Chasing Calloway

Seventeen - Family Dinner

Song Of The Chapter || Let You Break My Heart Again - Laufey, Philharmonia Orchestra

𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐄

Family Dinner.

At least that's what Lucas likes to call it.

The first time we all gathered in my tiny dorm room with microwavable bowls of mac and cheese, only a week after we all started college together. Sitting around and sharing stories of our first week of classes. From then onward, we continued our tradition. Somewhere along the way, Enid joined, and our family of four became five. A dorm room became the apartment that Lucas, Nick, and Garrett shared. Sure, there was no chance all of us could make it every single week, but we made it work. We were there because we wanted to be, not because it was a requirement.

Family dinner was sacred to me.

And I hadn't gone in almost three weeks.

I had been so busy with tutoring and plotting convoluted schemes that I never found the time to go.

Okay, maybe that's only the partial truth. I had been avoiding it. I've been avoiding him. Besides the awkward run ins at the ice rink and quiet attention that is paid to class and not one another, we've stayed away from one another. I hate it. But I can't bring myself to do anything different. The last time we actually had any sort of real conversation about anything, I felt like an afterthought. I felt like nothing.

If I go to dinner and feel that way, if I ruin what's sacred. I don't know what I could do to repair it.

That was until I received a text from Nick last night.

Nick: You've missed family dinner three times in a row, you can't make it a fourth!

Annie: I've been busy.

Nick: Well that's too bad. Because I just got to a huge plot twist in Jane Eyre :)

Annie: OMG WHAT?!?!?!?! Which one???

Nick: Guess you'll just have to come to dinner to find out.

Nick: Don't say you're busy. You've been able to do movie night with Enid all the time.

Enid! That traitor! I curse and resist the urge to throw my phone.

Annie: She so told you, didn't she?

Nick: I know everything, we've been over this.

Nick: I don't care what you have to cancel, be there. I know it's gotta be awkward with Garrett being there. But you have to get over it. You can't let this situation come between the two of you. You're both better than this.

I frown at the message, but I know he's right. I can't keep avoiding this forever.

I can't keep avoiding Garrett forever.

I breathe out a large sigh and type back.

Annie: You're right. I'll be there.

Nick: Good. I'm proud of you <3

Annie: But only because we NEED to talk about Jane Eyre

Annie: And thank you <3

So that leads me to now, standing in front of the mirror in my room, obsessively trying to decide which sweater looks better on me.

I usually stick to jeans and a hoodie that is 30 sizes too big. It was comfortable. It was safe.

But today, I wore a pair of light blue jeans (a big step, I know). But the top was a tank top, spaghetti straps with a white sweater hanging off my shoulders.