holidays, though we never admitted it. Working at the theater usually gained us a couple of invitations to places that we sometimes took, and other times not.

  Now, we were both in relationships and living with our significant others.

  Jackson arrived two days before Thanksgiving with his girlfriend, Amy. They were a great couple, and while he was surprised with Becca and Mari’s new presence in Gram’s life, the girls got along well. He was planning to stay with Gram in her guest room for a week, but they managed to drag Amy to their apartment to gossip and watch movies.

  “Sorry, man. That’s how they are,” Gray told Jackson as he shrugged.

  “She’s moving in at the beginning of the year. I don’t care if she has a little fun.” He grinned, and we sat down to catch up. “How’s Gram?”

  “She’s good. I think she’s slowing down more and not going out with her friends as much. Still kicking, though.” Gray shrugged as Jackson frowned. “She’s seventy-three. That’s bound to happen.”

  Gram was in her room, taking a nap after all of the excitement of the day.

  “I know. I just hate not being here with her,” he softly said as I shared a look with Gray.

  “I’m here. Hell, we’re all here for her now. You know I keep you posted.” Gray looked at his cousin, and Jackson nodded. “Let’s make this a happy holiday. She’s so excited about everyone being here.”

  The theater was closed from Thursday to Sunday for Thanksgiving weekend. I spent that weekend hanging around the apartments with everyone. The girls went out a lot on their own as Jackson shook his head. Gray had a few small jobs to finish, but he did it from home so we could all be together.

  Gram was well-known for meal prep the Wednesday before, and her kitchen was crowded with helpers. I sipped beer and listened to the laughter that filled the apartment, feeling the love in the room. I never felt like this on a holiday before this, and I knew that Becca felt the same way.

  I wondered if there wasn’t a time that we would’ve invited Vivian and her mom. Gram did meet her, but she stood by Gray’s decision to cut her out of his life. Even the girls were pulling back as Vivian seemed to get needier, wanting their life back.

  Amy was their new best friend, and they had a blast together. Thanksgiving was full of food set up throughout the building as planned, with the appetizers in our apartment. I memorized every smile that crossed Gram’s face and laugh that filled the room. The food was incredible. By the time we finished various pies for dessert in the girl’s bohemian themed apartment, I had sworn never to eat again.

  The girls did a little shopping that night and early Friday morning, buying some things for Gram and themselves. We stayed home and groaned about being full as we watched a movie with Gram. She warned us that Friday was a leftover day as well as when she made the huge pot of soup for the weekend.

  “Has she always been this way?” I murmured as we went home well after midnight.

  “Yes. It was wild when I was a kid. Back then, we had a house, but it’s the same wherever she is.” He shrugged as he unlocked the door. We walked inside, smelling the lingering scent of the food in our apartment.

  “God, no.” I gripped my stomach, and Gray chuckled as he turned on one of our wax melters for the night.

  “Here you go. It almost makes me hungry again.” I moaned as I walked to the bedroom to slip into some stretchy shorts.

  We sipped one last beer together in bed, talking about the night. “I love you, Hayden,” Gray told me, smiling. “Did you have a good time?”

  “It was magical.” I smiled, and he squeezed my hand. “I’ve never felt that way before.”

  “I’m glad you were here.” He leaned in for a kiss, and I closed my eyes. “I’m sorry things got dark for a while.”

  “It’s okay,” I replied, feeling like we moved past it.
He kissed me again, and our tongues danced together.

  “Are you too full for some fun?” He whispered in my ear before kissing my jaw.

  “Never. We need to work off some calories.” I chuckled, and he slid his hand under my shorts.

  The rest of the weekend was about food and family, which was a word I used easily now. I was in love with my boyfriend, my best friends lived just above me, and I had a growing family.

  When we took Jackson and Amy to the airport first thing Monday morning, there were a lot of tears and hugs. Gram didn’t make the drive, but they had a long goodbye at the apartment.

  Amy promised that she’d keep in touch with Mari and Becca as they hugged each other again. I shook hands with Jackson and watched as he pulled his girlfriend into his arms. This was a perfect mix of happy couples and something I’d never been a part of.

  I walked out with Becca, Mari, and Gray to the car. I felt eyes on me, glancing over to see Ryan standing by his car as he stared me down. His eyes moved over my friends and boyfriend, filling me with rage.

  “Leave me alone. Leave all of us the fuck alone.” Gray stared at me, and Becca and Mari jumped.

  “What the hell?” Gray asked as he looked around. “Ryan?” He gazed at me, and I nodded. “Stay the hell away from my family.”

  “Family? They’re a mess, and I feel bad for you.” Ryan looked cold as he looked us over again. “Why the fuck are you here… Maria, is it?”

  “Are you kidding me right now?” She asked as I held my hand up.

  “Don’t bother. Let’s go.” I got into the car, and everyone else followed. “I’m so done with him.” I didn’t know what happened with the apartment fire and his involvement. It didn’t matter now.

  “Good. He’s an asshole.” Mari told us, sounding like she was going to lose it. “Why did you date him, Hayden?”

  “I was an idiot. I hadn’t met my true love yet.” I reached out to squeeze Gray’s hand. He started the engine, and we pulled out of the parking lot, heading home. We discussed whether or not we should feel threatened during the brief drive, mostly for the sake of Gram.