Aimee tried to hold back the tears, but she couldn't. Through the crying she answered, “Dylan called, and he...he heard Zane ask if he could kiss me...”
Chels interrupted, “Omigod! And he thought you and Zane were...”
Aimee nodded as she blew her nose. “Yes,” she replied, “he thought we were getting it on, and he went ballistic.”
“Oh crap,” Chelsea said as she sat back into the cushion behind her. “But you didn't do anything, Aimee. Doesn't he know how much you love him? It doesn't sound like just a good dose of jealousy, not over an innocuous attempt of flirting. He should know how dedicated you are to him. If he doesn't, I'll call him and let him know what a jackass he is being.” Chels started to grab Aimee's phone from the coffee table. Aimee stopped her.
“No, Chels,” Aimee said. “There's something else going on. I can sense it.”
Chels put the phone down. “What else?” she asked.
“I don't know. But I know Dylan, and something more than just this is wrong,” she answered. “I know he was really mad about what happened, but when I finally got to talk to him a while ago, he sounded like he had been drinking...”
“Aimee,” Chels said, “it's New Years. He probably has been partying, just like you.”
“I know, Chels,” Aimee replied, “but he didn't sound that mad anymore. He sounded more like he was rattled about something.”
“Rattled?” Chels repeated.
“Yeah, rattled. That's the only way I can describe it.”
Chels sighed. “Well, why don't you try calling him back and get him to open up?”
“I've tried. He won't answer his phone. I sent a text right before you got home.” Aimee grabbed another tissue, wiped under her eyes, then her nose. She wadded it tight in her hand. “Oh God, what am I gonna do?”
Chels got up. She grabbed Aimee's hand and tried to pull her up, too. “I tell you what you're gonna do. You're gonna let him stew the rest of the night and realize just how stupid he was to not trust you. And you're gonna go to bed and get a few hours of sleep. I came home early to catch a few hours, too, because we are gonna spend every possible minute together tomorrow. You have to go back early Tuesday, and I don't want you all sad and moping your last day here.” She stopped and hugged her best friend.
Aimee needed her friend to listen to her. She really missed not having Chels right there to talk to whenever her world seemed upside down. Aimee hugged her friend back. “Okay,” she responded. “Thanks, Chels for coming home right when I needed someone to talk to.”
Chels smiled and touched Aimee's shoulder gently. “Hey, that's what best friends are for, right?”
Aimee forced a limp smile. “Right,” she managed to reply.
After a few minutes, both said goodnight to each other, and Aimee crawled into bed holding her phone in her hand. She stared at the picture of her and Dylan on the screen, and muddled thoughts flew through her brain. She could understand how Dylan would get so upset over what had happened, but she was innocent and it hurt that he didn't seem to trust her, like she trusted him. But her gut told her something else was going on in his mind. His tone wasn't anger when they last talked, but he was distraught about something. She sighed and turned over, still clutching her phone. She was going to try to not call again, like Chelsea advised, but it was going to be darn hard. She noticed the time on her phone. It was 3:30 am. Totally exhausted, her eyes slowly closed and she drifted into sleep. It wasn't peaceful. Nor dreamless. …
...“I'm sorry,” she kept saying over and over to Dylan, but he wouldn't listen. The tears didn't just drip, they poured from her eyes. She wanted him to reach over and touch her, and tell her it was okay, that he didn't think anything happened with her and Joseph, and he loved her with all his heart. Only he stared at her with empty, dark eyes, not saying a word. “Pleeeease, talk to me. Say something. Anything,” Aimee pleaded.
“I have nothing to say, except I don't think we can continue this...”
Aimee jumped in. “Continue, what? Our love for each other? Dylan, we promised ourselves to each other. Forever,” she reminded him with her left hand held up in his face.
Dylan stared at the Promise ring, then said, “Yeah, well, things happen, and I don't...” he stopped abruptly. His face was full of pain. Finally, he had the courage to say what he had been thinking since finding out about Aimee covering up Joseph's presence in Eugene. “...I think we should be apart. I don't know. Maybe for a while...” He paused again. After an awful silence, he finished, “...maybe forever.”...
