Sorry it's been so long! My life is really hectic atm, but I knew I needed to update this. Hopefully you like this chapter!
The dinner was supposed to happen two nights ago, but the was a multiple car pileup and then everyone was just too tired yesterday to want to do anything.
So, here I am getting ready for a dinner I know is going to be weird. Maggie's got the night off, so she is watching the kids for me. I told her I would text her if I needed an excuse to leave. I dress causally, jeans and a red v-neck. I add a touch of curls to my hair, since I never get the opportunity to do anything with my hair anymore. I give each of the kids a kiss goodnight before heading out the door.
The drive to Owen and Amelia's place is quick, but the whole time I thought about how this dinner was going to be a disaster. I pull in the driveway behind Owen's car, noticing that Nathan's car isn't here and the dinner was supposed to start ten minutes ago. As I'm grabbing my purse, Nathan pulls up behind me.
"Nathan, don't park behind me, I might have to leave early." I say, not wanting to lie but hopefully get him to move his car.
"Why?" He gets out of his car and walks toward me, giving me a questioning glance.
"Uh, I think Bailey is coming down with the flu." I lie.
"Give me your keys and go inside, it's a little chilly out."
"I'm fine." I cross my arms.
"Meredith, you've got goose bumps. I'll move your car." He says, holding out his hand.
"Fine." I hand him my keys and head for the door while he moves my car. I knock on the door, and I am greeted by a nervous looking Amelia.
"Hey Mer, you made it."
"Yeah, the kids didn't want me to leave, and it's hard to say no to those faces."
"Well come on in. Dinner isn't quite ready yet so you are fine."
I glance back at Nathan, who is now done moving my car before walking inside. The air inside is already tense, and I have a feeling I might make it worse. I walk into the kitchen to greet Owen, who is currently trying to finish cooking.
"Hey Meredith, glad you could make it. Food will be ready soon, but for now you can grab a glass of wine and sit there at the table."
"Okay." I grab a wine glass, and pour me some. I take a sip, taking in the taste of something I don't drink very often. I sit at the table, and a few moments later Nathan comes in, grabbing a beer before sitting across from me. Megan came in seconds later, looking way better than she did when I first saw her.
"Hi, I'm Meredith." I extend my hand, she gives it a shake before smiling at me.
"Hi Meredith. I don't have to introduce myself since I'm sure you know who I am and all. That's the whole reason Owen wants to have these stupid dinners, so I can meet his friends. Not like I'm going to be staying here." Megan says before sitting down. Nathan raises his eyebrows at her, but she doesn't seem to notice.
"She is staying here Meredith, don't listen to her." Owen shouts from the kitchen.
"Brothers are annoying." Megan simply says.
It is mostly silent as dinner is served and everyone begins eating. Until Megan's curiosity gets the best of her.
"So Meredith, are you married?"
I swallow hard, knowing that this conversation is already going somewhere I don't want it to. "No. I'm a widow."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Have you dated anyone since?"
"One or two guys, but neither of them worked out. I'm just trying to enjoy the single life." I got a glare from Nathan, warning me to watch it.
"That sucks. Onto a better topic, how do you know Amelia?" Amelia and I just give each this look, unsure of what to say.
"Meredith is my sister." Amelia says before taking a big bite of food.
"You guys are sisters? You look nothing alike!"
"Sister in laws. Meredith was married to my brother Derek." Amelia spoke softly. Megan's face immediately changed, seeing the tension between us.
"Wow, I thought that would be an easier topic to talk about. Sorry."
"No, you are fine really. Its been three years now." I see Nathan move in his seat, obviously uncomfortable with this conversation.
"Let's try another topic then. Meredith, how are you and Owen friends?"
"We have know each other for a really long time." I answer blatantly.
"Come on, give me more than that." Megan says, rolling her eyes.
"Fine. I had married Meredith's best friend." Owen says, getting annoyed with the conversation. Amelia blushes a little, and it's obvious she feels really awkward.
"Is everyone here somehow related by sex?" Megan says, getting frustrated since the conversation is going no where. Nathan and I glance at each other for a moment, before looking back at Megan.
"Sorta seems like that huh?" I laugh.
"It really does. And this is only the first dinner! Tell me Meredith, are they all going to be this interesting?" Megan says full of curiosity.
"Probably. It just depends who is here."
"Then I won't mind these these dinners to much." Megan says and shoves a forkful of food in her mouth.
