Charlotte nodded. “Yeah, everything is fine.”
---
When I got home I rolled my eyes at the sight of Ashton's motorcycle parked against the garage door. He probably wanted dinner or something. After serving dozens of people all afternoon, the last thing I wanted to do was make something.
“Ashton, it’s me! Why are you here?” I said, rounding the corner into the kitchen where he was sitting. But his face wasn't smiling like usual; his lips were pulled into a tight line.
“What's the matter? Is it your dad? Is he okay?” I asked, putting my things down on the table and sitting next to him.
He nodded. “My dad is fine. It's Grace.”
Oh no.
“She's pregnant,” he said, his head falling into his hands.
Boys and their fucking penises and girls and their naïve hearts.
“Oh, Ashton.”
“Bryn, I have no idea what to do! I'm a junior in college. There’s no way I’m ready to be a dad. I don't know anything about babies let alone raising kids.”
I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and brought him into a hug. “I don't know what to say, Ashton. Have you talked to Grace about it? What’s she going to do?”
He shook his head. “She's not sure. She wants to have it, but she isn’t sure if she wants to put it up for adoption or keep it.” He pulled away from my grasp. “My dad’s going to kill me.”
“He’ll understand, Ashton. He’s a good guy.”
Ashton turned back to me. “What am I going to do, Bryn?”
I placed my hand on top of his. “I don't think I can answer that. Whatever you decide to do, I know you and Grace will make the right decision. If you’re meant to be a dad, you’ll be great at it.”
“Should I ask her to marry me?”
I slowly shook my head, not really knowing how to answer that. “If that’s what you want and something that you and her are ready for.”
“I just don't know what to do.”
“When did she tell you?”
He rubbed his eyes. “Right before I came over. She told me and I flipped. I told her I needed some time to think about it.”
I nodded, hoping he knew that I’d be there for him. “Is there anything I can help with?”
He looked at me and said, “Will you come with me when I tell my dad?”
“If that's what you want, of course I will.”
“Thanks, Bryn. Love you.”
He pulled me into a tight hug. “I love you too.”
“I need to do something other than talk about this.”
“Sure,” I said, getting up, taking my shoes off and hanging my purse up. “I had my dinner with Tyler the other night,” I said as we walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch, changing the subject knowing that’s why he was here.
He looked over at me. “Oh, really? How’d that go?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
I blushed at the memory. “Good, we went down to Tybee Island and rode the Ferris wheel after.”
Ashton's started to laugh. “Corny much?”
I gave him a look and he laughed. “Relax, Bryn, I'm kidding.”
Silence fell between us and I watched as his face dropped and looked like he was thinking hard. Looking at me, he smirked. “I should go talk to her, shouldn't I?”
I squeezed his hand. “Yeah, I think you should.”
Walking over to the window, I watched him leave and I sighed, feeling bad for him. This was going to be tough. Something I really didn't know anything about. But if I were Grace, I would want to talk to my boyfriend to feel like he would at least be willing to be there for me.
I decided I didn’t want to stay at home for the rest of the night having nothing to do, so I thought I would go to Tybee Island for a walk along the beach, take in the sunset and enjoy my town. Throwing on a pair of yoga pants, I put an old t-shirt on over a sports bra and headed out the door.
When I got to the beach, I immediately took off my shoes, letting the sand in between my toes and looked at the scenery in front of me. The beach on Tybee Island seemed to stretch on for miles. An infinite amount of sand and ocean was all I could see. A strong breeze blew across my face, the scent of salt and ocean filling my nostrils. I breathed in the warm beach air and smiled. This was something you couldn’t find in New York City. I looked ahead and saw my favorite part of the beach: the pier.
I was surprised to see how few people were here, but it was a weekday. I weaved my way through the bodies lying out on their towels and walked up the old wooden stairs. I made my way over to my favorite spot at the end of the pier and looked out onto the water. The sounds around me made me smile: the birds squawking and flying around us; the mother yelling at her child to not go into the water without taking his shirt off. I couldn’t help but feel some jealousy that I had never experienced anything like this with my mother whom I never knew. I was about to leave when I saw an older man walking up to the pier. He was staring out into the sunset with a smile on his face. Smiling to myself, I walked away but heard him grumble about something and I turned around to see his cane had dropped. Rushing over to him, I picked it up so he wouldn’t need to bend over.
“Thank you, dear, I don’t think my back would have made it had I bent over myself.”
I smiled. “Of course, glad I could help.”
“It sure is beautiful, isn’t it?” he said as he walked over to the edge.
“It is.”
“You look troubled. Do you come here often to think? It’s a wonderful place for troubled souls.”
The old man sat down on one of the wooden benches along the sides of the pier. Something about him made me feel comfortable. “I used to when I was younger.”
“Well whatever is troublin’ you, my dear, know that things will get better. Just keep coming here. The sounds of the waves overtake your own thoughts. The smells here calm your insides, and the feeling of the warm air hitting your skin makes you feel like you’re not alone.” He sighed and took out a white handkerchief and wiped his forehead. “I’ve been coming here for decades and it still feels like she is here with me.” He looked at me and smiled. “She being my Laura. My best friend, my soul mate, and my wife.” He looked out onto the water, never breaking his smile. “This was the last place I saw her.”
