I walked into my apartment and dropped onto the sofa. "Drink! I need a drink!"

Brynn came running out of the kitchen. "What happened to you?"

Ashton stood behind my five foot one roommate. "Obviously, she was on her knees. We need the dets."

Rex gave out a high pitch squeal. "Start with size."

I covered my eyes. "Rex!"

He giggled. "What we all worship the..."

Brynn put her hands over her ears. "Don't say it! Hmm, hmm, hmm."

Despite the stinging pain in my knees, I laughed, but it morphed into tears without warning.

Brynn ran to my side. "Honey, are you okay?"

Through sobs, I managed to spit the words out. "I. Fell. Down."

"What happened?"

Rex stifled a laugh. "Does our Em need a reason to fall?"

Brynn frowned. "Stop."

"It's true." I sobbed. "I've fallen twice."

I held up two fingers. Ashton gasped. "You're poor hands. You need first aid. Go change."

Ashton was a nurse at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. It was a job with highs and lows and every emotion in between. His humor could cheer up the sickest patients.

I walked to my room and gingerly peeled off my nylon stockings. They weren't cheap, and they were ruined. My budget was tight, so I'd have to skip my Monday morning Starbucks' latte treat. I only went once a week.

My knees looked like I fell off my bike. I slipped on shorts and returned to let Ashton tend to my wounds.

Brynn handed me a healthy pour of red wine. I tuned out as she argued with Rex, who thought I deserved tequila. Finally, having enough, I hollered at them between winces.

"I'm not drinking tequila. Where's Duff?"

Brynn said, "Eating. I fed the big guy."

Ashton looked up at me. "Didn't you say you named him after your first kiss?"

"Yeah." My tummy tied in knots.

Rex stared at her. "Amanda's been bragging about her client Oliver Sumner of the publishing Sumner."

"Yeah, so."

Rex scrolled through his phone and held it out. "This guy?" I swallowed and nodded. "Why is your fat kitty not Oliver?"

Pouting, I deflected. "My baby isn't fat."

"You're avoiding." Ashton smiled, clearly liking the line of questioning better than me.

I huffed. "Fine. That's what his friends called him." I grabbed his phone and scrolled. When I found a picture of three men, I pointed to each. "Duff, Dex, and Ace."

Ashton looked on. "Ace. He's an ace alright. He's Nolan Easton."

I looked at him with a furrowed brow. The name meant nothing.

Ashton sighed. "He's a pro golfer. You should know him. He's from Georgia, but summered in Newport."

I shook my head. "Golf is not my thing."

Ashton let out a heart laugh. "It's not your boyfriend's either. Duff, duffer."

"What's so funny?"

"It's what they call people who stink at golf."

I dismissed him with a wave before taking a large sip of wine. I pegged them as sailors, but they were country club kids. Neither fit in my world. Stockings broke my budget.

Rex sat on the other side of me and put his arm around me. "Sweetheart, we still want to hear how you fell."

Forcing a smile, I took another drink.

"I tripped on a cord. I could have broken his laptop."

"The man's a menace for our accident prone darling. First his cat and then a cord."

Brynn added. "That's why we don't have any little scatter rugs. They had to take them out of my great grandma's place too. It was after she fell and broke her hip."

My headache was back, and the wine wasn't helping. "I'm not an old lady and my hip is fine!"

Rex stood. "We need to order the pizza. She's hangry."

The pictures. "You order. I have to upload the pictures for Amanda."

Rex said, "Then we can see your heartthrob's house."

I could dispute the term heartthrob, but I'd be lying. I named my cat after him. I had never had a kiss as amazing as the one from Oliver.

Rex was right. I felt better after eating. When my phone dinged, I had an email from Amanda. After reading it, I stood up.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Six eyes stared at me eagerly. "Amanda asked why I sent the pictures. Since she won't be working until Monday."

Rex let off an expletive. "She insisted you go right away."

Ashton added, "And you fell."

I smiled, remembering the best part. "It was worth it. He told me she wasn't his friend and the best part was I saw him in a tux!"

Brynn said, "Now I'm jealous."

Rex put his hand over his heart as if it were racing. "Let's see these pictures."

I smiled genuinely. "The wallpaper is horrific!"

Rex gasped. "Tell me those bathrooms are going."

"Absolutely!"

I held up my wine glass. "Where's the bottle? I need more. I can still feel my knees." And remember that kiss.

Feeling lightheaded, I made it to bed without tripping, slipping, or falling. I had enough injuries for one day. Before I turned off the light, I reached for my old sketchbook. It was thin after I ripped out most of the pages. He was there between pages of rooms in my childhood house, redecorated a variety of ways. How many times through the years had I studied his figure lounging on the blanket? Too many. Our age difference was unsurmountable, but with what I know about him it was the least of our differences.

Before I drifted off, I thought of my sister. Allie lived in San Diego with her husband, who treated her like she deserved. Would she remember the day at the folk festival? I had never told her it was my first kiss.