How to Steal a Happy Ending

•thirty• Hire some old acquaintances for the job.

"Thunder only happens when it's raining,
Players only love you when they're playing."

-Dreams, Gabrielle ft. Bastille
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Have you ever seen love? I mean the real kind. Not the one people like to talk about. The one that hurts even when you're happy. The one that makes her bake fifty blueberry cookies, only to throw forty nine away. Forty nine because he's eaten that last one. It's burnt and salty and she's at wits end but you don't see any of that in the smile they share. It's nothing big and only lasts for a second. Blink and you'll miss it- the moment they exchange a piece of soul for one another's company.

So have you ever seen it? If you haven't then, keep those eyes closed. It's not worth it; It isn't even beautiful, it just...haunts you. I know because, during a Saturday barbecue that no body wanted to be at, I saw this love. And now I can't let go of the idea.

The last thing I wanted was to go where the ghost of that memory lay. Especially at a time like this. But when Mrs.Baron decides that an emergency potluck supper was the perfect way to spend the evening, there was no saying no.

And as if that weren't enough, Nate was still hounding me about Katie. The guy was like a broken record. With an interjection of "Can you break up with her for me?" every other second and lets not forget the crowd favorite, "but you're supposed to be my friend!"

It was weird, I never pegged him to be coward and yet-I heaved a sigh.

"Mom, can we leave early? It's a school night." I added that last part as more of an after thought, hoping that it would be enough to convince her.

Instead, she just raised an eyebrow at me and rang the bell.

"Hmm, you don't seem to remember that when you go out with your friends." Busted.

"Claire! Oh honey, you look beautiful in that dress," Nate's mom exclaimed as she ushered us inside. It was a blue and white sleeveless one that she herself gave me last Christmas. "Whoever bought that must have impeccable taste."

I laughed, "No, I think a store attendant helped her out on this one."

She let out a fake gasp and stated, "You're terrible."

Her smile contradicted this as she turned to my mother, "And this one's definitely inherited Jack's silver tongue."

In all my memory of this pair of childhood enemies-turned college friends, the ribbing at the front door was only the beginning of our ritual. By the time we all sat down to eat, there would be countless jokes on how Nate was turning into a brooding romance hero, atleast one not-so-subtle mention of the time I had a crush on Danny, and lets not even get started on the endless cheek pinching.

But this time my mother's brown eyes didn't light up with glee, the playful mirth behind them missing from its place. This time, my mother just sighed and wordlessly moved into the kitchen. Julia followed, taking the lighthearted air of the room with her.

They left me in the foyer with a heavy chest and no explanation. It wasn't that I'd never seen her like that; I just didn't get why. Why now? It wasn't as if something new had happened. Well, other than the fact that she took her ring off. Yeah but, how does a ring matter? When the marriage is long dead, it's just a ring and nothing more.

Maybe she's finally- I brushed the thought off before it could reach completion. I don't know why, but the idea that it took this long for her to accept it scared me.

Deciding that listening to Nate's "break up with Katie remix" was better than spending the evening alone with my thoughts, I made my way into the living room. I found Mr. Baron and Danny lounging on the couch- a beer in hand and the game playing in front of them. It must be nice to be that carefree. To not have to bother with anything but the twelve sweaty dudes running around the field in a stadium somewhere.