Coda 05 -Paris a to Z

of us knew what they said. I couldnt help wishing George or even Cole would show up to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, the next person to arrive was Jon, and I felt like the air around our table was suddenly thick and heavy with tension.
“Cole will be down in a minute,” he said to the table in general, and then he turned to Angelo. “Can I talk to you alone?”
Everybody was surprised, Angelo more than anybody. He looked at Zach, and I wondered if there really was an accusation in his eyes, or if I only imagined it. Zach shrugged, and Angelo sighed, turning back to Jon. “Sure,” he said, and followed Jon to the other side of the room.
We were all curious, and we watched them like they were the entertainment for the evening. Jon was doing most of the talking. Angelo was shocked at first, and then angry, and then embarrassed, and I was unbelievably curious. Finally he crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head emphatically. Jon sighed. He said something else, and he gave Angelo something—a business card?—and they came back to the table and sat down. Neither of them said a word. They werent even looking at any of the rest of us.
Talk about awkward.
“Is your dad coming to dinner?” I finally asked Jon, mostly just to break the strained silence.
“Not tonight,” Jon said. “Hes pretty worn out from the trip.”
“Thats too bad,” I said, and I meant it because I would rather have talked to George than to Cole or Jon or Zach at that moment.
Cole arrived, bubbly and babbling and as annoying as always. He still bugged the shit out of me, but even I had to admit that the entire table seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when he sat down. He kept things lively. I had to give him that.
He called the waiter over and ordered what must have been half the menu for us, after which he and Jared fell into a conversation about what had become of old college acquaintances. I tried to engage Angelo in conversation, but received only halfhearted one-syllable answers. He

    seemed lost in his thoughts, and I finally gave up and left him alone. Instead, I found myself watching Jon and Zach.
Id thought before how they reminded me of magnets. One minute, you could see them drawing each other in, and the next minute, they were repelling each other, as if they couldnt have taken a step toward each other even if they tried. Watching them now at dinner, that impression seemed truer than ever. Some moments I could have sworn they were lovers again. Other moments it seemed like they could barely stand to look at each other. But no matter which moment they were in, there was one thing that could not be denied: there was energy between them.
I watched them leaning close to each other and then leaning away. Almost touching, and then both turning to their partners, as if hoping to be saved. I wondered if Cole was really as oblivious as he seemed, or if he was just putting up a good front. I looked over at Angelo, who was staring at his plate. I almost wanted to kick him. I wanted to tell him to wake up to what was going on next to him. Normally, he would have noticed. Normally, he would have been suspicious as I was. But he was apparently caught up in his own excitement too much to realize that Zach was not himself. I couldnt help thinking Zach was getting off easy, but then I saw Zach looking at Angelo, and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted nothing more than to take Angelo upstairs, away from Jon.
Laughter erupted on my other side, and I turned to see Cole and Jared still engrossed in their conversation.
“Oh, honey, how could you have known that he was allergic to peanuts? Anyway, it served him right after what he did to Terry—”
“Terry?” Jared said, still laughing. “No. I think Terry got exactly what he deserved!”
“Sweets, you only say that because of what happened with the barbecue sauce.”
“No, that I might have forgiven, but the water balloon was the last straw.”
Cole laughed. He reached out and grabbed Jareds arm, pulling him close. He said something low in his ear, and Jared burst out laughing again. I watched them, fascinated for some reason I couldnt quite identify. They interacted with the surety of lifelong friends, or of brothers. Sure, Cole touched Jared— a lot —but I began to realize that he wasnt exactly doing it on purpose. It was simply his nature, and he was at ease enough with Jared that his actions were completely uninhibited. Jared was animated when he was with