The last thing David Gillespie wanted to do was to attend his Arlington High School ten year reunion. The day after Thanksgiving was supposed to be for shopping, eating leftovers, and watching college football. David didn't shop until the last minute and favored gift cards. He used to buy fun things for his nephew, but even Ian had grown up. As for the leftovers, they didn't have very many. With Ian away for Thanksgiving, their meal felt lonely with parents, their two grown sons, and the smallest turkey sold at Stop & Shop.

David shouldn't complain because Ian was a freshman at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, so he saw him all the time, although Ian's mother missed him just as Andrew had for years. Note to self: Always wear protection. Sharing a child was hard on everyone involved, especially when the parents lived in different states. Two summers ago, David took his nephew to see his half-sister. It was the first time David saw Ian as a big brother.

He would rather play cards with his parents, but he put work clothes on even though it was his day off and waited for his best friend Brian to pick him up at his Cambridge apartment. They had been friends since third grade when Brian moved to town. All the girls flocked around the new kid, but the boys hung back. At recess, David picked up a foam football and approached him. Brian looked uncomfortable surrounded by girls. David held up the ball and said, "you wanna," and the rest was history.

In high school, the two were firmly in the middle, not popular and not losers. They took school seriously, but not like the real geeks. The only reason David was intrigued to attend his reunion was to see if his brother was right. Andrew said after ten years everything reversed, the popular kids were the losers and the geeks were the successful ones. A lot could happen to a body during its twenties, shoulders broadened, skin cleared up, even most penises reached their full potential after graduation.

The two boys turned men had done okay for themselves. Brian was a pilot flying for Delta Connection, a smaller subsidiary to the large airline. David graduated from Worcester Polytech, a well-respected university with a degree in mechanical engineering. He worked for General Electric and ninety percent of the time felt like an actual adult. With thirty approaching, he would rather stay home alone than hang out in a crowded club. David had never hooked up in a club. He had made out a few times, but lacked the suave phrases necessary to invite a girl back to his apartment. When his brother was his age, Andrew was a part time single parent with a nine-year-old son. Maybe the Gillespie boys were destined to be single.

They reached the Elks Lodge socially late. Let the former popular kids have a few beers before the successful alumni appeared. The drab ballroom had been decorated with balloons.

"Tacky," Brian whispered.

David nodded as he took in the crowd. It was a decent size. As his eyes stopped, he smirked at the prom king and star of the football team who stood with the former cheerleader. Still together. Kudos to them, but they both looked five years older than David. The jock carried at least thirty extra pounds as he tipped his cup of beer to his lips. The once bubbly girl looked like she lost her soul to motherhood. Her body showed signs of child bearing. Her perky breasts that even David thought about touching had lost their perk. Andrew was right.

As they stood at the bar, women walked closer to glance at their name tags. David wrote only his first name. Let them try to remember him. Brian started conversations as David listened hoping the attention wouldn't turn to him. Sure enough, some of the plainer girls looked attractive as women approaching thirty. He heard snippets like eighteen months, home with my husband, living in Chicago...

His first gin and tonic went down fast, and because he wasn't driving, he stepped towards the bar line for another. A woman approached at the same time. He motioned for her to go first.

She smiled. "Thanks. I don't know why I agreed to come to this."

She didn't wear a nametag. "I wish I knew these were optional." He ripped off the white sticker. "Did you graduate with us?"

She shook her head. "No, my sister did. I agreed to come because I was friendly with her gang. Believe me, I skipped mine two years ago."

"So you graduated two years ahead?"

She nodded. "You're quick."

"It was that or three years behind."

"I don't look a day under thirty."

David shook his head. "I wouldn't say that."

"You're a charmer. So which crowd were you in?"

He shrugged. "Not the cool kids turned life is hard group."

She laughed. "My life is hard."

"Are you trying to feed three kids on your teacher's salary?"

She chuckled and shook her head. "No time for that. I'm a surgical resident. I only look rested, because I'm on vacation until Monday morning."

"Did you draw the short straw since you got Thanksgiving and not Christmas?"

"Something like that? What do you do?"

"Boring things compared to surgery. I'm a mechanical engineer at GE."

"That's not like Joe over there he's a plumber." She pointed to the jock.

"Plumbers make good money. How do you know?"

"My mother hired him. My sister and I laughed when we heard."

"Who's your sister?"

"Lucy MacInnis. She lives in North Carolina now. She came home for Thanksgiving, but won't for Christmas."

"I was in classes with Lucy, but I didn't know her well. I've always been shy around women."

She laughed. "You're talking to me."

He smiled at the sound of her laughter. The line had moved, so they stepped to the bar. She ordered a drink, and he said, "And a gin and tonic. Let me."