“I’m sorry you lost your wife.”
He smiled. “Oh, that was years ago. I just have the good memories now. You know, the ones that can keep you going through the darkest of times.”
I got chills as his words hit me.
“She left on a sailboat for an afternoon adventure. We had all been here, our normal group of friends. It was as though as soon as she left, the skies blackened and the wind picked up.” He paused before going on. “The boat eventually came back to shore without my Laura.”
My hand reached out for his, even though I didn’t know him. The compassion and sadness I was feeling was so great that I felt as though I was supposed to know him.
“So I come here whenever I need to think or talk to her. I can still picture her smiling and laughing as she climbed into the boat, her long blonde hair flowing in the wind.” He shook his head. “I didn’t mean to bog you down with all of this.”
“No, not at all. We all have our stories, and sometimes no matter the subject, we just need to share them.” The man and I exchanged names, and I left feeling humbled having met someone as kind and open as him. He reminded me how deep and powerful love could be. It could last forever for a person, even if their loved one wasn’t present. The man was able to live without his love. While he didn’t have a choice whether he lived with or without her, I did.
I knew what I wanted. And he was standing right in front of me.
“Tyler!” I said, shocked as I stepped off the pier’s steps. “What are you doing here?”
He shrugged. “Can’t a guy come out to the pier and enjoy the sunset?”
I shook my head and grinned, glaring at him.
He laughed. “Ashto
n said you were here.”
“Oh, everything okay? What’s up?”
“Wanna take a walk with me?” Tyler asked his hand reaching for mine.
I considered what he was asking as his question registered in my head. His words reminded me of the last time he had asked that of me. But today, there was nothing sad in his voice. The skies were blue and the sun was setting. Nothing like last time.
I nodded and took his hand. Our fingers still fit perfectly together and I never wanted to let go of his hand. It was as though they were perfect compliments to one another.
We walked toward the water, passing and avoiding the bodies that were still lying out on towels. The warm ocean water and sand surrounded my feet, getting in-between my toes. It felt calm, comforting even.
“I shouldn’t have sprung that on you last night. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m glad what was said was said. I needed it.” I paused and realized then that I hadn’t learned a lot from him about who he was and what he has done with his life. “So, what have you been up to for the last four years? Did you go to college? You’re not a secret druggie now or something, are you?”
He laughed. “No, well not anymore at least. The drugs got to be too expensive.”
“Ah, that’s good to know. Thanks for the tip!”
“Actually, to answer your question, truthfully, no I’m not a druggie. I just graduated last month with a degree in Sound Design. I’ve been working at the House of Music ever since my junior year. Kind of for experience but mostly because I love surrounding myself with artists and such.”
I nodded. “So did you end up going to SCAD?” SCAD was the local college here that we had planned on going to before everything came crashing down.
“Yeah, I did.”
“I’m happy for you. It’s good that you’ve found your passion. You were always great at making music.”
I felt his hand squeeze mine a little tighter.
“Thanks. I’ve been working on my own stuff for years now. You know lyric and music writing.”
“Oh, yeah? Are you any good?”I nudged him in his side with our hands.
He smiled. “The Black Kings seem to think so. They took my recording of a song I’ve been working on to give to their producer. See what he thinks of it.”
“That’s great, what’s the song called?”
He paused, looking straight ahead in front of us. After a few seconds he turned to me and said, “Times Infinity.”
And I swore my heart stopped. That was always our thing. We would say ‘times infinity’ after saying I love you to each other when we were teenagers. It was silly and simple, but at that time it meant the world to me.
“Tyler…”
He stopped us and turned to face me. The waves of the ocean breaking next to us.
“Hold on. Before you say anything, I need you to know something.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay.”
“I need you to know, even if you won’t believe me that every day, every single day, I thought about you. I missed you with everything I had.”
I looked down at our clasped hands and he brought them up in between us.
“I missed you, Bryn. I missed your bright smile, your beautiful eyes, your perfect lips, your soft hands, your voice and even your hair and the feeling of running my fingers through it or brushing against my skin.”
He kissed my hands and brought his hand up to cup my cheek. His eyes were soft but serious. I knew he was bearing himself to me. Allowing me to see a part of him he only reserved for me.
“But most of all, I missed your kindness, your big heart, your unconditional love and your beautiful soul.”
I let out a soft cry. I knew and felt everything he said. “I missed you too.”
His fingers brushed away my tears and I looked up to search his piercing green eyes. He made sense, this love made sense.
“I would have given you my world, Tyler.”
He brought my head closer to his, our foreheads touching. I breathed in, catching the scent of the Savannah air on his skin. “Oh, baby. You are my world.” He kissed me softly. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there for you,” he said against my lips. “I’m so sorry.”
My arms wrapped around his waist. “I know,” I said as I trailed my hand up and down his back, my tears mixing with his own. “Everything is going to be okay.”