...Like someone shot an arrow into her heart, Aimee came out of the dream gasping for air. She couldn't breathe. Her lungs wouldn't work. She flew out of the bed and pitched open the window, closed her eyes, and instantly sucked in the cold air pouring into the room. After several deep gulps, she felt the oxygen finally seeping into her lungs, and her frantic breathing started to ease. She quietly shut the window, then slowly sat down on the bed and raked her hand under the covers for her phone. She snagged it and noticed she had a missed call from DT. It came about an hour earlier. The time now was 7:07. She imagined the worse as she dialed her voice mail. She listened to the message. His voice sounded full of pain, not anger. He requested she call him when she got the message. She took a huge, long breath trying to reign in her panic. Her shaky finger tapped his number and the phone started ringing. After another deep breath and one more ring, Dylan answered. “Hey,” he said flatly.
“Hey,” Aimee replied. More antagonizing silence dragged by waiting for Dylan to say something. Aimee couldn't wait any longer. “You wanted me to call.”
Dylan sighed through the phone, then answered, “Yeah, I did.”
“It's early there. Go back to sleep. You can call me when you get up, or I can...”
Dylan interrupted, “No, now's fine. I haven't been able to sleep anyway.”
Aimee hated to hear the struggle in his voice. This was all just a terrible misunderstanding. She had to straighten it out. “Dylan,” she began, “I'm soooo sorry for last night. I'm sure if it would have been me, I would have thought the same thing, that you were being unfaithful.”
“It's not that,” Dylan quickly answered. “It's, well, I shouldn't have doubted you.”
Aimee sighed silently. Yes! she agreed. You shouldn't have, that is if you truly trust me. “Dylan,” she said, “I'm coming home tomorrow. Can we put this behind us so it doesn't ruin what we have together?”
After a few seconds, Dylan answered, “I need you Aimee. I'm sorry I let this get so screwed up, but you know...” He paused, trying to get his emotions under control. “Well,” he started again, “you are the most beautiful person alive, and I guess I get crazy jealous thinking that you might not need me.”
Aimee quickly replied, “Oh, Dylan, I'll always need you. You're my universe.”
Dylan lightly chuckled. “Yeah, and you're mine, too. I'm sorry, Aimee. Will you forgive me for jumping to the wrong conclusion?”
“Yes, if you will promise me that you will always remember I only love you. No one else. Just you.”
“I promise,” Dylan said. But Aimee could still sense something was unsettled.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Dylan hesitated for a few seconds. “I, uh,” he started and stopped.
“Yes?” Aimee replied.
“Nothing. I'm just tired. I'm gonna try to get a few hours of sleep, then I'll call you later. Okay?”
“Sure. I’ll be waiting,” Aimee said.
“Are y'all doing anything special today?”
“Chels wanted to take me out to eat at one of her favorite restaurants, then we're going to spend the rest of the day just hanging out here.”
“Good,” Dylan answered.
Aimee chuckled to herself. She knew Dylan was protective, but she hadn't fully realized just how protective he was until the incident with Joseph, and now this. But, she knew in her heart he had nothing to worry about. Aimee said, “Call me later when you get up.
”
“Will do...” he responded like he was drifting off. “...Aimee...” he began.
“Yeah?” she answered.
“I love you.”
Aimee instinctively replied, “I love you more.”
Dylan lightly snickered, then said, “Later.”
“Later,” she answered, then she ended the call and stretched out on the bed looking up at the ceiling. Her thoughts were three thousand miles away, back in Eugene with Dylan. The new year had started out rocky, but it was better now, she hoped. Aimee flipped over and before long she eased back into sleep.
“Hey you,” Chelsea's voice boomed, “wake up. It's almost eleven and I don't want us to sleep away your last day.”
Aimee came up into sitting abruptly, then fell back onto the bed. “Yes, ma'am,” she said, and then she slowly got up and followed Chels out of the room. Aimee grabbed a cup of coffee, slipped into the living room, and sat down.
“Heard from your sweetie yet?”
