w 1 t n e s s

forty

halle

Tyler's home game stint after the small Christmas break was a definite relief. He was home at night. I woke up to a warm presence at my side. I was grateful for the scheduling. With my friends back from their respective homes across the globe, I was able to spend time with them before classes started. Even when he went away, I still had my friends to lean on for company.

I invited Tayler and Aleks over for drinks three weeks after Christmas, even though I wasn't particularly in the mood for alcohol. Finally being able to purchase alcohol in the states was nice. Tyler and I had started our collection of bottles in the WineGame room.

My friend availability was limited lately. Lyndsey was now married, and had found out she was pregnant a bit before Thanksgiving. That limited her ability to hang out when we went for drinks. It wasn't long before Tayler and Aleks fell into the married category. Although I wouldn't mind being the obvious outlier, the other wives all had a different commitment and shared understanding. I'd noticed the differences when spending time with Britt and Kris.

They were wives, committed to their husbands in every way possible. Even if I felt that way with Tyler, I didn't have the legal bond to back me up. They understood what the other wives were going through. They'd been through the whole distanced relationship thing for years. Compared to them, I was new and completely inexperienced. Normally, that didn't bother me. But lately, when my friends were all engaged and planning weddings, I felt out of the loop.

Of course, I was part of the wedding planning for Tayler. It still didn't stop my feelings of restlessness. I planned to talk to Tayler and Alex about it over a glass of wine at my apartment.

I was grateful that the heavy snow storm from Christmas had mostly disappeared by January twelfth. It allowed easy access through the streets. When my friends arrived without issues, I was relieved.

Tayler was first, knocking excitedly on the door. I swung it open, grinning at the bubbly blonde. We embraced, the hug tight and comforting.

"We have not hung out as much as we should be. You totally should've come back to Toronto with me."

"I would've liked to...but Christmas on our own was so much better." She smirked at me, slapping at my arm.

"So the sex life is thriving then?" I just laughed and shook my head. While we were still standing near the door, Alex had arrived. I let her in before pulling the two to the WineGame room.

"Pick a bottle. I got cookies and ice cream too. I thought it's about time we caught up on The Bachelor." Tayler grinned.

"Oh yes absolutely. I've been waiting." As her and Alex picked a red bottle out, I returned to the kitchen. From the freezer, I dug out the carton of red velvet cheesecake ice cream. It was the favorite flavor of our group. I had no doubts that we'd finish it off tonight. I also grabbed the pack of Oreos that was sitting on the counter. Alex clapped her hands when she saw the food.

Half an hour later, we were well into the episode and more than halfway done with the ice cream carton. Tayler was currently watching me scarf down a cookie hungrily. She gave me a strange look. I made a face back.

"What?"

"You haven't touched your wine yet." I blinked, looking down at the glass on the coffee table. She was right. I shrugged.