“So, that's why you treat me like this?”
“I know. I was wrong. I was drunk, and my mind was creating all kinds of bullshit about you. I was still upset about you not telling me Joseph was here, then that jerk hitting on you just put me over the edge. I was jealous, but what I did was wrong...and stupid. I know you love me as much as I love you.” Dylan quit talking, and eased Aimee's hand into his. She didn't pull it back. She sniffled, but she didn't say anything. Dylan waited for her to believe him, to agree he was a moron, yet she would forgive him. Only she didn't say a word. She looked at his hand, bit her lip, then just stared at him.
After an excruciating moment of silence, she shook her head and turned away. She reached down and grabbed her backpack and pitched it over her shoulder. “I can't stay here.”
“No, don't leave,” Dylan begged as he stood up quickly and approached her.
She just shook her head. “I need some time to think.”
“Don't leave me...” he whispered.
She muttered, “I'll be back later to get some things.”
“Where are you going?”
“I don't know. I just know I need some time away.”
Dylan nodded once, then looked at her. His eyes were filled with pain and shame. “Will you let me know where you are? Please?”
“I'll probably be at James and Sacha's, for now anyway.”
With that she turned and escaped out of the bedroom with Dylan right behind. She didn't bother to pick up her textbook. She needed to leave. No delays.
She opened her Camry, pitched her pack into the passenger seat, then jumped in. As she stuck her key into the ignition, Aimee noticed Dylan at the living room window. He had raised the blinds and was frozen there watching her. He raised his hand and signed he loved her. Aimee shifted the car into Reverse. It didn't take long before the tears poured from her eyes.
**********
“Hey, will you get the door, Sach? I've gotta get ready to go,” James said while he slipped on a clean shirt.
Sacha hollered, “Gettin' it”, as she closed the dishwasher door. She flew to the door, peeked through the peep hole, then swung it open. With just one look at Aimee, Sacha knew something was wrong. “Come in,” she greeted. “What happened to your key?”
Aimee stepped in and just stood in the entry. “I left it on the dresser at the house.”
Sacha grabbed Aimee's arm, then she offered a consoling smile. “Come sit down. Can I get you something to drink?”
Aimee shook her head and sat down in James's recliner.
Just then, James walked out. “Oh, hey, what's going on?” he quizzed, first looking at Aimee, then Sacha.
Sacha quickly answered, “I'm not sure, but we told her we were here for her no matter what.”
Aimee began, “I'll go...”
“No!” Sacha jumped in. “James is leaving for work, and I was just going to the grocery store while he's gone. No, you stay. I think you need someone to talk to, don't you?”
Aimee could only nod, and fight hard to keep back the tears.
James looked at Aimee, then said, “Stay, as long as you need to.” He glanced over at Sacha. “I'll be back around four,” he announced. “We'll go get something to eat when I get home, okay?”
Sacha nodded. “That works.” She followed James to the front door.
“See you two later,” he said.
“Bye,” said Sacha before she locked the door after him. She turned around and put her hands on her hips and looked at Aimee. “You sure you don't want a cup of tea?” she asked while she stepped back to the kitchen to get her cup.
“Thanks, but I'm good,” Aimee said.
Sacha grabbed her cup and came back into the living room, sat down on the couch, took a slow sip, then put her cup down on the side table. She sat back and propped her feet up on the coffee table. At last, she looked at Aimee, but didn't say a word for a long minute. “Okay,” she stated, “what did he do?”
Aimee took a slow, deep breath, then started to talk, but the quivering in her voice prevented her from speaking. Sacha reached over and placed her hand over Aimee's, then said, “It's okay. You don't have to talk about it now.”
Aimee nodded. “Thanks, Sach.”
“Can I at least ask, and you nod or shake your head?”
Aimee shrugged. Sacha went ahead and asked, “Did you two have a fight?”
Aimee waited a few seconds, then nodded.
“Are you okay?” Sacha asked, then followed in a panicked tone, “He didn't hit you, did he?”
