Chapter 2: Party Invitations

When Thomas rolled over in bed he thought he heard Denise calling his name.

“Hey, sleepy head. Get up and come out for breakfast,” Denise was yelling from the kitchen.

Thomas rolled to the edge of the bed and dropped his legs over the side. The clock read ten minutes after the alarm was to sound. He made a detour in the bathroom before he padded naked into the kitchen. Denise was standing at the stove, as naked as he was, scooping eggs and bacon onto plates.

“Here you go,” she said as she handed him a plate. She took the second one and followed him to the table. It was set with silverware, orange juice, and coffee. Next to Denise’s setting was a small notebook with a pen resting nearby.

“I think the stress of yesterday wore you out so I thought you could sleep a few extra minutes. A good breakfast doesn’t hurt either,” she added with a lift of eggs on her fork as a toast.

“Thank you. Yes, I think I worked myself up more than I expected.”

Thomas ate a few mouthfuls of food before addressing the obvious question.

“What’s with the notebook?”

Denise slid it between them and opened the cover. Across the top of the first page she had written, “Our EPIC Halloween Party.” Below, she had created a list of items: invitations (how many, who, print formal invitations), music (band, DJ, our stuff), theme, booze (beer only, beer plus cocktails), food, where (inside, outside, in and out, move furniture if inside only), start time.

Thomas scanned the list and said, “It looks like you have a great start on our epic party.”

She scoffed, “It’s a list of things to do and decide. It’s no where near started.”

As they finished eating Thomas asked, “Your first item is invitations. What are you thinking?”

“Well, I think we have to assume the weather will not cooperate and we will have to be indoors. If it is pleasant and we can be both inside and outside that’s a bonus. My first guess is we invite fifteen to twenty. There will be a few that do not show up, and likely a few that crash the party as guests of those that were invited. Ideally, we will keep the total below thirty.”

Thomas’s gaze scanned the kitchen and through the doorway into the living room.

“Thirty seems like it will be very crowded in here.”

“You missed the last item. If we are indoors, I suggested we move the furniture to make more room.”

Thomas chuckled. “You really are thinking epic, huh?”

Undeterred, Denise clarified her thought. “If we move the sofa, love seat, and dining room table to the garage, and then empty Tammy’s old room like we have discussed, then we will have plenty of room. Also, I bet we can find a place to rent us a couple dozen bar stools and high-top tables to spread around.”

Thomas downed the last of his coffee. “I think that may work. You go jump in the shower and start getting dressed. I’ll clean up in here and we can talk more on the way to campus.”

Thomas cleaned the kitchen and got to the shower as Denise turned off the water. She playfully whacked him on his butt and said, “Tag, you’re it.”

He responded with a laugh. He cupped her breast and gave her a kiss. “I’ll get you later.”

They met again in the kitchen, fully dressed and toting their backpacks, before exiting the back door and heading for the garage. After they were settled in the car and en route, Thomas brought up her to-do list.

“I think you said thirty people, maximum. Who is on your list?”

“I haven’t written any names down, but off the top of my head, I would start with the group that went on the spring break trip – Matt/Kimmi, Cindy/Charles, and Trish/Brian.”

Thomas added, “Maybe Tammy and Billie? And Gabriela. She was the girl Tammy lived with in Spain. Gabriela is staying with Tammy for a study abroad semester here in the States. If each of them brought a date, that would be another six.”

Denise had turned the page and written, “Invitations” as the title. She was scribbling down names as they talked. When she finished she closed her notebook and looked out the windshield.

“Including us, that is fourteen names already. I’m sure we will have a few more that we have not yet thought of, so I don’t think we will need to actively look for more people to invite.”

Thomas flicked on his blinker and pulled into the parking garage on the edge of campus.

“Look at us. One trip to school and we have an item already knocked off the list.”

Denise just rolled her eyes as she tucked her notebook into her backpack.

Thomas walked Denise to her building, gave her a kiss, then turned to continue on to his building two doors down the quad.

“See you after class,” he called over his shoulder.

As Thomas approached the parking garage he saw Denise sitting on a bench. She put her notebook in her backpack and stood as he got near.

“Hey, since we’re on campus, do you want to go over to the dorm and talk to Matt and Kimmi right now.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

The two held hands as they walked back across campus to the dorm. Both felt a bit nostalgic as they entered, but neither regretted the move to Thomas’s mom’s house when the opportunity arose.

They found Matt and Kimmi in his room. He was sitting on his bed reading a book for class. Kimmi was seated at Matt’s desk holding a deck of cards. She had just dealt herself a game of solitaire. When she saw them in the open doorway she jumped up with a small yelp of surprise.

“Hey! It’s great to see you. I don’t know if I could play another game of solitaire.”

Matt turned the page in his book then inserted a bookmark, closed it, and put it on his headboard.

“What’s up? I’m surprised to see you in the dorm.”

Kimmi plopped down on the bed next to Matt and patted the space to her right for Denise. Thomas took the desk chair.

“Does your roommate still freak out if anyone sits on his bed?” asked Denise.

Matt just rolled his eyes.

“I told Matt we needed to ruffle the sheets and comforter and then tell Jameson that we had sex on his bed,” said Kimmi.

Matt’s eye roll turned into a scowl.

“That may just push him over the edge,” Thomas said with a grin.

There was a brief lull before Matt repeated, “Yeah, and he’d run right to the hall monitor to report us. So what brings you two to the dorm?”

“Halloween,” said Denise. “We’re planning a party and think you may want to consider it instead of the frat party you mentioned.”

“We’re in,” said Kimmi before Matt could respond.

Everyone looked to Matt. “Yeah, we’re in.”

“Great! That’s it. We’ll head out so you can spoil your roommate’s bed before he gets back,” joked Thomas.

“Not going to happen,” said Matt definitively.

“We’ll give you more details as we get them planned,” said Denise as she stood.

“You can get back to studying,” Thomas said as he looked to Matt. “And you, I’m afraid it’s back to solitaire,” he said to Kimmi.

“Nope, no more,” she said as she stood with Thomas and Denise.

To Matt, Kimmi said, “I’m going to my room. When you finish with that book come get me and we can get dinner.”