She smiled, flashing perfectly straight teeth. His eyes found her freckles across her nose and cheeks and wondered if she had more. "Thanks. I owe you."

"How about your name?"

She smiled. "Rose."

"Dr. Rose MacInnis. Very impressive."

She blushed, painting a pink hue around her freckles. "I was going to sit in the corner to people watch while I nurse my cheap wine."

He laughed. "Can I join you? Remind me to skip my fifteenth reunion." He relaxed when she laughed.

"I don't need the reminder, since I'm gonna be a brain surgeon."

He paused. "Seriously. That's amazing."

She smiled. "That's my goal."

He peppered her with questions about her training and schedule.

"Do you ever have a night off to go out to dinner?"

She smiled. "Occasionally, but I like to spend my free time in bed..." He cleared his throat as if it would stop his dick from twitching and shifted in his uncomfortable chair. She giggled nervously. "I meant sleeping."

David went all in. "Too bad, but I would still like to take you to dinner."

She smiled. "I'm off until Monday."

"But Lucy is home."

She smiled. "You are a great guy. She leaves tomorrow. Her fiance is a PA and couldn't get the holiday off."

"PA?"

"Physician's assistant. If you want to hang out, you need to learn the lingo."

"I definitely will."

She giggled, and he wanted to kiss her, but ran his fingers along the back of her hand instead. The warmth spread through his hand and up his arm. She turned her hand over and linked her fingers into his. It felt better than nice and his dick's participation reminded him he hadn't dated in a while.

"I don't want to give you the wrong idea. I work eighty hours a week. If we have dinner and want a repeat, it might be awhile before I have a free night."

David squeezed her hand. "I haven't dated much lately, so occasional is better than nothing. Look over there. See that girl with the black dress."

"It looks designer."

"If you say so, but she was the Ally Sheedy of our class."

"She doesn't look like she has dandruff now." Both remembered Sheedy's character in The Breakfast Club.

Her hair had a professional style and highlights. She held her head high as she walked through the crowd. The ten years had been good to her. David watched her greet a few people and loop around and out the door. "The only thing better would be if she introduced herself to the plumbers wife, ex cheerleader." David let his random out.

"Hi, um, remember me. You laughed at me because I was unique when it wasn't cool to be yourself. Well, my uniqueness has launched my glamorous career. How's your life?"

David laughed. "You just read my mind. I might google to find out what her glamorous career is. Mine is not glamorous, but I use my education."

Rose laughed. "There is nothing glamorous about cutting into people."

"But you save lives. It's a noble profession."

She squeeze his hand and they continued to commentate the crowd. "This guy has a swagger. He's a..."

"Pilot. He's my friend, Brian."

As his old friend approached, his eyes focused on their joined hands. He looked at David with raised eyebrows. "What's up, Gills?"

Rose laughed. "Gills?"

"Yeah, for Gillespie."

Her eyes grew wide. "You're an Arlington Gillespie. Are you related to the symphony pianist?"

He looked at her with knitted brows. "My brother, Andrew. He doesn't have groupies."

She giggled. If she kept it up, he would have a full-blown boner. "My mother knows everyone in town. She mentioned seeing your parents the other day."

"Small world."

"I guess, but she's a real estate agent so..."

"So what?"

Rose's eyes grew wide. "Ah shit. I think they were inquiring about listing their house."

David frowned as he dropped her hand. "They were? That's news to me. My dad is retiring but..."

"Please pretend you don't know. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. I'll have to think of a way for you to make it up to me."

Brian fake gagged. "I came to see if you are ready to leave. My work is done."

"The buzz in the room is about the hot pilot."

"Gills, you think I'm hot?" Brian winked.

"Not me, but women always do."

Rose laughed. "Who's talking?"

David looked at her. Had she just called him hot? He didn't want to leave her. Lucy appeared next. "Come on, Rosie. We're going out for drinks."

"Not me. Can you get a ride home?"

"Yeah, no problem." Lucy turned to him. "Hey Gills, you grew up nice."

"Thanks." But Lucy was busy telling Brian she crushed on him as she flashed her diamond ring. "Your loss. You could have flown for US Airways out of Charlotte."

David laughed as she sashayed away. Rose groaned. "We are nothing alike. She's social and I'm studious."

"You have to be to get as far as you have."

Brian said, "Are you coming with?"

David looked at Rose, reluctant to say goodbye. "Give me your phone. I want to bank some sleep." She tapped on his phone. "Text me about dinner."

Brian pulled him away from the beautiful, smart, fun woman. Why had she agreed to go out with him?

Thanks for voting ⭐️

Just a quick note, most know I write ahead and edit my stories. I wrote this last week as a gift to my dear friend. Excuse any errors. Thanks 😘