by T. R. Cupak
“The kid rode into me! I couldn’t see him. Look, I’ll show you where he came from.” The man is shaking, pointing to the side of the cab and trying to explain what happened.
“Sir, you need to calm down. You can make your statement at the station.”
“I’ve got him.” Keller pulls out his cuffs as a warning to the man to cooperate. “Get in the car.”
It’s another two hours before we get a clear understanding of what happened. The cyclist—Jonathan Wheeler, according to his ID—ran the red light and collided with the cab. He was rushed to hospital but chances are he wouldn’t make it.
My shift was over, but following protocol, the next few hours are spent with forensics until the area is reopened.
“What a fucking day,” Keller says, wiping his forehead.
“All part of the job,” I say, exhausted.
“Yeah, at least you don’t have to go home now and deal with a nagging wife and three kids.”
I pat him on the back. He’s made a good point. I had made this job my life, much to the disappointment of my family members, who were forever on my case for not being present. But like I said, I was born to protect. This is who I am and who I chose to be.
Back at the station, inside the small locker room, I change into my sweats hoping to catch an hour at the gym before riding the subway home and crashing for night.
“Hey, Sloan. That kid on the bike today, word got in that he just passed away,” Sergeant Hanson tells me, patting my shoulder in an act of comradery, before leaving me alone.
I sit heavily on the small bench, giving myself a moment to pray for that man who was too young to go. Somewhere, out there, he had a family and friends who would be grieving tonight. The thought alone made me ill. This, of course, wasn’t the first time I had dealt with this.
Life just had a fucked-up way of getting to people, but you carry on, like you always do.
It’s why I chose to be alone. I purposely distanced myself so that one day, should anything happen to me, there would be fewer people who would grieve.
The side of my gym bag lights up with a signal from my cell perched in the pocket. I pull it out, swiping past the several notifications to the little red icon prompting me to open the message.
Paralyzed by the words on the screen, I stare unmoving in disbelief.
Jonah was dead.
* * *
CHASE
* * *
I hop back and forth, a combination of warming up and exerting the nervous energy that had built up during the last week. Coach Michaels is yelling in the locker room. Our A-game needed to be on. It was the playoffs and this was our last shot. We had a great season but needed this push. The nation was watching and we were three players down due to injuries.
“This is it, you get me? You go out there, you hustle and you better fucking win!”
He chews his gum nervously, rubbing his hands together as he continues, “This might be your most difficult encounter yet and defense needs to be strong. There’s a lot riding on this game. Now, go!”
We chant loudly, and with our time up, we scramble our way onto the field for one of the toughest games in our football careers.
The next few hours had been the biggest adrenaline rush in the history of football. All right, maybe not the history of football but, fuck, it felt like a stream of penalties.
The offense made bold moves tonight by passing the ball. But we brought it. In the end, it was our game and the final score was 23-13.
Enough to get us to the Super Bowl.
We were on a fucking high. The crowd—our supporters—chanted in unison and the stadium roared in excitement. Reporters scurried onto the field, demanding air time.
“Chase, a few questions.”
It was Nile Barrett—a well-known ESPN reporter.
“That was quite a game and the defense was strong. How do you feel about tonight?”
I shake my head, catching a breath. “It was tough. We were three players down. But we stuck to the game plan and brought it home.”
“And this week, you extended your contract for another five years. You’re the talk of the town. Anything you want to say about that?”
“Ah, look, you know, it’s been my dream to play for Dallas so it just made sense to continue living the dream.”
With an exhausted smile, I pat Niles on the shoulder, wrapping up the interview. My body is aching so I slowly jog to the locker room for Coach Michaels’ grilling of our performance.
“Chase.”
My name is called, and when I look up, Aubrey is standing a few feet away at the edge of the railing. Her expression is flat, no excitement or cheer for the win.
“Hey,” I respond back at the same time kissing her cheek.
“You killed it. Remember our deal: you win the Super Bowl and the wedding is on.”
I couldn’t forget. Aubrey was…great. Well, she fucking gave good head. We had been dating for two years and truth is, she comes from a very influential family. Her dad, Carter Green, was a former Dallas coach. Say no more, right?!
Marriage was always in the fucking cards with Aubrey. And despite my reluctance to focus on anything besides the game, I ended up proposing to her last month but on the terms that a wedding will not happen until this season is over.
It shut her up; at least, that’s what I thought.
“Listen, I gotta go in and get changed.”
“Chase,” she says, this time with a softer tone, “I love you. I’m sorry if I keep harping on about the wedding. I just want to be your wife.”
Yeah, and she wanted babies straight away. Family…fuck I wasn’t even interested in cleaning my own ass let alone a baby’s.
“I get it, okay? Just let me have this moment. We’ll talk at home.”
I don’t even say goodbye. Aubrey had been getting on my nerves. Luckily I could use the game as a reason to not get tied down with her bullshit.
Coach Matthews was on fire. He yelled at us for our mistakes and praised us for our glory. By the time I had showered and gotten changed, I was ready for a night of rest.