Aimee's eyes got big. Quickly she shook her head.
“Thank God,” Sacha said. “You never know how men will react when they get pissed about something.”
Aimee quickly commented, “Dylan's not like that. He would never lay a finger on me.”
“Good,” Sacha replied. “So, what did he do, because I know you wouldn't be here if he hadn't done something really bad.”
Sacha was good at getting Aimee to open up, but Aimee wasn't ready to tell her. “I really don't wanna talk about it right now. Is that okay?”
“Sure. Really. You don't have to tell me, but if you want to talk, I'm here for you. James and I knew something was really wrong this morning.” She leaned over and grabbed her cup and took a sip. “Your old room is empty, but I can inflate our airbed and you can stay here tonight, if you'd like.”
Aimee nodded, then said, “Thanks. I would like to, that is if James doesn't mind.”
“Oh heck, don't worry about James. You stay as long as you need.” Sacha smiled at Aimee, then took one more sip of her tea before getting up. “I'll get the bed out, and we'll inflate it later and make it up after we get back from the store.”
Aimee followed Sacha into her old room and stood there in the doorway staring into the empty room. It had only been two days since she officially moved out. Pretty soon Sacha came out of her closet carrying the bag with the air mattress, and walked past Aimee and set it down in the middle of the room. In a fast minute she was back with clean sheets and set them on the floor next to the bag. “There,” she said. “Why don't we go to store now. Are you hungry? We can go get something to eat first.”
“I'm not hungry, but if you wanna go, I'll get something to drink.”
“James and I ate right before you came over, but we'll get a coffee before we go shopping. Sound good?”
Aimee was a little hungry, but her stomach hurt. If she ate, she was positive it wouldn't stay down. But something wet would be okay. She answered, “Yeah, that would be great.”
Before long, the two were in Sacha's car heading towards the Koffee Haus. Only one other car was in the parking lot, and Aimee could see a couple sitting in the front table. When they entered, Aimee glanced over to the couch in the corner, and she did a double take. With his feet propped up on the table and a book in his lap sat Andrew. He glanced up just as they walked in. Aimee grabbed Sacha's arm and said under her breath, “I don't think I want something after all. I'm gonna go wait in the car.”
Sacha looked at her confused, then looked around the shop quickly. Other than the couple sitting at one of the tables, who didn't even bother to look up when they came in, was the guy sitting on the couch in the corner. He was looking at Aimee as he got up.
“Sure, okay, I'll be right out,” Sacha said as she watched the tall, thin guy approaching. Aimee swiftly left, and Andrew glanced at Sacha, then followed after Aimee. Sacha opened the car with her remote, then stood there and watched through the front window. Aimee speedily got in the passenger seat, slammed the door, and locked it right before Andrew made it to her side. Sacha watched the guy knock on the window, and she noticed Aimee’s distressed look. Something was wrong. Sacha left the shop and stopped at the front corner of her car. Andrew peered up at her, then back at Aimee. “What's going on?” Sacha asked Andrew.
Andrew stepped away from Aimee's door and stared at Sacha. “I just wanted to talk to Aimee,” he answered.
Sacha sternly replie
d, “Well, it doesn't look like she wants to talk to you.”
Andrew shrugged, then stepped to the front end of the car. He said, “Okay, I'm leaving.” He walked slowly past Sacha and glared at her, then stared at Aimee for several seconds. Finally, he left and went back inside.
Sacha took a deep breath, and then swiftly got into the car. “Whothahell is that dude?” Sacha demanded.
“Just some guy I met last quarter. He and Dylan know each other. He's on the basketball team,” she replied.
“Well, what's his problem? He seems to have a burr up his ass.”
“I don't know what's wrong. But I bet it has something to do with who he's dating,” Aimee said.
Curiously, Sacha asked, “So, who is he dating?”
Aimee looked over at Sacha, then answered, “Brandi Peters.”