I knew I wasn’t just talking to him. I was reassuring myself. We still had a lot to work through but it was Tyler and it was me. It was us. And we were nowhere near over.
---
When I got home from my walk with Tyler I decided I needed a shower before I even thought about making dinner. My skin was sticky from the salty beach air. I set my phone down on my bathroom counter not really expecting much. It had been a big night for Tyler and me. I felt better. As soon as I stepped out of the shower and had my hair wrapped up in a towel, I saw I missed a call. I was in the middle of sending him a text when my phone buzzed.
Hey, what are you up to?
Knowing what I was about to start, I texted him back.
Not much just got out of the shower.
I grabbed my boxer style pajama shorts and a t-shirt, sliding them both on quickly.
Oh really? Trying to give me a visual?
I don't know… does the fact that it was hot and steamy help?
You're killing me, Woods… Maybe we should change the subject…
---
Friday was finally here and I could barely stand finishing my work shift, my mind elsewhere. I wanted to leave and get to Charlotte's house. Finally, I sped home to get my things ready as I was supposed to be at Charlotte's house in fifteen minutes.
I changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and grabbed a small duffle bag. Not really sure what I would need tonight, I shoved an outfit I could pull off and a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt for bed. Charlotte made it sound like I wouldn't need my makeup as she would be doing that for me. Grabbing my cell phone and charger, I headed out the door and was finally on my way. Since I would most likely be hung-over in the morning without any will to walk home, I decided to drive over. A white picket fence ran along the street where I parked and locked my car before walking up the sidewalk.
Charlotte opened the door before I could knock. “Hey! You made it!”
I smiled as she grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. “We have a lot of work to do!” she said as she led me upstairs. “Follow me.” Charlotte led me through the open kitchen and around the corner to the staircase.
We walked upstairs and were greeted by a split hallway. The whole entire second floor was open and you could lean over the banister to see the downstairs foyer. I could remember playing tag in these halls.
“I’ve always loved this house.”
“Yeah, we were lucky when our parents offered to let us have it while going to school. At least we didn't get some disgusting dorm room with leftover crap in the corners.”
I laughed and followed her to her room which was painted a soft pink and a grand bed sat on the far right, against the wall.
“Okay, so here’s the game plan. You and I are going to get ready, and then Eva’s going to meet us here after she gets off work sometime in the next hour. At ten we can all go out to Crave. After that we can come back, and depending on how drunk we are, we can do whatever.”
“Sounds good to me. I needed this day so badly. This week has been crazy!”
“Yeah, that's what Tyler said when he came home earlier.”
I looked at the door. “Is he here?”
She went over to her window and pulled it open. “No, he’s at a meeting. He won't be home until later.”
“What kind of meeting?” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.
Charlotte nodded. “He has to attend meetings for the medical program he’s in.” She looked at me, wide eyed. “I shouldn't have said that. Please don't say anything.”
“I won't say anything, I promise. Is he okay?” I asked, my
curiosity again getting the best of me.
“Yeah, he's okay…don't worry, Bryn,” she answered, pulling out makeup and hair curlers on her vanity. She wouldn't look at me and barely said anything else after her confession. Suddenly, I felt bad like I had taken something from her that I shouldn't have.
“Hey, come on, let's go get a snack before the boys get home and eat it all.” She laughed, changing the subject. I got the hint and followed her out into the hall. As soon as we hit the top stair, Jason came out from his room, looking around as if he were hiding something.
“Yo, is my girl home?” he asked, not seeming to notice me next to Charlotte. “Oh, hey there, Bryn!”
“Hey, Jason.”
“Are you going to make pancakes again tomorrow morning?” he asked, winking.
“We’ll see.” I laughed.
“Eva isn't home yet. She just texted me a bit ago saying she was running late because of work,” Charlotte explained.
He ran a hand through his short brown hair. “Okay, what's for dinner then?”
“Charlotte, is that you?” a man's voice asked from downstairs.
“Miles, we're up here but we’re coming down to make some dinner!” Charlotte yelled.
Charlotte turned to Jason saying, “I guess since almost everyone is home, I could probably throw something together.”
We walked down the staircase together, Charlotte kissing Miles when she met him at the bottom.
“Bryn, do you have any preference on what you want to eat for dinner? I can probably put together a salad with leftover grilled chicken if that sounds good to you.”
I shook my head. “No, that sounds fine. Can I do anything to help?” I asked, washing my hands at the sink.
Charlotte had me chop the salad and vegetables while she cut up the chicken to put on top. We all sat down in the living room and ate together, the boys finishing way before we did. Setting my dishes in the sink, Charlotte grabbed my hand and pulled me back upstairs. “All right, Bryn, do you trust me?”
Charlotte always used to love to do my hair. She would come over for sleepovers with her professional makeup kits. She would grab my hand as soon as she entered my house and drag me to my room. She would sit me in front of my mirror, her makeup spread out in front of us, pulling my hair up and out of my face asking those same words, “Do you trust me?”
More Than You Know Page 11
