Chicken

"That" awkward moment

When you hit adulthood, you're supposed to have it all worked out and yet, sitting outside as the party was in full swing in the fantastic rented mansion house, that really wasn't the case.

'Are you alright, honey?' Her voice carried across the lawn from the raised patio.

'I'm fine,' Was all he could muster, wiping away the tears that he had allowed to fall down his cheeks. 'I'll be there in a minute.'

'Don't take too long. They're going to play the videos in a minute.' She was clearly tipsy as the woman in her black dress all but stumbled out of the open door to yell to him.

'I'll be there.' Doing his best not to sound distant, he offered a wave and watched as she went back into the party.

Crying wasn't a normal thing for Tom. It was something he had avoided at all costs in the past, but tonight was different. Having never had a handle on emotions, it always took time alone to let himself feel he could be himself. Over the years, he had learned to simply cut back from anything that caused him upset and gloss over like it never happened, hardly the best coping mechanism, but it had worked for him this far.

Well, it had.

Who would have thought a school reunion would have brought such emotions flooding back when it had, all told, been twenty-years since he had seen most of these people. Having parted company when they were sixteen, Tom had never really kept contact with people and had it not been for social media, he'd probably have had no idea who was who in the vast gathering of the class of 2000.

It wasn't out of malice or ill-feeling for any of them, despite some of the faces reminding him of harsher times at school. It was just a struggle he had with maintaining meaningful relationships. Sat looking back at the rented mansion-house venue for the reunion, Tom sighed and sank into the chair.

'Mind if I join you?'

The voice startled him, his heart racing, and for a moment he froze. Still facing the enormous house, Tim turned slowly and felt a lump form in his throat as he stepped out of the shadows. Bathed in the pale light from the lights on the balcony, he looked confident and warm. It was a face Tom had tried to, but never really forgotten from his teenage years. Dressed in a tailored open-neck shirt tucked into a pair of jet-black denim jeans there was nothing about him that looked out of place. His clothes were perfectly fitted, the style matching the cool and calm exterior, the exuded confidence.

'Well?' He offered with a playful smile. 'I take it you've not forgotten me?'

Not waiting for an answer, he sat on the other side of the table and took a sip from the glass in his hand.

'No, Jason, I haven't forgotten.' Tom's voice struggled to rise above a whisper and for some insane reason, he found his mouth dry.

Get a grip of yourself you idiot. It was twenty years ago, and he's hardly going to say anything about it now! The familiar voice in his head had a way of vocalising what he was thinking, and hearing the words often helped him work things out when the pressure was on. Now bloody well talk to him or he's going to think you're a weirdo.

'I heard you settled down with Mel,' Jason replied, as he put his glass on the table between them. 'You were always destined to end up together.'

'Sure, it's not like it seems though. We're just flatmates.' Tom struggled to meet Jason's gaze.

'What? It has to be a perfect setup, doesn't it.'

'I'd rather not talk about it.' Tom snapped with more venom than he had intended, the flurry of emotion tickling the inside of his chest was distracting and seeing the look of surprise on Jason's face sent a wave of guilt coursing through him. 'Damn, I didn't mean to, well, you know?'