Sacha's eyes popped wide open, followed by a screech. “Brandi!? The same bitch who tried to have you whacked!?”
Aimee nodded as she stared at the store's door half expecting Andrew to come back out. She didn't know what was Andrew's problem, but she bet it had something to do with the New Year’s Eve party and their significant others. “Yeah, Brandi's living here in Eugene.”
Still shocked, Sacha asked, “Are you serious? How long has she been here?”
“At least since last October.”
“Omigod,” Sacha muttered, “how did...”
Aimee couldn't help it. She had to get out of there. “Hey, can we go?” she interrupted.
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Sacha replied, then quickly she turned the key, stuck the car into Reverse, then looked behind as she backed out. By the end of the block, Sacha couldn't wait. She had to ask. “Does Dylan know she's here?”
Every muscle in Aimee's body tightened, and the boulder in her stomach hurt like hell. She opened her window and sucked in a few cool wisps of air, then nodded.
Sacha didn't ask another question. They drove in silence to the grocery store. Once there, she pulled into a space a distance from the store so no one was around them, shifted into Park, and turned off the engine. “Does she have something to do with the fight?”
Aimee avoided answering. She couldn't say it, so she stared out her side window.
Sacha reached over the console and touched Aimee's arm. Aimee quickly glanced at Sacha's hand, then peered up at at her face. Sacha already knew the answer. She could read it on Aimee's face. Aimee just nodded.
“Omigod,” Sacha whispered as she sunk into the seat under her. Thoughts flew through her brain. Suddenly she asked, “Is that why you got sick the other day at the game?”
“Yeah,” Aimee answered softly. She wiped at the water building in the corner of her eye.
Sacha reached behind her seat and grabbed the tissue box. “Here,” she said as she offered a tissue. Aimee whipped a couple from the box, wiped her eyes, and then blew her nose.
After a very long, painful moment, Aimee looked down at her fingers nervously picking, and started to tell Sacha the whole story, from running into Joseph at the beginning of the last quarter, to her getting cornered in the restroom by Brandi at the game, only Aimee didn't share what happened after she dropped them off. That part of the story had to remain a secret. Nonetheless, it didn't paint a good picture of Dylan.
“Omigod!” was the only thing Sacha could say after Aimee finished her story.
Both sat in silence; Sacha unable to believe what she had just heard, and Aimee unable to say anything else.
After an eternity, Sacha asked, “What are you gonna do?”
Aimee shrugged, then said, “I don't know, but I do know I can't go back. Not now. I need some time to think.”
Sacha quickly replied, “Well, you can stay with us for as long as you want, or...” She paused, took in a long breath, then exhaled and finished, “...move back in, if you decide that's what you need to do.”
Aimee looked over at Sacha, her bottom lip trembled. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Chapter 16 Degrees of Separation
Aimee bought a few things at the store so she didn't have to go back to the house that night. She didn't think she could see Dylan. She felt raw, and going back into the house would take her over the edge. When James got home, the three were supposed to go to dinner, but Aimee didn't feel like eating. Despite a valiant attempt to get Aimee to go so she wouldn't be home alone, James and Sacha went without her. Aimee inflated the airbed, then put the sheets on it. The day had been brutal, and although she only had a couple hours of sleep in the past day and a half, Aimee couldn't shut off the brain and let it rest. A nice bath might help, she thought. Aimee found some Epsom salts in the cabinet under the sink, dumped some in the tub, and drew up a hot bath. She eased into the steamy water and laid back into it. She closed her eyes, then felt the water begin to work at pulling the tension from her body. Her troubled thoughts floated in and out of her brain even though the hot water made her somewhat catatonic. She felt empty, like every cell in her body had been sucked out, and what was left was a shell. She wondered, How did something so right, go so wrong? Didn't I love him enough?
