Walk With Me

15. The General Population of Women

When I look back up, Trevor's eyes shoot to Lacy's. Her head quickly shakes. "We're not getting a dog."

"Oh come on," Trevor says now, almost begging. I see the hesitation on her face as he reaches for her hand, pulling her closer to him. She continues to shake her head in protest, but I have a feeling they're not too far away from a fur baby.

"Dogs are a shit ton of work," the blonde one blurts out and my eyes immediately shoot to hers.

"Language, Brit," Tommy exhales, clearly a bit frustrated. He actually has that same tone I have when I've already told a student a hundred times to raise their hand.

"Oops," she laughs, though she doesn't seem to be that sorry.

The rest of dinner goes somewhat the same. Trevor and the nurses talk a little about work before Lacy thankfully cuts them off. Mia spends most of her time asking Tommy questions about Stella. She wants to know how often he walks her, when he feeds her, what kind of toys she likes. With each answer, I see her wheels turning. She's forming her argument to ask me for one later. I also take notice in the fact that Tommy never once appears to be annoyed with her questioning. Even if she is starting to talk in circles at this point. His authentic interest doesn't go unnoticed as it's a stark change from what I've grown accustomed to over the years.

After we manage to make it through dinner and dessert with only one more F-bomb and two "oh shits" from Brit, I attempt to leave. We're about ten minutes to tantrum city if I don't get Mia home. The problem is that Lacy and my brother have insisted that this is his celebration. One that I need to be at. My parents assure me they have Mia, and even Mia convinces me that it's okay to stay. That's not what ultimately convinces me though. It's those damn blues watching me that finally have me caving.

I begin to walk Mia to the door when she turns back to the group. "Thank you for playing with me, Tommy. Can I play with Stella next time?"

His eyes flicker to mine, holding them there for a moment, like he's asking permission. I run my hand down Mia's hair, leaning down a bit closer to her. "I'm sure we can work something out," I say quietly.

I look back at Tommy as he catches my words and smiles. "Yes," he says now. "I am sure Stella would love to play with you sometime."

Mia jumps next to me with a small yes. Both Tommy and I laugh at her excitement before I walk her out to the car.

When I come back inside, everyone seems to have moved to the living room. They are mostly standing around when I enter the room. Lacy comes in from the kitchen with her hands full of another round of drinks. She hands me a sparkling water, knowing I don't drink. I've seen the dark sides of alcohol and prefer not to partake. Tommy shakes his away as well, mentioning he has to drive home soon.

When we make our way to the couches, I plop down on the smaller one. I am pleasantly surprised when Tommy sits down beside me. I figured he'd end up somewhere with the brunette, who I have come to find out is Madi, on his lap. She's found a way to stay attached to him for most of the night. Not that I've been keeping tabs or anything.

"So, Amber, right?" Brit asks as she sits across from us.

I slowly look up from my drink, not expecting any attention to be directed at me. "Yes."

"Trevor mentioned you just moved back home. Where from?" Brit asks. I glance around the room, my hands already beginning to feel clammy from the concentrated stares.

"New York," I say quietly, trying to calm the sudden increase of my heart. I don't like talking about myself, nor do I enjoy the fact that everyone's eyes quickly shoot to Tommy's at my response before settling back on me.