Donnie and Henry

Olivia flung open the door, tingling with excitement over who might be arriving next. She beamed a huge smile when saw two men standing side by side.

"Donnie!" she exclaimed, hugging the one on the left. Donnie was 6'3", stocky, with his black hair in a crew cut and dark-rimmed glasses. Donnie had retired from volleyball after not making the cut for Team USA right after college. He went to grad school, and now taught high school biology and coached various sports.

She reached out to give him a hug. He stepped forward, but through a minor miscommunication of body language (i.e., who's head goes to which side), he wound up face to face with her in what started as an accidental bump of mouths.

Olivia was suddenly awash with all kinds of old and confusing feelings about Donnie. Memories of the past combined with her lifestyle in this house left her feeling excited, nervous, and unsure what to do.

Donnie had his own feelings about the past and knew nothing of the house, but he always remember Olivia fondly and in the moment, decided to play off the accident as an attempt at a social and friendly kiss. He pursed his lips upon hers, and then pulled his head back. She smiled, and was about to return the kiss more deeply when she remembered that Henry was standing there.

"And Henry, sweet Henry!" She hugged Henry. He was about 5'10" and had curly blond hair that went down almost to his shoulders. He had spent a number of years travelling, mostly along the west coast. He tried competitive surfing for a while, but had more fun just being a beach bum.

"You look amazing, Liv. It's so great to see you. Thanks for doing this!" Henry smiled at her, his dimples poking into his cheek.

"Did you two come together?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Donnie. "I picked up Henry at the bus station."

"Well come in, come in! Look who's here!" She gestured into the main room toward Ben.

"Ben, dude! So great to see you!" Henry ran to give Ben a quick hug and pat on the back.

Donnie followed close behind. "Yeah, man. Wow, what a trip, huh? Haven't seen you guys in quite a while." He looked around, and then back to Olivia. "Who else is coming, Liv?"

"We're waiting on ... Joshua and Isaiah, and Sandra and Eliza."

"Nice, pretty tight reunion."

The doorbell rang again. "Boys, please go into the kitchen and fix yourselves some drinks. There's beer in the fridge, wine in the wine rack, mixers and liquor in the left-hand cabinet over the sink. Help yourselves to anything here." The last sentence didn't quite mean what it could have, but there was a glimmer of something in Olivia's voice.

The men headed toward the kitchen as Olivia danced back toward the front door.