NPOV
"Evan! Get your ass down here if you want to go!"
My idiot brother was taking his sweet time getting ready. We were just going to his bar. I didn't understand what the big fucking deal was. He owned the place for God's sake. It's not like the patrons hadn't seen him in his everyday clothes.
"Dude, chill the fuck out." Evan finally came down the stairs. He didn't look any different than normal.
"What the hell was taking you so long?"
"Nicky, you came out tonight to relax. Do you think you could do that? I had to make a phone call. Don't get your panties in a twist."
I rolled my eyes at him. "Don't call me Nicky. You know I hate that name."
"Fine, Nicholas, are you ready?" He looked at his watch impatiently.
I rolled my eyes at his use of my full name. "I've been waiting for you for almost an hour! Of course I'm ready!"
"Good, let's go."
We made our way out to Evan's jeep. When we climbed in, he hooked up his iPod and started blaring some new rap song that he swore was going to be the biggest hit of the year. "Evan," I said, "what about this says 'music' to you?"
"What are you talking about? This is the only music there is! Listen to that back beat. It takes some fucking talent to talk that fast, too. It's nothing like the shit that Katie makes me play at the bar."
Evan's wife, Kate, was an ex-supermodel who was notorious for not putting up with his shit. She hated rap music and refused to let him play it at the bar, opting instead for a live DJ who would take requests from the customers.
We drove through downtown Seattle, Evan somehow mimicking the ridiculous song perfectly. When we reached the bar, he pulled around back and parked. I went to get out, and he stopped me.
"Okay, now don't freak out."
Shit, this can't be good. Nothing good ever started with "don't freak out".
"What, Evan?"
"It's not bad; I just have a surprise inside for you."
"A surprise? What, like a welcome home party?" I had just moved back to Seattle a couple of weeks earlier, but this was the first night I was getting together with anyone. I had been spending most of my time unpacking and getting acclimated to my new job.
"No, not a party. I mean, everyone will be there, but we're not throwing a party for you."
"Then what is it, Evan?"
"You'll see when we get inside. At least, I hope you will."
What the fuck?
"Fine, let's just go." I was getting irritated. I just wanted to go inside, see my friends and family, and get a drink.
As soon as we walked inside, I saw a small blur and felt something tiny crash into me.
"Nick!" The tiny blur had a very loud voice. I looked down and saw my little sister, Ali, wrapped around me, clinging to me like I had just come back from the dead.
"Hello to you too, Ali." I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up in a hug. When I set her down and she released her death grip on my waist, she grabbed my hand and yanked me across the bar to the table she was at. I could see her fiancΓ©, Jason, looking at me with an amused smirk on his face. He stood up to shake my hand.
"Nick, how's it goin' my man?" Jason was from Texas, so he had this crazy southern drawl that my sister loved. However, since he'd been drinking it was much more pronounced.
"I'm doing good, Jas. Happy to be back."
I settled into a chair to talk to Jason more, when I heard a voice behind me.
"Nicholas Anthony Jensen. How dare you come into my bar and not even say hello to me!"
I smiled. Only one person would let that be the first thing they said to me. Without turning around I said, "Now, I know that my lovely sister-in-law would never speak to me like that, so I wonder who that could be." Before I could stand up, I felt her hand smack the back of my head. "Ow! Fuck, Kate! I was just kidding!" I stood up and turned around.
She smiled that million-dollar smile at me and hugged me. I kissed her cheek, and all was forgiven. "So are you excited?"
I looked at her quizzically. "Excited for what? Being home? Sure, why?"
She looked at Evan and raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't tell him?" She reached over and proceeded to smack him upside the head.
"Shit! I told him that I had a surprise for him, I just didn't say what." Kate rolled her eyes at his statement.
"Nick, we've all been friends for a long time, right?"
"Yeah, why?" This was all starting to get very suspicious.
"Well, look around. Who's missing?"
I took a good look at the group in front of me.
Let's see. Ev and Kate, Jas and Ali, Madi-! That's right. Madison's not here. But, she's been gone longer than I have. I haven't even talked to her in four years. Why are they bringing her up?
"Guys, I know Madi's not here. Why the fuck do you think you need to bring that up?" Madi and I had been close in high school and all through college, but after graduation she left to go to London, and I hadn't heard from her since. I never talked about her, and no one talked to me about her. They all knew that I'd had a thing for Madi since the day we met. She was amazing. Long, wavy mahogany hair, amazing chocolate brown eyes and a killer body. On top of everything, she was smart. And I'm not just talking book smart, she was witty. She had a comeback for everything, which came in handy when dealing with Evan. This girl could hold her own. And you always knew what she was thinking, because she wasn't afraid to tell you.
But the most beautiful thing about her was the way she took care of everyone. Her mom wasn't around, and her dad worked odd hours at the police station. She would make sure that he had either eaten before he left, or that he had something to take with him. She took care of everything in the house so he could relax when he got home. If any of us were sick, she was right there trying to make us feel better. When Ali had her heart broken for the first time, Madi showed up at our door with movies and ice cream. She was completely selfless; she loved to help people.
Ali grabbed my hand and pulled me back into my chair. "Nick, I know you miss her. But did you ever stop to think that maybe she misses you too?"
"Ali, I haven't heard from her in four years. Don't you think that if she missed me that much, she would have at least called?"
"You know very well why she didn't call you." Ali narrowed her eyes at me.
"No, I don't. Please enlighten me."
"Oh, come on! She was so in love with you it was ridiculous! Leaving was the hardest thing she's ever done. If she had called you, it would have made it even harder and she might not have accomplished what she set out to do."
In love? With me? Has the tiny girl lost her damn mind?
"What are you talking about? Madi was never in love with me. We were just friends. You all know I wanted more, but I know she never did, so I never pushed it. And just what did she need to accomplish anyway?"
"Nick, you have got to be the blindest man on the face of the planet! How could you not see how she looked at you? She left because her grandmother needed a caretaker. She wasn't able to take care of herself anymore, and didn't want to hire a home nurse. So Madi went to live with her. Her grandmother passed away a few months ago, though."
"Is she all right?" I was suddenly worried about the girl I hadn't seen in almost half a decade.
"She's fine. She was prepared for it. So, back to your surprise." I was amazed at how quickly Ali could change the subject. "Nick, I need you to close your eyes for about fifteen seconds."
"What the hell for?" I was getting a little irritated at all the secrecy. I was having a perfectly good night, and they had to bring up the one thing that cut the deepest.
"Just do it!" Kate snapped.
"Fine," I huffed. I shut my eyes and could hear everyone moving around, getting out of their seats to go somewhere.
If these fuckers leave me here, someone's getting hit.
"Okay, open up and turn around." Evan was so giddy, he sounded like a little schoolgirl.
I popped my eyes open, stood up and turned to face them. They were all standing in a line, obviously hiding something. Ali and Jason on one side, Evan and Kate on the other. "What, are you surprising me with a line dance?"