"Megan, don't forget to take you anxiety meds." I hear Owen say as he gets up to grab the wine and another beer.
"I know, I know. I want to get back to talking, since the point of this is to get to know Meredith right?"
"Yes." We all day at once.
"So, how do you know Nathan?"
I bit my lip, not sure what to say. I glance over at Nathan and he looks scared as to what I'm going to say. "Quite a few cases together, and my sister had liked him."
"Amelia?" She quickly fires back, and I see out of the corner of my eye a very red Nathan.
"No, no, not me. Meredith's other sister, Maggie." Amelia quickly stated.
"Oh. Did nothing happen there?" Megan gently asks Nathan.
"I-I wasn't ready to date yet. I had tried, but they never worked out. So why bother?"
"You could have dated. I would understand if you had, Nathan. Ten years is a long time for someone to be gone." Megan says.
"I actually did date one person that it felt right with." Nathan said, and Amelia immediately gave me a look. The tension in the room was pretty high.
"What happened?" Megan asked. I just watched them talk as if it was nothing. I'm really scared that he'll accidentally spill something and she will hate me. My hands start to shake as I anticipate what he is going to say.
"You came back." Those three words meant a lot. You could see Megan now tearing up.
"Oh." There was a few moments of silence and awkward glances. "H-How long had you two been together?"
"Not long at all. I had chased her for months, and she kept telling me no. I eventually got her."
"Excuse me, I gotta use the ladies room." I say, getting any excuse to get away from this table. I go around the corner to where they can't see me but I can still hear them.
"Do you love her?" Megan asks quietly.
"Megan, I love you."
"You didn't answer my question." Megan says, staying firm.
"I am in love with her. Or I was. That all changed when you came back Meg."
My mouth drops open. I hear Amelia get up and say so excuse to leave the table. I dart quickly into the bathroom, but not fast enough.
"How much did you hear?" She asks.
"That he did love me until Megan came back. He never told me that." I say, running my hands through my hair.
"I think I'm going to pick out a movie for all of us to watch and relax."
"That's a good idea." I reply.
"Come out when you aren't so red." She says before walking out the door. I quickly look to the mirror and realize how red I actually am. I straighten myself up before walking out to the living room.
"Owen is in the kitchen finishing up cleaning up." Amelia says from her spot on the couch. I look over to the other couch only to see Megan sitting there.
I walk to the kitchen slowly, and hear Nathan and Owen talking. "Why would you tell her that?" Owen said in a hushed whisper.
"Sorry Mate, I don't want to lie to her. She can tell when I'm lying and I think that would have made things worse."
"Alright fine. Just don't tell her anymore. And don't tell Meredith. I don't want you hurting her."
I use that as my cue to walk in, and they both stare at me for a moment.
"Need any help?"
"If you could grab the last of the plates from the table that would be great." Owen replies.
I walk to the dinning room, grab the last of the plates and walk back to the kitchen. Of course, only Nathan is in there. He quickly turns around to take the dishes from me. His hand brushes mine, sending shivers down my spine. I shiver, shake it of and help him finish up the dishes.
After we finish, Nathan heads to the living room and I grab a bottle of water. Once I get to the living room, I can tell it's going to be interesting. Amelia and Owen are cuddling on the smaller couch, taking up the whole thing. Megan and Nathan are sitting next to each other on the bigger couch. There's a space next to him, but I don't want to sit there.
Megan notices me trying to find a place to sit, and tells me to sit next Nathan. I sigh, and do it anyways. Our hands once again brush each other's as I sit down. We all are watching the movie Amelia decided to put on, but I just wonder what's going on in Nathan's head.
Not long into the movie, I decide to get another glass of wine. I quietly get up and go to the kitchen. I pour me a glass, and softly walk back toward the room.
Next thing I know I am falling, and my wine glass is also. I must have forgotten about the step up. Nothing had really prepared me for what was about to go down.
My wine glass shatters, and I feel a pain in my hand. I don't get a chance to look at it before I hear Megan screaming.
"MEREDITH!" Owen yells, I look to see Megan looking scared as hell, getting up to run. She has a blanket wrapped around her, and neglects to take it off. I watch from the floor as Megan tries to get up, falls and hits her head right on the side of the coffee table. She loses consciousness and all hell breaks lose.
Okay so I have a couple questions. Should I continue this story even though merthan is over? (I cried when I found out Martin was actually leaving :/) Or should I wrap up the current storylines? Or keep it going as long as I can?