Page 21 of Eight Weeks
As quiet as Brooklyn hasbeen when I first met her, I’m quick to find out that she’s quite the talker.
Lily and I keep trying to keep her occupied with drawing something, but she insists onstandingon top of the seats to watch her father’s hockey practice. And whenever he passes us, I almost get a heart attack because I think she might fall off the goddamn seat from excitement.
She jumps up and down, twirling around like the little princess she is.
“Remind me to never have children, please,” Lily laughs, sighing in exhaustion. We’ve been watching Brooklyn foronehour, and yes, I, too, am exhausted. Then suddenly, Lily no longer watches the ice, her head snaps toward me like her life was depending on it. “Do you still skate?”
“Sometimes, yes. Not while I’m here though.”
My Coach was ready to tie me to the rink when I told her I’d be gone for five months. She tried telling me figure skating was more important than my education, and that I’d need the training if I wanted to continue winning medals and such. But I never even wanted to become a professional figure skater.
Sure, skating is fun. I loved skating while Lily and I were partners. I loved it when I started from scratch in Germany, too. Everything was new and exciting. I love it with all of my heart, but it’s not what I want to do. Skating is a hobby, not something I can see myself doing until my limbs give up.
“I’m sorry,” Lily whispers like it’s her fault. “I’ve been wondering if you quit because I tried googling you so many times, but I never found anything.”
A chuckle leaves me faster than my mind could comprehend her words.She tried googling me.“Did you check theGermanwebsites?” I know for a fact there are articles about me on the internet.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some much talked about figure skater, but I’ve won my fair share of medals and prices over the last couple of years.
Lily slaps a hand to her face. “No,” she laughs. “I wouldn’t have understood it, so I skipped them.”
“So, you followed up on me?” I raise my brows at her.
“Obviously. But I couldn’t find anything. I even made Aaron try and find you, but he said you were unfindable.”
“Where the hell did he look for me?ICQ?”But he looked for you. It’s more than you could say about him.
Ididlook for Aaron. In some ways. I tried finding him on Facebookonceat the age of fourteen. I couldn’t find him. So the most unrealistic fairytale built itself up in my mind. That being Aaron coming to find me in Germany, apologizing for taking so long but he was searching through the entire country to find me. And now he had finally found me.
But like I said, it was just unrealistic. Even I knew it.
“I’m not sure, he never said anything. But I was convinced if one of us would find you, it’d be Aaron.”
I’m so close to asking why that is, when Brooklyn decides to cut in. “My uncle Aaron?”
UncleAaron. I figured the four of them were close, but I honestly didn’t think close enough for Miles to give either of the guys the title of his daughter’s uncle.
“Yes, Dimples, your uncle Aaron,” Lily says while she boops Brooklyn’s nose.
She giggles in response. “DADDY!” Just like that, Brooklyn stands on the seat again, waving at Miles as he skates past us. He waves back, but I doubt he heard her yell for him.
I use the moment of distraction wisely. “Why would he be the one to find me?”
Lily’s eyes snap back to mine, softening when she notices my confusion. “Please.” She reaches toward my neck, pulling out the necklace from underneath my shirt. She holds the Lego-pendant in the palm of her hand, smiling. “He never took it off. Not until he was eighteen and Winter threw a whole tantrum about it. If she didn’t, I bet he’d still wear it today. Daily.”
I took mine off earlier than he did then. I’m only wearing it now because I wanted to see if Aaron would notice. He didn’t. If he did, he didn’t say anything.
“Lily…”
“Look, it’s beenages. I don’t think you two could still have feelings for each other, if you do, then you’re certainly destined for one another. I hated it once; you know how weird the whole thing was for me with my parents. Sure, we were young, and you probably didn’t understand the situation. I also hated that you saw him more often than I did, which is why I didn’t like the two of you together. Then again, we werechildren. I didn’t even know what that thing was between the two of you. It doesn’t matter anymore. Aaron can date whoever he wants, so can you. If by some miracle, you two find together, I’ll cheer you on.”
Where the hell does she get all this from?
“Did your relationship mess up your brain?” I ask, trying not to laugh. “I don’t have feelings for your brother. That is even more unrealistic than my dreams.”
Lily shakes her head holding her hands up like I was holding her at gunpoint. “I’m just saying. He was in a perfectly good relationship with the most annoying person ever. He broke up with her because she demanded he take off the necklace.”
Like he could sense us talking about him, Aaron suddenly slaps his hand against the tempered glass to get our attention. When Lily and I both look up, he points toward the exit doors.
