40. Pizza Between Friends

Pizza Between Friends

Hadley went to dinner with Josh, as official dates, three times over the next two months before Hadley decided she just wasn't ready. "It's definitely not you," she had told him. "I have a lot to figure out about myself and I'm getting there, just slowly. Trust me, if I was going to date someone, it would be you." Josh was disappointed but asked if they could stay friends. Hadley agreed even though she doubted that was what he actually wanted.

Much to her surprise, one Saturday afternoon Hazel knocked on her door to let her know she had a call waiting downstairs. Hadley explained, again, while they walked downstairs that she'd get a cellphone as soon as she could afford one.

"Hello?"

"Hey Hadley, It's Josh."

"Hey! Sorry to make you wait while Hazel went and got me."

"I guess you really don't have a cell phone. I thought it was just a ploy to stay mysterious." He laughed then cleared his throat. "Anyway, I was in the mood for pizza."

"Okay… so get pizza?"

"Yeah, I mean did you want to have pizza with me?"

"We've been through this, Josh. I like you but I'm just not ready to be dating."

"Yeah, yeah. We're friends and I'm starving. I need someone who isn't afraid to chow down."

"You know I don't always clean my plate."

"Yeah, you do."

Hadley laughed. "Listen, after years of frozen TV dinners, real food is hard to pass up."

"So pizza it is. Do you like Franco's on the corner?"

"Love it. And before you ask, pepperoni."

"You know me well. I can bring it over in forty-five if that works."

"Sounds good. Littlefoot will be excited to see you. She was chasing around a feather toy before Hazel's knock sent her under the couch."

"Sounds cute. I'll see you soon."

"Bye." Before heading back to her apartment, Hadley thanked Hazel, who probably couldn't wait to get her senile eyes on the mystery man.

Like clockwork, Josh knocked on her door forty-five minutes later. Hadley let him in and told him to set the box on the counter. She grabbed two plates while Josh shrugged off his sherpa lined jean jacket and stepped out of his sneakers. He was wearing a green and gray crew neck sweater with a worn-in pair of jeans. He looked much more put together than Hadley, who was wearing black leggings with a thrifted oversized crimson Harvard sweatshirt. She padded in her gray wool socks to the couch with her plate of pepperoni pizza.

"Are you going to join me?" She smiled but didn't wait on him to take her first bite. "What is it about pizza that's always satisfying?"

Josh sat on the floor with his back against the couch, balancing his plate on his knee. He looked back at her and smiled. "It's the perfect combination."

"Mm-hmm," Hadley agreed, taking another big bite. They made small talk while enjoying their pizza. After a few minutes, Hadley slid off the couch to sit next to Josh on the floor. "You could've sat on the couch. Friends sit together, you know."

Josh chuckled. "And move Littlefoot? I don't think so."

"Good point." She pointed to Josh's almost empty plate. "Ready for another?"

"You know it." Hadley got up and refilled their plates before she sat back down on the floor. They debated each other on if pizza really was the best food ever created. Hadley countered that the shepherd's pie they ate a few months ago was on the top of her list.

"All I know is growing up my mom made a baked sausage ziti dish that was to die for. I used to beg for it. That might be my actual favorite meal. What about you?"

"My mom made a lot of meatloaf and parsley potatoes. I still crave it."

"Parsley potatoes sound pretty good. Have you ever tried to make them?"

"No, she never wrote down recipes and my father is useless so I never bothered asking." Changing the topic, she asked, "Am I a total pig if I go for a third slice?"

"Glad you brought it up because I also want more. It's my turn to grab the slices, stay put," he said, as he waved his crust at her before he bit into it.

Hadley waited until Josh started walking back and then raised her eyebrows in his direction. "Speaking of Meghan," Hadley said, drawing out her words.

"Were we though?"

Hadley smiled and took a dramatic bite.

"Oh no, what am I about to find out? She's my sister, Had. Please don't say something gross."

"Ohmigod, Josh." Hadley shoved his arm playfully. "I am the last person you'd hear that from. You'd have to go to Helen for that."

"Ah, Helen. She's actually quite the sweetheart under all that bravado and lipstick."

"I agree. She's one of the most genuine people I've met. She knows exactly who she is and what she wants."

"And who she wants," Josh laughed.

"Yeah, exactly," Hadley giggled. "Anyway, we're not talking about Helen…"

"Right, right, Meghan." Josh said, biting into his slice. "I'm all ears."

