by Lauren Helms
“Oh. Well, I mean, did you initiate some sexy texts or something?” He doesn’t sound concerned anymore.
“Worse. I broke up with him and called him a fucking asshole.” My words wobble on the last part.
Chance just whistles.
“Yeah.” I squeeze my eyes shut and take a deep breath. Chance is quiet beside me. “I could use that help now.”
He coughs. “In what way?”
“Advice. I need to know how to fix this.” I wave my cell phone over my lap. He doesn’t say anything, so I peek my eye open and look at him. He’s looking at me pensively.
“What?”
“Does this need fixing, Kel? Were you just telling Aubrey last night that it was over between you two? Maybe,” he leans forward, “you should just leave it be.”
I shake my head. “No, this can’t be the last thing I say to him. We deserve more than a breakup over text.”
“Call him,” he offers.
“He doesn’t answer.”
He studies me for a moment. “Then go to him. Make him listen.”
My mouth hangs open. “You mean…” I swallow. “You mean, I should fly out to Chicago just to apologize and break up with him face to face?”
“You deserve that closure, don’t you?” He tilts his head.
I chew on the inside of my cheek.
“What would you do?” I finally ask, looking up at him while his eyes glitter.
“What I did was fight for what I wanted.”
I take in his words. I know his and Aubrey’s story. The very long path the two of them wandered down in order to find their happily ever after.
“I just don’t know that what we have would work in the long run. I think he’s checked out,” I whisper.
“Maybe. And if that’s the case, then he isn’t worth it. But maybe it’s not, and maybe you need to find out the truth.” We stare at each other. He grins the longer I glare.
“Gah.” I throw my hands up in the air. He cocks his head. “I have to ask my boss for a couple of days off.”
He laughs. “I think it will be approved.” He stands and walks to the door. “I’d take a shower before you leave, though.”
I roll my eyes, but as he has one foot out of my door, I yell, “Thanks, Chance.”
Looking over his shoulder, he tells me, “Anytime, Kel. Anytime.”
15
Ben
It’s our last day at E3, and while the week is always so crazy hectic, it’s still worth it to attend. We get to meet fans, catch up with industry friends, and make new contacts. But sleep sounds so fucking good at this point that the countdown to head home is almost as exciting as the final day of events. We’re all boarding a flight this afternoon, but something’s gnawing away at me.
Not something—someone.
Kelly.
I know I’ve been a major dick not contacting her as much. But I’m in California, and it feels wrong of me to not see Kelly.
Actually, it makes me feel like utter shit. I should go see her.
I’m sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall of our tiny meeting room. Without a phone, I can’t spend my downtime checking emails or mindlessly scrolling through Twitter. My last tweet was a couple of days ago, actually—a few minutes before my phone died its very quick, yet painful death.
Thanks to our contacts, one of Team NoMad’s sponsors was able to secure me a loner phone. Problem was, it wasn’t a smart phone, and since I have an iPhone, I couldn’t access my contacts. I didn’t realize how much of my life was on my phone until now. I miss my fucking phone, that’s for sure. I sit here, flipping through a pile of marketing materials that were in the swag bag from the presentation I just attended. Bernie wanders into the room. Seeing me, she smiles. I nod at her, and she walks over and slides down against the wall to join me.
“Hey, Simon just mentioned you were on our flight. Are you not going to see Kelly?” She frowns.
Well, speak of the devil.
“Uh, no, I wasn’t going to.” I rub my jaw.
“Okay.” She draws out the word. “Why is that?”
“Things aren’t great between us right now.”
“How so?”
I sigh, not wanting to get into this right now. But I know she won’t back down at this point. “I told her I needed some space to figure out things. And, well, things have been strained since she left Chicago.”
Her forehead creases in worry. “What?”
“I need to figure out what’s next for me, and I need to do that without a girlfriend who lives thousands of miles away making me feel bad for moving even further.” I cock my eyebrow at her, hoping she gets it.
Realization dawns on her. “Oh, you mean that job with Gallant?”
