Page 22 of Forever Mine
Jayson flips over onto his back in a supine position, frowning at the high ceiling. “She won’t return my texts. Has no fucking problem replying to Ry or Jules.”
Nowmybrow furrows. Julien has been texting her? When? He didn’t mention it.
Stop it. Of course he’s been talking to her, idiot.
Hoping to offer sage advice, I say, “One thing I read that helps trauma-induced amnesia patients is spending time with others. Give her time to get to know you again. Hell, that applies to all of us.”
Getting out of the pool, I grab our towels and hand him his before using mine to scrub my hair dry.
“I miss her, man. I just want my girlfriend back. I don’t understand any of it. It’s fucked up.”
“It is,” I commiserate.
What else can I really say? Jayson is dealing with something unimaginable. I would be an absolute mess if I was in his shoes.
I pull him in for a hug, one he reciprocates.
“Enough of my depressing shit. Let’s focus on something happier. When do you want to go ring shopping?”
It’s as if every cell in my body short circuits. I blink. Blink again.
I had wanted to propose on Julien’s birthday next month, but with everything going on, it’s been the last thing on my mind.
“I don’t think now is the time,” I quickly reply.
The hot, disappointed look Jayson gives me makes me almost reconsider.
“When then?” he presses.
“I don’t know,” is what I want to say. Instead, I say nothing at all.
The echo of footsteps stops our conversation as Director Winters walks toward us, wearing his usual polo shirt with the CU logo on it.
“Elijah, come see me before you leave.”
Wondering what it’s about, I reply, “Sure.”
Without stopping to chat, he comments to Jayson as he passes, “You keep dropping your hips every third stroke.”
Jayson waits a beat before whispering, “I swear that man hates me.”
I think the passive-aggressive comments Director Winters makes whenever he sees him are his version of tough love. He knows what an incredible athlete Jayson is. All that potential wasted. What’s the saying? You can lead a stubborn mule to water, but you can’t make it drink? Or is it a horse? I’m sticking with the jackass analogy.
I nudge Jayson’s shoulder. “Come on. I’m starving and in desperate need of a mushroom and bacon burger.”
As soon as I pick up my phone from the chair where I dropped my stuff, “Single Ladies” starts playing just as my stepsister’s name flashes on the display.
“It’s April.”
“I’m going to rinse off and get changed. Tell her I said hi.” Jayson walks off toward the men’s locker room.
Sometimes, I feel like I’m a person of two worlds who straddles some weird boundary where Julien and the guys are on one side and April, Ash, David, and the rest of my CU friends are on the other. Fallon exists in a universe of his own.
“What’s up, little A?”
April’s voice comes through stilted and breathless. “… stupid… car… flat…”
I can barely hear her through the background noise. It sounds like she’s stuck in a wind tunnel.
