Page 24 of Your Love

“That was more than a laugh,” I reply, jumping up and down in excitement. “She bellowed.”

His mouth hangs open in disbelief as he looks at me. “After all this time,” he stammers. “We finally have a sign that she’s going to speak.” He hugs me tightly, the excitement radiating through his body. His hand brushes against my cheek as he tucks the stray hair behind my ear. His touch sent shivers down my spine.

“You did this,” he whispers.

My mouth goes bone dry. I’m about to argue when he drops his head and places a soft kiss on my lips. It’s only for a fraction of a second, and I know it’s born from his current state of excitement, but I feel that small kiss everywhere—more than any other physical interaction I’ve ever had.

My throat tightens as I struggle to hold back tears. I clear my throat and take a deep breath. Landry notices and removes his hand from my cheek.

“I really mean it, Kerri,” he says. “I’m so grateful for our friendship.” My heart swells with the same sentiment.

“Me, too,” I say with a genuine smile. I hope neither of us does something stupid that can ruin it.

Chapter 10

“Here Comes Your Man”

Landry - Age 18, 1988

Pais remains mostly quiet, but now and then, her melodic giggle echoes through the house. Now that she’s released it, it’s coming more often and more naturally.

She hasn’t come to my room at night for the past three nights. Whether it’s because she’s sleeping better, less afraid, or a combination of both, I’m not sure. I’m just happy to see her making strides towards healing.

I’m making strides as well. I talked to my dad about college last night. I finally summoned up the courage to tell him that I didn’t want to go to a fancy, overly expensive university. I explained that it wasn’t worth it to me, that I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in, and that I couldn’t justify taking out massive student loans to figure it out. I made good, well-thought-out points after perseverating on the issue for much too long.

Dad was surprisingly understanding and agreed it would be best not to go into debt right now since I haven’t been offered any big scholarships. Between what my grades have afforded and some small offers, I’d still be paying more than we can reasonably spend, especially with the cost of Paisley’s extra services and therapy.

A few college scouts approached me after my last few games with the Mavs, but none with the same enthusiasm as when Delzy and Taz were scouted. It’s not like I ever expected to play in the NHL. That was always their dream, and I’m happy they are well on their way, but it’s never been mine. I’m content playing with The Mavs for as long as I can and mentoring some of the younger guys coming up.

I got into a local state college as my safety school. I’ve decided I’ll be perfectly fine going there while I try to figure out what I want. Paisley is still a consideration, after all.

One thing I can’t get over is how strangely empty my town feels now. Delzy, Taz, and Sash are already gone, and now Kerri’s departure is looming over me like a dark storm I can’t outrun.

My chest tightens at the thought of her leaving, so I do my best to push it out of my mind. She’s become such a big part of my life over the past few months. It’s going to be strange not having her around, especially since we keep getting closer every day.

I slipped up and crossed the line the other day with the kiss. I didn’t mean to—I was caught up in the moment. When something like this happens, you want to share it with people you care about. But I need to talk to her about what happened. I violated her request for space and friendship, and even though I did it without thinking, it was wrong.

We’re planning to catch a movie or something tonight, maybe grab a bite to eat, so I’ll talk to her later. Ivy might be hanging out with us, so it’ll have to be after that.

We’ve been trying to get her out of the house as much as possible, but she’s pretty low right now, nursing her breakup from Delzy. If any couple can make things work one day, it’s those two. But right now, she’s hurting, and we’re doing everything we can to take her mind off it. She usually declines to hang out with us or even just Kerri, but we keep trying.

When Kerri leaves, I’ll make it my mission to visit Ivy at Blockbuster or ask her to do something fun with me. Maybe she’ll be agreeable if I make her a deal to avoid talking about Delzy explicitly. I’ve spoken to him twice since he left, and while he loves playing hockey, he does not sound much happier than she does. It’s so hard to see something that could be so perfect stifled under the weight of timing.

A few hours later, I show up at Kerri’s, ready to watch Tom Cruise bartend in the new movie Cocktail and maybe grab a cheeseburger afterward. Ivy hasn’t returned our calls, so it looks like we’re on our own, like we expected.

My knuckles tap against the wooden door, and I wait for a response. The door swings open to reveal Earl’s weathered face, wearing his signature smile. He greets me with his usual, “Hey, Landry. How ya doing, Kid?” But I can’t help but notice the creases of worry etched on his forehead and the fatigue in his voice.

“I’m good,” I reply, trying to match his false enthusiasm. “Everything good here?”

“Not too bad,” he says with a slight shrug, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his faded jeans.

“We were just taking in the sunset and reminiscing about all the good times we’ve had since Kerri Ann moved in.”

“I’m going to miss her too,” I reply, gazing at the horizon from the front porch.

“Thanks for being such a good friend to her, Landry. It means everything to us that she has someone like you watching out for her.”

“It’s my pleasure. There’s no one else quite like her.”