“Yep,” she answered, took a sip of coffee, then put her cup down.
“Well?” Chels continued.
“He seems to have calmed down, and was very apologetic.”
Chels replied, “Good. I hope he's learned a lesson.”
“I'm hoping this doesn't continue to come up every time some random guy looks at me funny, but at least he realizes, or at least he says he realizes he gets jealous and doesn't rationally think before he gets bent out of shape, so he has to work on that.”
Chels took a sip of her coffee, then continued, “Well, I'm sure he's gonna have to really work on reigning in his macho screwed-up emotions because there are gonna be lots of challenges ahead.”
Aimee looked confused. “Why?” she asked.
“Aimee Schmidt, have you not looked in the mirror lately?”
Aimee shook her head.
Chels reached over and touched her arm. “Kiddo, you are gorgeous. This past year you have absolutely blossomed into this off the chart natural beauty. Why do you think so many guys have been hitting on you this past week?”
Aimee shrugged her shoulders. “I don't know. I guess I was new bait.”
“Ahhhh,” growled Chels.
“Well, what about you, girlfriend?” Aimee started. “It looks like you have quite a few admirers, especially Zack.”
“Zack!” Chels laughed.
“Yeah, Zack. The two of you seem to hang on each other whenever you're together.”
“Oh that.” Chels chuckled. “I think of Zack as more of my...” she paused, thinking of the right word, then added, “male candy.”
“Chels!” Aimee spouted. “That's so not nice.”
“Well, he feels the same way about me. We like each other's company, but neither of us wants a commitment. Besides, Zack's addicted to women, so I'm not the only girl he treats like a peppermint.”
Aimee replied, “Omigosh!”
“Aimee,” Chels began, “I'm not you. I'm not anywhere near ready to even remotely think about settling down with someone. I've got some dreams, big dreams, that rely on me going places and being part of a crowd that isn't tied down to a place or a person. Do you know what I mean?”
Aimee thought for a long few seconds. Chelsea's right. She doesn't need to get into a serious relationship. Not now. And probably not for a long time. She's going places, and she can get there faster, and probably have more fun along the way, by herself. “Well, just promise me you’ll take care of yourself. Protect all of you, especially your heart. There are some really deep pits out there to fall into,” Aimee advised.
Chels smiled and took Aimee's hand into hers. “You know me. I'm gonna be fine, no matter what.”
Aimee smiled back. She really loved Chelsea. She always would be Aimee's best friend, even if she was three thousand miles away. “All right. Let's get this last day going. I'm sure there is something you haven't shown me yet.” Both laughed, and then quickly got ready to take off on another adventure.
The following morning, at 6:50, Chels and Aimee hugged like it was their last time to ever be together. Chels wiped at the corner of her eye, then told Aimee to hurry up and go before she started balling like a baby. Aimee felt the same way as she looked at her best friend one more time before she got into the security line for check-in. Chels stood at the barricade and watched her friend leave. Both waved at each other until Aimee disappeared into the corridor to get to her carrier. And both promised each other they would always be best friends, no matter what.
Chapter 14 Homecoming
This time Aimee was ecstatic to be traveling backwards in time. She would arrive in Portland about the same time she left New York, which meant she still had a full day to spend with Dylan since he was going to be gone for the next two days, then the Winter quarter would start the following Monday. As soon as the plane landed on the runway, and before the okay to turn on their cell phones, Aimee had already texted Dylan to let him know she arrived. Instantly, she got a text back that he was there and waiting.
As fast as she could get off the plane, she raced to the exit to find Dylan. Just like her and Chels in New York, they both spotted each other at the same time, and they both blocked exiting people when they flew into each other's arms and kissed and hugged for an eternity. Finally, they broke long enough for Aimee to notice they were getting some irritated stares from the exiting crowd.
“Hey, I think we better move out of the way,” she said.
Dylan quickly replied, “Ahhh, screw them. I don't care if we're holding up the traffic. I haven't seen you in a week. They can go around.”
Aimee chuckled. “Let's get going. I'm so ready to get back to Eugene.”