“How do you know about it?” I ask.
“You know Simon is just as much of a gossip as Link and Dex. Nothing is safe.” She laughs. It’s true. I should have guessed that if one of them knew, they would all know. I’m going to have to tell them I’m leaving sooner than later. Or I’ll end up with a going away party before I even know I’m going away. I roll my eyes as I lean my head against the wall.
“I thought you and Kelly were serious,” she questions. “Well, as serious as you can be in a long-distance relationship.”
“Ahh. Yeah, see, I think we’re getting too serious too fast. And, well, it didn’t feel right to me to include her in such a big life decision when we were so new.” I close my eyes, internally cursing myself as I realize I’ve been an utter dick.
“That’s a dick move,” she mumbles.
“So I’ve been told,” I say plainly. I take a moment to conjure Kelly in my mind. Her thick brown hair, the seawater causing her luscious tendrils to twist and curve into waves. Her soft face and sinful lips. I want to reach out to her, pull her into me, and breathe her deep into my lungs. I love how she always smells of the beach and sunny weather. My vision of Kelly fades away when Bernie replies.
“I think when you find the one, you just know. And whether you’ve been with someone for a month or years, when you’ve got a life change coming on, you include the other person since it will affect them, too.”
I can feel her staring at my profile, but I don’t open my eyes yet. So, she continues, “Moving to New York would have affected your relationship. She should have an opportunity to share her opinion on it.”
I grunt.
She’s quiet for a moment, before asking, “How have things been strained?”
That when I look at her. I know she sees the guilt because it’s nearly drowning me. “I stopped texting and calling.”
Her mouth drops open.
“Not completely,” I rush to add. “Before, we were texting and calling every day. And, well, I just tried to back off a bit.”
She shakes her head, not even attempting to hide the disgusted look on her face.
“I thought you were on my side,” I grumble.
“While I’m your friend and will always have your back, unfortunately, I’m on the side of girl code at the moment. You did her wrong, Ben. It’s time you realize it.”
My shoulders drop. “I do realize it.”
“Then change your flight and go to Hermosa Beach tonight and apologize. Things between you two might not work out, but maybe they will. Either way, you owe her a massive apology and the truth about what’s going on.”
I hang my head. The flight change is gonna cost me, but I think Bernie is right—I owe Kelly a big fucking apology.
“Okay. You’re right,” I mutter into my chest.
“I should have recorded that. Would you say it again in just a moment?” She leans toward me to yank her phone out of her pocket.
I chuckle. “Not a chance.”
She pushes her bottom lip out in a mock pout.
I pat around on the floor looking for my phone before I remember it’s back in my hotel room, still shattered. “Hey, since I don’t have a new phone yet, and I can’t do anything useful on this loaner, can I use your phone to change my flight
s?”
“I can’t believe that happened to your phone.” She shakes her head in disbelief but hands me her phone.
With a tiny bit of hope and a renewed sense of purpose, I quickly change my flight. All that matters now is that I’m doing something I should have done days ago.
A few hours later, my team departs for LAX, and I grab a cab for the forty-five minute ride to Hermosa.
Not gonna lie, not having a phone for the past two days hasn’t been horrible. However, I don’t love just showing up at Kelly’s door unexpectedly. A pang of worry hits me hard when I realize that, even if she texted me in the past two days, I wouldn’t have replied, making the time since we’ve talked even longer.
Shit.
I hope she doesn’t think I’m dead. However, I’m probably a dead man anyway.
I spend the ride thinking of all the ways she’s going to tell me she hates me. I really fucked this up. I got in my head and didn’t let her in, and I have this deep down, gut feeling I’ve screwed things up between us. If I were her, I’d drop me hard and quick. But because I’m not her—I’m me—I hope she gives me another chance.
Unfortunately, without my phone, I don’t remember Kelly’s address. Which is something I don’t realize until we arrive in Hermosa Beach. But I remember the name of the Animal Shelter she works at, so I tell him where I need to go.
