One and Done - S. Briones Lim Page 0,81
mused as I shuffled past her in the kitchen.
I pressed my lips together and tried my best to ignore her, focusing my attention on grabbing a box of orange juice from the fridge and drinking juice straight from it. It had been years since I did something so juvenile, but I just wanted to give Michelle anything to comment on that wasn’t about my fucking love life. Placing the carton of juice down, I turned and eyed her methodically. There must have been something on my face that said, “Don’t mess with me,” because soon enough she backed away, hands held palm side up.
Guess I still have some of that high school bad boy left inside of me.
That was basically how it went for the rest of the day. Michelle stayed away from me and my phone remained silent. I attempted to keep myself busy and even went so far as to log into my restaurant’s main email, but nothing helped push the lead weight off my chest. I was just about ready to pack up and say goodbye to Bethel Falls for good when something particular happened. My cell phone buzzed.
“This better not be a dumb trick,” I muttered, desperately.
I wheeled myself away from my laptop and basically launched myself onto my mattress. The years’ old springs groaned under my weight and sudden movement…or rather, from the thrashing of my heart against my rib cage. Wincing, I lifted up my phone and gulped before skimming the text message.
“Here goes nothing,” I mumbled.
Five years is a very long time and since this may be the last time I speak to you for another five years I just wanted to say…Thank you for the years of friendship. I wouldn’t be who I am today without you and I appreciate that. I know it sounds weird, but you actually taught me to aspire for what true love could really be. As inexplicable as it is, I can’t help but think that my inability to form relationships was due to the fact that I compared them all to you. Thank you for setting that bar for me and thank you for loving me, even if it was in your own special way. Goodbye again, old friend.
I blinked a few times, allowing her words to sink into my brain. I let out a sudden whoosh of air that I didn’t know I was holding. That is definitely not what I thought she’d say.
But what did I really think she would? That she’d follow me to Charleston? That we’d be a couple after all the bullshit I knew I had put her through?
“Stupid as always.” I sighed and glanced over at my luggage. At this point, leaving town was the only way to salvage what was left of my sanity. It may have been a selfish thing to do, but that was my strong suit, right?
Thinking better of it, I decided the least I could do was write a response back.
“What can I say that is deep, but not…” My voice trailed off. But not what? What could I say?
Rolling my eyes, I typed:
There are too many things to say for a text message. Meet me at the beginning of the end. Let’s talk.
Chapter 32
Okay, so I admit I may have been a little bit overdramatic, but honestly I needed to speak to Rocky—in person—and there was no other way I could bring myself to actually ask her without making myself feel too vulnerable. I admit, I may have been a bit brash, but it got my point across and for that I was happy. Of course the one thing I didn’t think about was how cold it would be meeting her outside on the football field, but hey, you win some you lose some.
It was nearing ten o’clock before I heard the crunching of footsteps making their way toward me. I stupidly overestimated her willingness to see me—or in the very least the time it would take her to read my text—and had been freezing my ass off on the ice cold metal bleachers for almost an hour. By the time I heard her light steps echo in the night, I was basically a blue popsicle.
Then suddenly, there she was…
The moonlight shined on her face, illuminating her soft elfin-like features, which was quite fitting since she’s always been magical to me. Her movements were graceful as if she were dancing to a silent melody playing specifically for her.
I gulped and heard myself call out,