Dylan grinned. “Yep, and I'm so ready for you to get back.” They pecked once more, then hastily left.
Usually Dylan was the one talking nonstop whenever they were together, but during the trip back to Eugene, Aimee monopolized the conversation telling Dylan about everything she had done in New York, even though she had updated him about her week in New York each time they talked while she was gone. Even when it seemed like she was slowing down, Dylan would ask another question, and Aimee would continue babbling. They were almost to Eugene when Aimee suddenly noticed that she had been hogging the conversation, and Dylan was unusually quiet.
“Hey, I've done all of the yakking the past two hours. So, tell me about your week. Whatcha been doing?”
Dylan glanced over at Aimee, then quickly brought his gaze back to the road ahead. “Well,” he started, then stopped and cleared his throat. “I, uh, well I've been quite busy. We've worked our butts off in practice getting ready for the game, and I...” he paused for a few seconds, looked over his left shoulder, then pulled around a poky car before continuing, “...I have been working on a surprise for you, actually, us.”
Excitement fired through Aimee. They were five miles from Eugene and she prayed that the surprise he was alluding to was their own place. “So, am I gonna get to see this surprise today?”
“Yep,” he replied, then glanced over at her with a grin.
Aimee's apartment wasn't too far from the interstate, so when they didn't turn off where they needed to, her heart kicked up a notch. She glanced over at Dylan with a smile. He seemed to be enjoying this.
“So, we passed my turnoff,” she informed him.
He replied, “Nope, we didn't.”
“Dylan,” Aimee began with a twinkle in her voice, “I think I know what the surprise is.”
“Oh yeah,” he replied as he put the blinker on to exit. Aimee nodded. They continued to turn from one street to the next, to the next until they turned down the street with the cute, little house they had looked at to lease. As soon as they pulled into the driveway, Aimee flew out of the FJ, and around to Dylan's side faster than he could get the SUV into Park. He stepped out and she jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs tight around his waist. Her lips grabbed his with such intensity, he almost fell backwards.
“Damn, woman,” he commented as soon as h
e got loose of her embrace, “if I'd known you would be this excited, I'd done this months ago.”
Aimee untethered herself, then snatched his hand. “Come on,” she ordered.
In two seconds, they were up on the porch, and Dylan was unlocking the door. He opened it and Aimee started to step in. Before she could, he ordered, “Wait!”
Her eyebrows scrunched together, and she replied, “What's wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said, as he grabbed her suddenly and swung her up into his arms. “This is our first place together, and I want to do this.” He stepped into the entry, and their lips attached again. After a few seconds, Dylan put Aimee down, and she stood looking around and glanced back at Dylan. A smile covered his face. She smiled back and slowly stepped around the empty living room, then into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, and then the cabinets, and turned to Dylan. He stood there watching her, grinning as she took in the fact it was for real. They finally had their own place!
There was a key sitting on the kitchen counter. Aimee picked it up and asked, “Mine?”
“Yep, yours,” he answered.
Aimee stated, “Wow, I can't believe you really rented this place.”
“I didn't,” Dylan said.
“What? What do you mean you didn't rent it?” she said with a confused look.
“Nope, I didn't rent it. Paul and Mom bought it.”
“What!? For real?”
Dylan grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the hallway. “Yep. They figured it would be a good investment, and they made an offer the owner couldn't refuse. So, we have this place for as long as we stay in Eugene, and Paul said once we graduate, if we want to buy it, he'll owner-finance it for us.”
“Oh, man,” Aimee said. “I can't believe Paul and Jill would do this for us.”
Dylan stopped outside one of the two bedrooms, and took her hands into his. “Well, they love you, and they know how much I love you, so it was a no-brainer for them. They knew we would do this with or without them, so they decided to help us out.”
Aimee felt the waterfall start to flow. Without dropping Dylan's hand, she brought her hand up and wiped at the corner of her eye. She couldn't believe it; their own place. For months she had dreamed about it. Prayed about it. But she wasn't sure it would ever happen.
The Weird Travels of Aimee Schmidt: Seeking Others Page 26