Here's the next chapter! Thanks for the reviews Guest and pandacookienom! You have no idea how good it feels to not be alone in liking this story :)
Now I don't want to gravel, but I mean, it's my birthday and a nice present would be a review...just saying :P Hope you like it!
"Sorry we're a bit late; the babysitter had to get off soccer practice." I say trying to start conversation after Mitchell's drawn out and awkward "So.
"It's no problem, we left Lily with my sister and ended up talking for a while, so we only got her a few minutes before you." Mitchell answers with that same nervous smile
"Have you guys been here before?" Mitchell asks taking a sip from his glass
"I've been a few times, boss appreciation type stuff. It's Pam's first time." I finish with a smile, not wanting to start the fighting early tonight.
"Same here." Mitchell answers, the conversation trailing off
Thankfully the waitress came moments later, and after a quick scan through the menu all out orders were placed.
"We were just-" Mitchell begins to speak, but a voice from the right of us cuts him off.
"I never thought I'd see you here, outside of one of the boss' dinners." Ryan's voice calls above the sound of the other customers. At his voice I feel Pam's shoulders tense and Cam's eyes flash to her.
"Ryan," I greet with a forced smile, the tension in the air causing me to will him away.
Noticing that he wasn't leaving or responding, I decide to do what I do best and ramble, "This is Mitchell and Cam, parents from Conner's school, and you know Pam." I finish leaning a bit closer to her
A chorus of hellos, Pam's voice missing from the greeting, follows, yet he does not budge.
"Is there something you wanted, Ryan?" I question trying to be polite
"I was under the impression that you were deciding on day for me to talk with Conner?" He questions
"About what?" I question, unsure of his meaning
"So he could have a guy influence." He answers, and for the first time in my life I have to both restrain myself and Pam.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but I assure you Conner will be fine without your influence. Now if you could move along, I'd rather not have this talk now." I say turning away from him, and catching Mitchell's eye.
"Okay…see you Monday." He speaks, inching away from the table.
"So that's who you were talking about." Cam says to Pam, who answers with a nod.
"Yeah, Mitchell used to have one of those." Cam replies, with a sympathetic sigh
"Wha- I did not!" Mitchell tries to defend himself glancing from me to Cam, to Pam to Cam, and back again in a dizzying cycle.
"Do you remember Kelsy?" Pam questions in a calm, talking-to-a-child voice.
"Oh." he says, eyes glancing down to the table in memory.
"Ryan's really not that bad, he just…has some issues he needs to deal with." I say in the kindest way possible.
"Yeah, like the fact that he's in love with my wife." Pam says with an eye roll
"So how'd you deal with this Kelsy, chick?" Pam asks Cam in a conspirator's tone.
"He didn't," Mitchell answers for him, "she moved to the Washington offices a few years ago."
Clearing his throat, Cam gets our attention and locking eyes with Pam he taps the side of his knows twice, causing them to share a smile.
"What did you do!" Mitchell asks shocked
"We'll talk later." Cam tells Pam, causing Mitchell's shock to continue.
"Cam." Mitchell asks in a questioning tone.
"I didn't do a thing." Cam answers with an oddly sincere and insincere tone and expression.
Shaking his head knowing he wouldn't be getting an answer he asks us, "So how long have you guys been together?"
"Ten years in May." I answer with a smile, "And you guys?"
"Eight years this September." Cam replies, with the same immensely happy smile that I had, "We met at my friend Pepper's party, we were playing charades and he got the answer I was drawing without even guessing."
I can feel Pam's walls come down as she chuckles –hand clasped in mine on the seat- at their retelling of the story, from both perspectives.
"So now no one will play charades with us anymore." Mitchell finishes with a laugh, "What about you two, how'd you meet?"
"Well we met in college freshman year. There wasn't a party or anything, like yours, we were never even in the same classes, really. My brother, John, and Michelle were friends. One day when I was spending time with John, he wanted to go to this coffee shop to say hi to his friend, and that's how we met." Pam finishes the story before the sad parts, but I can still see the pain of it in her eyes, causing me to squeeze her hand in comfort.
"Is that when you started dating? Cause if so, we have people to call; they always say Cam and I are crazy for going for coffee after the party." Mitchell says with a friendly smile.
"Not really, I don't really think you want to hear this. It's a long story." I say, trying to save them from it.
"This dinner is about getting to know each other, we have time. Besides you sat through two tellings of our charades story." Mitchell answers in kindness.
"Okay, it's only fair." I say –more to myself than them- letting out a deep breath, the story always making guilt swell in my chest.
"Well, after we met we started spending more and more time together – not dating- just hanging out like friends would. She would come into the coffee shop and talk as I worked. After John graduated we hung out more and more. And in honesty it did always feel different being around her than my other friends, I just…. I grew up in a catholic household, and my mother was very vocal in her…distaste of anything other than a man and woman being together. And I couldn't lose my mother, she was all I had left, you know?" I ask, trying to get my guilt in check.
"My family had always known I was a lesbian, they didn't care in the least. But I saw the pain her mom put her through when she came to the college every other weekend with a new guy for her. So I didn't say anything." Pam injects, gripping my hand
"We were almost together toward the end of college. I say almost because we weren't public, it just felt like we were more together, I guess. But…I got scared. It just felt to right, but every other weekend I'd hear my mom's preaching on how wrong that life style was. So…I don't know why, but I decided that it'd be best for us, if there wasn't an us, and after graduation I moved back to my small town, and got a job at the bank." I say, finding strength in our clasped hands, and glancing up I can't help but laugh in nervousness at Cam's teary eyes.
"What'd you do?" Cam whispers, drawn into our tale
"I...I'd love to say I ran after her as soon as I found out she left. But, it took my brother talking some since into me before I would do anything. You see, I had gotten a letter a few weeks before graduation, from her mom, basically saying that my ways were wrong and that I better not be influencing her daughter who would be getting married soon anyway and that I should just give it up. So I did, for a week or so anyway. Then John came crashing through my apartment yelling one night, until I came to my senses." Pam says with a soft chuckle.
"So what'd you for?" Mitchell echoes his partner, leaning forward
"I packed my stuff and moved to her town." Pam says with a proud smile. "You would not believe how shocked she was when I was her two o'clock meeting." She chuckles.
"Well you did just run into my office, tell me you love me, and bear hug me." I say, rolling my wet eyes, receiving only a shrug in response. "Needless to say, after her confession, and mine in turn, I lost my job, and -as things do in small towns- word got back to my mother. Luckily by the time she found out, we were already on our way back to her apartment by the college a day's trip away." I say
"And we've been together ever since." Pam finishes the story, pulling me closer with our clasped hands.
"Wow." Is the only answer either of the men can think to say
Luckily as they continue to run through the story, the food arrives and the quiet is less awkward, and more normal.
"I'd like to make a toast!" Cam announces rising his glass, and we follow in shared confusion. "To John." He says with a smile, causing smiles to brighten around the table.
"To John." We agree, clinking glasses, my eyes meeting Pam's as we sip.
"We should do this again sometime." Mitchell states as we all pay our checks
"Yeah, I think it'll be fun. We still don't really know anyone over here." I reply with a smile, "Besides they're getting along better at least." I say nodding my head in the direction of the conspiring faces of Cam and Pam.
"Yeah, you might want to say good bye to Ryan now." He jokes, with a kind smile.
"You have no idea." I reply, "It's going to be tough trying to make a new friend at work." I sigh with a smile.
"Well now you have Cam and me, what more could you want?" He replies with a laugh.
"True." I answer, eyes glancing back at Pam love filling them.
What more could I want?