Fifteen minutes of soaking was all she could stand, so she washed up, then got out, dried, and slipped on a t-shirt of James's that Sacha gave her, then a pair of panties she bought at the store. She squirted some toothpaste on the toothbrush she bought and started brushing her teeth. Suddenly, a text came through on her phone. Aimee spit out the toothpaste, turned off the water, and wiped her mouth. DT was on the screen. Her heart rate soared as she stared at the screen. With a shaky finger, she tapped the message and read it.
I love you all my heart...I miss you terribly...please forgive me...let me know if you're at James's...
Aimee thought a few seconds about not answering, but she decided to text him back.
At James's...going to bed
She touched the Send button. The phone indicated 7:30, but Aimee couldn't stay up any longer. So, after drinking a glass of water, she went to bed and immediately flipped off the light. She had to get some sleep. Jeff had her scheduled for two shifts tomorrow. A few minutes later, Aimee heard another text hit her phone. She grabbed the phone, tapped the message icon and read the text from Dylan.
Sleep tight...love Dylan
“Grrrr” Aimee growled under her breath. Swiftly she turned off the phone, leaned over the mattress, and put the phone on the floor. She sighed deeply, then tried to focus on something other than herself. Fortunately, her brain was too tired to hold on any longer so it dumped the problem thoughts one by one until at last she slipped into sleep. The next morning at seven, Sacha knocked lightly on Aimee's bedroom door. Aimee suddenly came out of slumber, looked around confused, then realized where she was.
“You're gonna be late for work if you don't get up,” Sacha reported through the closed door.
“I'm awake. Thanks,” Aimee replied. A few seconds later she heard Sacha in the kitchen. She closed her eyes, stretched, and then sat up on the bed and looked around the room. If she was going to stay here, Aimee figured she better get something besides a mattress on the floor, but she didn't want to buy a bunch of new furniture, nor move back her old bedroom set. At the very least, she needed to get some clothes, books, and her new laptop she bought herself before Christmas. That would get her through until she decided what she needed to do. Aimee checked the closet hoping Sacha had left a few things behind. Nothing was in the closet except a couple of plastic hangers. Aimee didn't have any clothes besides what she wore the prior day, so she had to go by the house, even though she didn't want to. Aimee looked at her phone. It was 8:05. She needed to get moving if she was going to get to work on time.
“How did ya sleep?” Sacha asked as Aimee came into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee.
Aimee replied, “Not bad, all things considering. The bed was great, but the brain gave me fits off and on all night.”
“I'm sorry,” Sacha said while she cut up some oranges for breakfast. “Maybe you should get your doctor to prescribe you something to t
ake the edge off.”
“No, I've been down that road before, and I prefer not using dope. I sleep better, no matter what's bugging me, when I'm running so I just need to get back into my training routine.”
Sacha nodded, then offered, “Here, have one.”
“Thanks,” Aimee said as she grabbed a section of the orange, then quickly ate the juicy flesh. She tossed the skin into the garbage, then said, “I better get going. I have to go by the house and get something to wear first.”
“But Dylan will be there.”
Aimee frowned. “Yeah, I know, but I have to.”
“Dang,” Sacha commented, “I wish you were my size.”
“Yeah, me too,” Aimee agreed as she grabbed her cup of coffee and headed into the bathroom.
Before long, Aimee was driving over to the house. In her mind she rehearsed what she would do when she got there. Miraculously, as she turned onto the street, she noticed Dylan's FJ was missing. Relieved, she pulled in the driveway, yanked her keys out of the ignition, and flew inside to get changed before Dylan could return. She immediately noticed it didn't look like Dylan had slept in the bed. Her robe still lay over the edge of his side like it was the morning before. “Hmmm,” Aimee murmured. I wonder where he's at? But she didn't have time right now to worry. She had to get to work. Later she would stop by on her way home and get her things.
Jeff was at the counter reading the paper when Aimee came through the door. He looked up for a second, then dropped his attention back to the paper, but asked, “So, how was the game?”
The Weird Travels of Aimee Schmidt: Seeking Others Page 31