The second I walked through the door, Aubrey’s mood had changed. She’d slipped into her black lacy number, which I knew meant she wanted me to fuck that tight pussy of hers. I settled in the den, making myself comfortable while she straddled me, shoving her fake tits in my face.
My dick was hard, and in just a few seconds, I manage to throw my cell and wallet onto the sofa beside me and unzip my pants so I could fuck her.
It was just what I needed: tight, wet, and a woman who knew how to get me off…quickly.
We move in sync faster, my eyes closing from the buildup overcoming me. As I open them, my cell chimes beside me. I try not to look but her head is buried into my neck allowing me to peek at the screen.
She moans loudly the second my brain catches up…
Is this a fucking joke?
I push her off me, ignoring her angry rant.
I stare one more time, focusing on each single word in the message.
Jones was gone.
* * *
ADDISON
* * *
“Cassie, where are the files for the Scandinavian tour?”
The rain is falling hard. The weatherman forecasted a hurricane down south, which is bringing in the unwanted rain. Cassie appears in my office, files in one hand and a coffee in the other.
“Okay, I love you more than life itself.”
The coffee is heaven, the soothing warmth and perfect blend of sweetener making it exactly what I needed. I hated admitting I was a coffee junkie, but endless nights of work made it impossible to sleep. Lately, the insomnia was a real bitch. Something kept me up at night, whether it was work, life, or just this niggly feeling that I couldn’t shake.
“Anything else you need? I think I’ll make a run for it before it really buckets down.”
“Your soul? Just kidding. You go. I won’t be home for hours.”
“Are you sure? I h
ate leaving you. Honestly, Addison, you really need to take a break.”
“What are you talking about? Work is my break. That’s my whole slogan, remember?”
After college, I started traveling. It started within the States, then I made my first big trip to Europe and fell in love. I knew in my heart that I wanted to see everything and do everything. But money was my driving factor. I worked countless jobs in foreign countries just to continue traveling until I decided to become a travel agent. At first, I took on family members and booked their holidays based on my experiences. They spread the word and slowly, my portfolio grew and I started charging commission. Over time, I built this small network all the while seeing the world. Now, I owned the number-one online travel website in the United States. It was a great accomplishment but meant that I worked 24/7 and had zero social life. My entire social life consisted of hanging out with the sixty-eight employees who worked for me.
“I mean, you need to find yourself a man and get laid.”
“Oh,” I mouth, knowing she wasn’t wrong. “You know that it’s hard to find a man with me being away so often.”
I had dated a few men, nothing serious nor worthy of continuing since my college days. Jake was probably my longest relationship at six months. He was great, handsome, and we genuinely had fun. But he wanted a wife. A woman wearing an apron who bore his children while he sat on the couch and drank beer with the TV on. I didn’t have any desire to be that. I craved the freedom to travel, to see the world whenever I pleased. I loved children—they were cute and all—but it wasn’t in the cards for me just yet. I wasn’t quite thirty and still had time for that life. My life now consisted of the only thing I loved and that was my company.
“You’re a workaholic. I know…I know…you love your job…yada yada yada. But what about you? And when I say you, I mean your vag. Like how are you not sexually frustrated?”
Cassie was a straight-shooter. She held me together more times than I could count. She always enjoyed sleeping around and was not afraid to voice that. I commended her for going for what she wanted but it wasn’t me. If I needed a sexual kick, I would find one. And so what if the drought ticks over the nine-month mark soon? That’s normal, right?
“My vag is just fine, okay? Now, go, before we’re trapped in here and I dry hump you.”
Cassie laughs. “I did that once in college. It was great. Not sure why I’m not a lesbian if I enjoyed it so much.”
“Oh my God…please go now!”
She laughs again, waving goodbye and humming some song as she leaves the office towards home.
The sound of the rain outside becomes louder, and I begin to stare outside watching it fall. It relaxed me, and sometimes in my chaotic life, I needed a reminder of the simple things. I must have been staring outside for quite some time until I decide to grab my cell which pinged numerous times since I had been away with my thoughts.
It’s a group message sent to me, Chase, and Griffin from Kimberley. Once in a blue moon, we would say a few words but life had taken us in different directions. Chase was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, Griffin had become a cop, Kimberley had two kids, and Jonah was the one that really stepped it up. He created some device used on aircrafts and is a self-made billionaire.
I can’t even write this message without shaking. Jonah passed away. They found him last night. The funeral is this Friday, back home. I’ll send details of the venue as soon as I know.
The message makes no sense until my eyes scan over it again, and again, and again.
Then my heart momentarily stops and my stomach becomes weighed down by a heavy feeling.
Jonah was gone. Passed away. Dead.
Chapter Three
Addison
Being on the plane for five hours gave me too much time to think. I had called Kimberley since receiving that message to find out what happened but, in some ways, wish I didn’t know. Jones overdosed on pills, purposely, battling depression and anxiety. His housekeeper found him but it was too late. The guilt weighed in. He had contacted us many times to get together but we could never swing it. Life had taken us all in different directions and timing was never easy.
