Coda 02 -A to Z

day. They didn’t exactly sit and watch the movies much, but we had a full house, and they bought more soda and popcorn and candy than I would have thought possible. We had one show on Thanksgiving night, The Nightmare Before Christmas , which I thought was downright weird, but Angelo assured me was perfect—a family movie that somehow was about both Halloween and Christmas at the same time. He showed it again as our Friday matinee. That evening was ladies’ night. He showed Chocolat , and I almost ran out of wine, those women drank so much. Then on Saturday we did our first date night, which included dinner.
    We were sold out for every show except the one on Thanksgiving Day, and I quickly realized I was going to need to hire more help.
    I was grateful when I finally made it home after closing A to Z on Sunday afternoon. I felt like we had barely had a chance to eat or sleep in five days. I knew Angelo would arrive any minute, and Matt and Jared were coming over, too, ostensibly to watch a football game. Angelo and I still weren’t football fans, but we had fun with Matt and Jared.
    I was just dialing the phone to order pizza when the doorbell rang. I figured it had to be Matt and Jared, since Ang wouldn’t have bothered to ring the bell. But when I opened the door, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was Tom. I had never expected to see him again. My first thought was to wonder what the hell he was doing there. My second thought was that I was glad Angelo wasn’t there, because I knew he would have lost it.
    “Hey, baby,” Tom said. “I’ve missed you.”
    His smile was the same as always, flirty and sexy. He was wearing jeans and a tight T-shirt that showed off his body. He was still gorgeous. And yet my perception of him had completely changed. Looking at him now, I realized that his blonde hair was dyed. He did have a nice body, but it somehow seemed all out of proportion. It was nothing compared to Matt’s. I knew that Matt not only lifted weights but also did sit-ups every day, ran three times a week, and went mountain biking regularly. I was willing to bet that Tom’s body was built by heavy lifting in the gym and steroids. The tight T-shirt seemed ridiculously contrived, and I suspected even his tan was fake.
    “What are you doing here?” I asked.
His smile faltered a bit but then was back. “I came to see you.”
    “Well, you’ve seen me. Now you can leave.” I started to close the door, but he put his hand up and stopped it.

    “Come on, baby. Are you telling me you haven’t missed me at all?”
    “I haven’t missed you at all.”
“I don’t believe you.”
    “Not my problem.” I started to close the door again. This time he stepped forward, pushing the door open and shoving me backward at the same time as he stepped inside.
    “I came all this way to see you. The least you can do is hear me out.”
    I sighed but closed the front door. He followed me into the living room. Geisha, who had been napping on the couch jumped up. Her back arched, and her hair stood on end. She hissed at him and bolted for the door. It was the first time in ten years that I felt like she and I were on the same page.
    Tom was watching me expectantly. I wasn’t about to ask him to sit down. I leaned against the back of the couch and said, “Make it fast.”
    I could see him struggling to get control of the situation, and I realized he had actually expected me to fall back into his arms just because he had come this far to see me. It only made me stronger in my anger. “Look, baby—”
    “My name is Zach. And I am most definitely not your ‘baby’.”
    “Okay,” he said smoothly, “Zach. The thing is, I’ve missed you. I’m sorry things ended the way they did. I was mad, and you were mad. But I thought maybe we could pick up again where we left off. We were good together, weren’t we? You must get lonely up here all by yourself.”
    “I’m not by myself, actually. I’m seeing someone. I’d like you to leave now.”

    “Baby, please don’t be like that.”
    He reached over and grabbed me, put his arms around me, and tried to pull me against him. I was trying to push away from him, when the worst possible scenario came true. The door opened. Jared walked in, with Angelo right behind them. They were both laughing at something until their gaze landed on Tom. And then all hell broke loose.
    Angelo’s face went from laughter to rage in a fraction of a heartbeat, and he launched himself at Tom.