I remember that the shelter is within walking distance to her place, so I’ll check with the shelter on the off chance they’ll tell me where she lives. If not, maybe they’ll call her for me.
When the cab drives off, I turn and see a woman locking up the front door of the shelter. I try not to rush her, but I don’t want to have to chase her down.
“Ma’am,” I yell out to her. She whips around, and I let out a breath. I recognize her. Kelly introduced us when she brought me to the shelter last time I was here.
“Hi.” She smiles, and I can tell she’s trying to place my face.
“I’m Ben, Kelly’s boyfriend from Chicago. We met several weeks ago.” I smile too, trying not to let on that I’m stressed she might not remember me. But her face lights up.
“Oh, yeah, the gamer. I remember!” She steps away from the building, and that’s when I notice the hours on the window. The shelter’s closed for the night which means Kelly isn’t here. But that makes sense because she doesn’t work on Sundays. So, here goes nothing.
“Long story short, I came to surprise Kelly. I realized as we entered Hermosa that I don’t have her address. But I remembered the shelter. I know I can walk to her place from here, but could you give me directions?” I send a silent thought to the big man upstairs that she doesn’t flip out and withhold the info I so desperately need.
She smiles—I dig through my mind for her name—and nods. “Yeah, of course. She’s going to be so excited to see you!” Then she rattles off how to get to Kelly’s apartment. Remembering her name is Amanda, I thank her profusely before heading that way.
The directions were pretty easy, and it’s only a fifteen-minute walk, but by the time her over-the-garage apartment comes into view, I’m done with dragging my suitcase behind me.
I climb the rickety stairs and finally set down my suitcase. I’m pretty sure one of the wheels is about to pop off. I knock, and there’s nothing. I knock again, and I still don’t hear anything from inside the apartment.
She must not be home. Sighing, I pick up my suitcase and head back down the stairs. I guess my next stop is next door.
This time when I knock, the door swings open. Aubrey’s big smile fades to a frown faster than you can say, I’m indeed a fucking dead man.
“What the hell?” she growls.
“Hi, Aubrey. I’m looking for Kelly.” Being sweet is not my forte, but damn, I clearly have to tread lightly with her.
“Yeah, she isn’t here.” She crosses her arms.
“I figured. I just tried her door.” I point toward the garage. “I was hoping you knew where she was.”
She glares at me. “Maybe try calling her. Or texting her. Or I don’t know, communicating with her in any form.”
Lifting my hand to the back of my neck, I hang my head a bit. “You probably won’t believe me, but my phone got destroyed. So I don’t have her number at the moment. Once I got to Hermosa, I realized I didn’t know her address off the top of my head either. I had the cab drop me off at the shelter, then asked Amanda as she was locking up for directions to Kelly’s. Fortunately, she could help me out.”
Aubrey’s eyes bulge. “We don’t make it a habit of giving out personal information.”
“It’s not lost on me how incredibly lucky I am she recognized me.” I shove my hands in my pockets. “So, do you know when Kelly will be back?”
Aubrey laughs then, and it’s not a fun, happy laugh. It’s actually kind of scary. “Kelly went to Chicago.”
Her words slam into me like a herd of fucking elephants. Aubrey reads the room and visibly loses her hold on her anger.
“She decided since she couldn’t get ahold of you, she needed a face-to-face. She’s probably landing soon—if she hasn’t already.” She leans against the doorjamb, watching me closely.
“Can you call her? Tell her I’m here?” My voice is strained. Her nose scrunches, then she sighs.
“Fine,” she says, bringing her phone to her ear. She doesn’t answer, so she leaves a message.
“Hey, Kel, you need to call me back ASAP. You won’t believe what the cat dragged in.” She hangs up. Trying not to be annoyed that the message she left doesn’t help me at all, I force my grin and thank her.
“What are you going to do now?” she snaps.
