“Oh, me too! With-“ I started, but Mom interrupted me.

“I know, caramel creamer,” Julia said with a small wave of her hand before heading to the kitchen.

As sure as I was that Peter felt uncomfortable, I for one didn’t mind the situation as much. It wasn’t that I [i]loved[/i] being squished against his side, though I did notice the warmth it gave…I was just used to being in a crowd in that house, on that couch. When we watched a movie there would usually be someone in my lap and another sitting on the arm of the couch. I didn’t go to Mother’s a ton since I’d moved out, but it was enough that I still felt at home there.

“I’m sorry about them,” I whispered, crossing my legs now that there was more room on the couch. “About all this. You should have said no to the coffee, we could have gotten you out of here.” As soon as Mom brought the mugs I stood, wrapping my hands around the steaming cup. “Uh…Peter, why don’t we head out to the back porch?” I knew nobody would say no to us spending time alone.

Besides, I didn’t get him much choice. I put a hand on his forearm and pulled him through the kitchen and onto the weather worn painted porch. It was dark by now, a few of those special lamps that keep bugs away lit. With a small sigh I sat down on the sing bench, the metal chains holding it up creaking with every movement. “It was getting stuffy in there. Look I really am sorry. I didn’t intend for this to turn into a crowded mess. I’m sure you were looking forward to [i]not[/i] being around a lot of people in a place like this,” I said, looking over at him with an apologetic smile. “I hope you at least got something out of it. What did you think? Be perfectly honest, I won't take offense!”