As I drove the rental car through our hometown towards Kimberley’s house, the memories came flooding back. It had been ten years since I had been here. Mom and Dad had moved to Florida when I left for college since I was the baby and my two older brothers had already moved away.
“Addy, is that you?”
Kimberley answers the door, tired yet still just as beautiful as I remember her. Her hair was still long like it had been, a slightly blonder shade. She had aged but still remained youthful despite having two kids by the age of thirty, one of them almost in her teens.
“It’s been forever.” I embrace her at the door, so tight as she cries into my shoulder.
“It’s awful, you know. I saw him a few weeks ago. He was fine. We had dinner and he was telling me about a new business project and then this happens. He didn’t say anything; I mean, I knew he had some demons but not to this extent.”
“Don’t blame yourself, okay?”
Kimberley ushers me into her home. It was small, cozy, but enough for her family.
“Where are your girls?”
“They went to my parents’ house.”
“Aside from this, how are you doing?”
“Yeah, okay, I guess. It isn’t what I always talked about wanting, but it is a life just the same.”
“And him, where did he go?”
“To some other woman.” She shrugged like it didn’t matter, but her eyes said something else. “Yeah, he’s got that son he always wanted so, that’s where his family is now. Talk about loyalty, right?”
“I’m sorry. Jerk-move on his behalf. But if it’s any consolation, I’m proud of you. Raising two daughters by yourself can’t be easy.”
“Thank you. How about you?” She changed the subject “You’re still traveling the world? I often see your posts and I’m completely jealous of where you’re going,” she says with a proud smile.
“I just took on some big clients so work has been busier than ever. I’m excited to see the boys. Have you spoken to them?”
“On and off. Chase is going to the playoffs, did you see that? And Griffin is based in Manhattan now.”
“Wait, he is? How did I not know that?”
“I guess you’re busy.” I hear the struggle in her voice. “I get it, you know. Life and all. I just wish it didn’t take something like this for us to be together again.”
Like many things in life, we just couldn’t turn back the clock and change things.
“Let’s go. We don’t want to be late.”
Chase and Griffin are standing towards the back of the large crowd, behind the family and friends Jonah had accumulated over the years. The second my eyes land on Chase, a nostalgic feeling overcomes me. He looked even better than he did high school. The shape of his body is much more built and he had grown even taller. Though through it all, he still remained as gorgeous as ever.
“Hey you,” I say quietly as I pull up by his side.
Behind his shades, his eyes dance with happiness, as if no time has passed between us, and he pulls me into a deep embrace. We hold onto each other for what seems like forever.
“God, I missed you,” he whispers into my neck as he smells my hair.
“I miss you too.” I pull away, caressing his cheek with my finger. “Look at you, all grown up and mature.”
“Grown up, maybe, but no promises on the maturity.” He smiles, but it quickly fades away and his lips begin to tremble. “I fucking hate everything about this. I hate having to be here. Why did Jones fucking give up like that?”
Chase always had a soft spot for Jonah and, despite them coming from different worlds, Chase never once made Jonah feel like he was an outsider. They had a unique bond, unbreakable, the three boys. Then it dawns on me that Griffin is standing while still watching us.
“Griffin.” I smil
e, embracing him.
Griffin and I were never that close. He was always busy with Kimberley and in her presence, she dominated the air time. Unfortunately, their partnership had long since parted ways; they made it as a couple one year through college then split. Her rebound guy turned out to be the douche her girls called ‘Daddy’.
Stuck in his embrace, the scent of his aftershave lingered. It smelled so…masculine. We both pull away at the same time, our stares fixated on each other. Griffin had always been so handsome, though over the years, he had changed quite a lot. He had aged, yes, but there was this look about him; I couldn’t describe it. It was the look of a man who had seen too much of this world and carried the heavy weight of knowledge on his shoulders, and his shoulders alone.
“I can’t believe you’re a cop, and in, of all places, Manhattan.”
His deep green eyes stared back at me with a curious gaze.
“I love what I do. Besides, look at you, Miss CEO.”
Lowering my eyes slightly before looking back at him with a soft smile, I say, “Just working hard. You know how it is, right?”
“Yes.” He doesn’t break my gaze, and the intensity makes me slightly uncomfortable. “Lonely.”
His comment was unexpected, though not far from the truth. I don’t have time to dwell on it as the funeral service begins. Kimberley stands beside me, tissues in hand, as we bow our heads and listen to the priest and Jonah’s family speak of a man lost far too early.
I still remember Jonah like the first day we met him fourteen years ago, in this same town we all called home.
“Chase, let’s ditch, I’m over math.”
“C’mon, Addy, you know Coach will kill me if my grades aren’t good…”
His words are interrupted by a large commotion in the hall and the sound of a locker banging. Chase lets go of my hand, diving in head first and pushing Raymond Simmons onto the floor.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Chase is livid as he stands tall over Raymond.