“I’m going to stick around until I hear back from her.” I eye the comfy-looking porch set to the left of Aubrey’s front door. No way she lets me relax here. She’s gonna make me wait on the old metal steps at the garage. “Is there an AT&T around here? I need to get a new phone as soon as possible.”
She studies me and then relents. “Yeah, it’s a few blocks. Maybe a twenty-minute walk in the opposite direction you just came.” She points down the street and gives me simple instructions. I ask her if I can leave my suitcase on her porch and she, thankfully, tells me yes.
As collateral, I leave my suitcase next to Aubrey’s front door and hope to God the store is still open at four o’clock on a Sunday.
It was.
An hour later, I make my way back to Kelly’s. With my new phone, I call her. No answer, so I text her. No answer.
She’s either still in the air or giving me a taste of my own medicine. I remember I left my suitcase on Aubrey’s porch, but I wasn’t invited to hang out on her comfy porch chair. So, I wander over to the stairs leading up to Kelly’s apartment.
Taking a seat on the second step, I focus on my phone, downloading my favorite apps, and checking my email. Basically, doing anything to pass the time while I wait to hear back from Kelly. I shift a few times as my ass goes numb. I’m gonna have to bite the bullet and ask Aubrey if I can sit on her chair.
Forty-five minutes go by before I hear the front door of the house next door open. Turning my head, I see Chance walk out, close the door behind him, and jog down the stairs. His walk is casual, non-threatening, so I don’t get the feeling he’s about to make this situation awkward. Hopefully he isn’t about to rip into me like I know his wife wants to do.
“Yo.” He nods, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.
“Hey.” I drop my hands between my knees, breaking my contact with my phone.
“You’ve been out here for a while, eh?”
“Yeah, I’ll wait until I hear from Kelly.” I tread carefully. I know this is his property, and that Kelly rents from them, so technically he can kick me off it.
“Good. I heard you’ve been without a phone.” His eyebrow raises.
I snort. “Yeah. I dropped it at the exact wrong time because some guy stepped right on it.”
He cringes. “Ouch.”
“Yeah.”
<
br /> “So new phone then.” He gestures to my hand.
“As of about an hour ago.”
“You back your shit up to the cloud?” He shoves his hand back into his pocket. It’s a strange conversation, but I go with it.
“Call me cheap, but I don’t pay for cloud space. I only back up data I can’t lose. Contacts, mainly. Everything else, meh…” I unhurriedly lift my shoulder.
He nods like he agrees. “I don’t back up my texts.”
“Me neither,” I offer. He visibly relaxes. “Why?”
“No biggie, mate. It’s just that sometimes women get drunk and say shit they don’t mean. Now, you can’t hold it against her. She’ll be relieved to find out her text will remain unseen.”
Ahh. Now I'm curious what my sweet, fun-loving Kelly could have said while drunk.
I lift an eyebrow. “That bad?”
He chortles. “Not as bad as the words my wife has been using when referring to you.”
I groan. If I can convince Kelly to give me a second chance, I’m gonna have my work cut out for me to get back into her good graces.
Chance wears a massive grin as he beckons to me, turning on his heel. “Come on, no need to sit out on the rickety old stoop. Come inside and sit on the couch. I’ll get you something to drink. You can play with Pixy.”
“Your wife all right with this?” I ask as I stand, stretching out my back. I’m still unable to feel my ass.
He bellows out a laugh. “Who do you think sent me?”
“I thought maybe you went rogue or something. Bro code, maybe,” I mutter as I follow behind him toward his house.
“Well, I may have done a little sweet-talking on your behalf. But you sitting out here, sticking around, helped.”
It’s my turn to laugh. Maybe it won’t take too much to get Aubrey back on my side. That is, after I talk to Kelly, see where she is in terms of our relationship, then work my numb ass off to get her to give me another chance.
16
Kelly
I’m one of those people that hate to ask others for their address or phone number twice. I write shit down. So, as I open up the door of Ben’s apartment building, I’m grateful for my obsessive habit. I added his address to his contact info in my phone the moment we arrived from the airport a few weeks ago.