"What's with her and Andrew?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Helen's hellbent that they'll end up back together, but Cathleen doesn't buy it. They seem so flirty when they're together. Like they just click. But Meg never seems to bring Andrew up in conversation, and it's not like we don't talk every day. So is it because she actually doesn't think about him or because she does think about him but wants to pretend she doesn't."

"And I know this answer because?"

"Because you're her brother, duh."

"Yeah I don't know if you know how siblings work, but I'm definitely not the keeper of her secrets."

"Only child," Hadley pouted.

Josh rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. Here's what I know." Josh set his empty plate on the coffee table and shifted his body to face Hadley. He rested his right arm on the couch, prompting Littlefoot to roll over against him. He paused to give the little orange cat the attention she demanded.

"Pins and needles, Josh."

"Sorry. Did she ever tell you they were high school sweethearts?"

"She said they got together young, but I wasn't all that sure what young meant to her and I guess I never asked."

"So they fell in love in high school. It's that time in your life where love is the most important thing in the world and you're so sure you'll be together forever no matter what. The reality of your future isn't even a thought. ya know?"

"When I was in high school the reality of my future was all I thought about. Love wasn't even a distant thought. I didn't see or get love at home, and I definitely wasn't looking for it in school. My thoughts were mainly about how fast I could graduate and get away." She picked at her crust while she talked.

"That was dumb of me. Of course not everyone is obsessed with love in high school."

"It's okay, I got the point. So they defied the odds and stayed together?"

"Yeah, except I'm not so sure how long they were actually in love with each other. I think Meg loves the idea of love and always wanted to have a family. She convinced herself that she needed Andrew to be complete. Then they got married, had Amelia, yada yada. Somewhere along the way they both realized something was missing. I think they were just existing together. There wasn't any huge fight or blow out. No one cheated. They were just high school sweethearts who didn't realize they weren't meant to be until it was much too late."

"That makes sense actually. I love how much they get along. Trust me, you might think Amelia is too young to notice, but she's not." Josh nodded, knowing Hadley was speaking from experience. "So, they probably won't get back together then?"

"I doubt it. They're great friends and always will be. And Andrew is stuck being my fake big brother forever. I think I love him more than Meg does," Josh laughed. "But Meg is happier now than she was then. I think once the dust settled she realized she didn't need Andrew to feel complete. She was complete on her own. And now with Amelia? Well, she fills in all the cracks. That little girl shows them the unconditional love they tried so hard to create."

Hadley smiled and nodded. "Well, that answers that. Looks like you did have the crystal ball. Not that I had any business being so nosey."

"That's what friends do best. Any more juicy questions or can I break out the laser pointer I brought and see just how energetic this lazy cat can get?"

"Now that sounds fun." She reached over to where Littlefoot was resting against Josh's arm and scratched behind her ear. "Let's give it a shot." The pair stood up, collected their plates and quickly cleaned up the leftover pizza. Josh grabbed the laser pointer from the pocket of his jacket and they spent the next half hour watching Littlefoot jump and dash all around Hadley's small apartment.

Once Littlefoot was worn out, and the sun started to dip, Josh said goodbye and headed out. Hadley joined Littlefoot on the couch but soon the sun fully set and the apartment grew dark. Hadley got up and turned on the side lamp, before she set out the cat's dinner and refilled her water bowl. She then moved to the bedroom to change into her favorite pair of burnt orange flannel pajamas, ready to call it an early night so she could read from bed. She left the door open so that Littlefoot could jump up onto the foot of the bed when she was ready.

She flipped on the bedside light and picked up Romeo and Juliet. With the book on her pillow, she thought about how Josh was right. There was a time in Hadley's life where she believed true love was everything. She read and reread Romeo and Juliet almost as many times as she watched Grease. She used to fixate on the tender moments, completely ignoring the toxic themes in Shakespeare and the disrespect in Grease. She spent nights wondering if her parents were in love. Wondering if she'd one day be in love.

Now? Now she didn't care about any of that. She cared about her freedom and about being happy. From where she was laying, in her small apartment, she found more in life than she ever imagined she would. She had friends, a pet, a job, and a home that felt safe. Hadley sighed then picked up the tattered book to read. At some point Littlefoot jumped up and curled into a ball against Hadley's ankles. With heavy eyes, Hadley whispered good night. She rolled to her side, set the book on her end table, and flipped off the light. She soon fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of what else her future might hold.