Chapter 22

Emilia

It's homecoming weekend and it's the first one in my four years here that I made sure to take it off work. So, I guess I've technically been to homecoming before but I always worked at The Blue Bean over the weekend. The coffee shop is usually closed on the weekends but always made an exception for this one weekend. From tired students to parents craving a caffeine fix I always made great tips so I had no problems taking the shifts. Today, however, I"m enjoying the day, taking in all the different booths that decorate the quad. Liam told me a few weeks ago to take this day off work so we could cross yet another thing off my bucket list.

There's a range of booths from athletics to different clubs on campus. Some are trying to recruit new students while others are offering fun activities like face painting. There's even a big stage set up for different musical acts to take place throughout the day. Rosie and I started the day by grabbing hot chocolates from The Blue Bean. The sun is shining but the air is brisk, with a slight breeze so we wanted something to keep our hands warm. After walking around for a bit Ro had to go take her station at the photography club booth. Most of the clubs have students work in shifts so people can see their families or enjoy the day with friends. Liam took one of the early shifts at the baseball booth so we would be able to hangout the rest of the afternoon.

I wave to Rosie, heading off to find where the baseball team is set up. Walking through the crowd, hot chocolate warming my hands, I spot Liam talking to another guy, who must be their coach. I haven't seen Liam like this before, except for the time when he told me he was going to play in the major leagues. His posture straight, his jaw clenched, he looks like he needs to take some deep breaths. When he spots me I swear I can see some of that tenseness dissipate. A huge smile breaks across his face as he waves to me.

"Hi."

"Hey. My shift is almost over."

"Well, who is this?" A man with gray hair, probably in his fifties, asks looking from Liam to me.

"This is my… friend. Emilia."

"Ahh. Nice to meet you Emilia. I'm Coach Russo." He reaches out to shake my hand, something that looks like realization flashing behind his eyes.

"It's nice to meet you too."

"Well Mills, Dylan just got here so you can head off. See you at practice tomorrow."

"Thanks, Coach." Coach Russo claps Liam on the back before turning his attention to the rest of the guys in the tent. "Is that hot chocolate?" Liam looks at the cup in my hands.

"Yes. Want some?" I offer it to him, not even thinking about it.

"Please." He takes the cup from my hands, bringing it to his lips, taking a big gulp. I watch, stuck in place as the muscles in his throat work to swallow the sweet drink. It does something to me. "Emi?" My haze is broken, I clamp my slightly agape mouth shut. "You okay?"

"Yep!" Nope. Not okay at all.

"Okay, well want to go to the hockey booth? Ryan and Garrett are both there I think."

"Yeah, let's go." We walk down a few booths until we find the hockey team, who are the ones offering face painting today. Garrett is sitting in front of a young girl painting what looks to be a butterfly on her face while an older girl, probably her sister who attends school here watches him with stars in her eyes.

"Hey guys!" Ryan greets us, rounding the corner of the tent to pull me into a side hug and keeping me tucked under his arm.

"Want to get your face painted?"

"Are you painting?" Liam eyes him cautiously.

"Funny Liam." He lets out a breath of fake laughter. "I am doing the simple things like cat whiskers and pirate eye patches. Hey, I could do a baseball on your face… maybe."

"I don't know."

"Oh c'mon that would be so fun." I chime in, wanting to see Ryan's creative talents put to the test.

"Fine, but only if you get something."

"Deal but I'm going to Garrett." I point to where he's finishing up the butterfly piece, it looks amazing. He hands the little girl a mirror and she squeals, happy with the outcome. Throwing her arms around Garretts neck for a hug, he freezes but the little girl doesn't seem to notice peeling herself away from him and waving bye as the older sister fans her eyelashes at him. There's a sadness behind his eyes, it's barely there but I catch it. I know this can't be easy for him, not many people know his past but I'm lucky enough that he's trusted me with that piece of information.

"He's scary good at this." Ryan pipes up.

"I'm going to go try to sneak in there now before anyone else." I untuck myself from Ryan"s hold giving Liam a smile before heading over to Garrett. Sitting in the chair in front of him, I place my hand lightly on his knees causing his attention to snap back to the present.

Twenty minutes later Liam has something that resembles a baseball on his cheek. I have an array of pastel colored flowers and glitter doning one side of my face.

"I love it, thanks Gar." We both stand and I pull him into a hug, one he somewhat returns with a light grip. He's not one for hugs but in my opinion they"re the best form of comfort. Some of the sadness in his eyes has faded but they still look dull and faraway.

"Ryan, Garrett you"re done for the day." Their coach calls.

"Are you going to hang around here?" My arm is placed softly on Garrett's.

"Nah. Probably just gonna head back. I'm beat."

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything?"

"I will. Bye guys." Garrett grabs his coat from the back of the chair, holding it up in place of a wave before he turns around to walk back towards his apartment.

"Ry? What are you up to?" Liam turns to his brother.

"I'm starving, want to check out some of the food trucks?"

We spend the next hour trying out the different food trucks scattered across campus. These boys can eat. We've tried the taco's, the lobster rolls, loaded fries, chicken fingers and finally the cookie truck.

"Whew. I'm stuffed." Ryan tosses his napkin and empty plate into the trash.

"No shit." Liam laughs. We shared our portions but Ryan went at it solo, eating almost every bite from every truck we tried. "Where to next?"

"I'm thinking of heading home." Ryan takes a gulp of water finishing it off before throwing it into the trash. Liam looks at me to see what I want to do.

"You guys can if you want. I'm going to head back to the photography booth to see Rosie."

"We'll come with you." Ryan speaks up and Liam shoots him a knowing look. So much for going home, I should've known mentioning Rosie would have Ryan wanting to stay. We walk back across campus to where the photography booth is set up. The food trucks were scattered in different areas as to not completely take up the quad, which is also a great idea so we can walk off some of the food we consumed. Rosie's outside of the booth, snapping photos of a couple. The backdrop is picturesque, the tress donning yellow, orange and red leaves that contrast against the bright blue sky.

"Alright, these came out so cute. I'll email them to you." Rosie says to the couple. "Hi, Emi!" Rosie waves. "Let me take your picture. All of you come here." We all line up where the couple was, Liam and Ryan situating me in the middle of them while Rosie snaps some photos.

"Okay, now Ryan get out." She waves him off.

"Oh c'mon Ro." He pleads but she gives him a stern look and he holds is hands up in defeat walking out of frame.

"Now you guys are adorable." My cheeks flush and I don't dare to look at Liam. Ryan watches from behind her with a smirk on his face. "Ryan, can I trust you to take a picture of Emi and I or will you break it?"

"I think I can manage." He rolls his eyes as she reluctantly lets go of the camera. Liam walks off, standing behind Ryan while Rosie and I pose for the shot. "C'mon let's get creative ladies." We all laugh, coming up with a number of different funny poses that Ryan takes creative angles of. Rosie takes the camera back, giving it the photography club supervisor before rejoining our crew. I take in my friends, thankful for each of them. Today has been a great day.