A Different Game: A Wrong Game Novel

by Matthews, Charlie M.

  So close.

  Just one more step.

  “Yes.” A thousand times over, yes.

  Placing her hands at her sides, she cocked her hip. “Then I guess we’ll find out when I get back.” She smirked.

  “When you get back?” I frowned. “But…” I trailed off. She was going anyway. I’d finally told her that I loved her and it didn’t matter because she was leaving anyway.

  “Remember that competition you forced me into entering?”

  How could I forget?

  “Yeah. The model, right?”

  “Daniella, yes.”

  “What does that have to do with you leaving?”

  “I won!” she announced. “I won, Jake. Can you believe it?”

  “Hell, yeah, I can. But I don’t get it. Why would you leave?”

  “There’s a studio in New York. I’ll be taking a course and working alongside some stupidly talented designers who have agreed to let me design the dress there.”

  “What? How long for? A week? Two weeks?”

  “Three months.”

  “No…” I shook my head. “You can’t. Three months is…”

  “A long time, I know. But it’ll be good for me. Be happy for me, please?”

  Three fucking months? How the hell could I go three months without seeing her?

  But she was right. She had to go. She had to follow her dreams.

  I sighed, tipped her chin between my fingers and said, “The selfish part of me wants to demand that you stay.”

  “Jake.” She sighed.

  “But I won’t ask you to do that. Instead, I’m gonna say this to you.”

  “I have to…”

  “I love you. I want you to follow your dreams and be that smart, successful woman I know you are. Follow your dreams, Mel. Enjoy every damn second of it because if anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you. Just know that when you get back, I’ll be right here waiting for you.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep. We know a lot can happen in three months.”

  “Maybe.” I shrugged. “Maybe you’ll meet someone out there and forget all about me. And do you know what? You should. Because fuck knows, I’ve put you through enough over the years.”

  “Do you really mean that?”

  “Fuck, no. You’re mine. You always have been.”

  When the final calling came, Mel searched behind her. She was panicking. I could see it in her eyes.

  “Go,” I mouthed. Although everything in me screamed for her to stay.

  Mel blew out a breath and nodded before reaching for her bags on the floor. With a final glance my way, she walked away, her head held high and her perfect arse swaying from side to side. I waited until she was out of sight before I threw my head back and released a breath.

  When I levelled my eyes, Taylor was right there in front of me, holding out the crutches I’d tossed to the floor. “You didn’t tell her that it was you who sent the designs away.” It wasn’t a question.

  I shook my head. “She didn’t need to know.”

  Taylor nodded in silent understanding. “Come on, kid.” He grinned, shoving the crutches against my chest.

  I tucked them under my arms and looked back the way she’d gone. I shook my head and followed behind Taylor as he made his way outside. Once we were inside the car, Taylor eyed me from the side and said, “Three months isn’t so long.”

  “It’s gonna be torture.” I groaned.

  “But think of all the making up you’ll do when she gets back.” Taylor waggled his brows suggestively and I shook my head, grinning.

  He was right. This wasn’t over between us. We were just pressing pause for a while. In three months we’d be hitting that play button and life as we knew it would never be the same again.

  That wasn’t a promise.

  That was a fact.

  Epilogue

  Three Months Later…

  3 months, 13.036 weeks, 91.25 days, 2190.002 hours, 131400.144 minutes and 7884008.64 seconds, since I last saw her.

  So much had changed in that time. So much that I wanted to tell her and show her. So much I wanted to do to her, say and give to her. Every day was spent counting down the time until I would have her in my arms again. It had been hell.

  I was pretty much back to full health with the help of regular physio check-ups to make sure I kept my knee active. I wouldn’t be able to play professionally again, and as much as it sucked knowing that I’d never be able to reach my dream, I had something else that was a greater blessing than any football team could ever give me. I had the girl. At least, that’s what I wished for when I drove away from the airport that day. We’d had minimal contact since Melanie set off for New York. I got that she was busy, and listening to her talk down the phone during the early hours of the morning was something I looked forward to. Hearing her voice, knowing the days until I saw her again were growing ever shorter. But hearing her voice and knowing how happy she was out there made me miss her more than I ever thought possible.

  The morning before she was due back, I found myself in the backyard, pacing back and forth when Taylor appeared out of nowhere. He was grinning from ear to ear.

  “You’ve been out here for the last twenty minutes. If you carry on the way you are you’ll wear the grass down.”

  “I can’t help it. What if she doesn’t come back?” It was a question I kept asking myself since she'd walked away from me that day. What if she didn't come back? What if she didn't want to come back?

  “She’ll come back,” he assured me. He didn’t look the slightest bit worried whether she would or not. I wished I shared the same belief that he had.

  “What if she’s met someone else? Three months is a long time. For all we know she could still be out there… with him.”

  Taylor gripped my shoulders and looked me square in the eye. “She’ll be back.”

  “But…”

  “She’ll be back, mate. I promise.”

  “You don’t know that. Not for sure.”

  “She loves you.”

  “We don’t know that, either.”

  “She told you so herself, right?”

  “Well, yeah, I guess,” I said, scratching the back of my neck. Fuck, I missed her.

  “See. She’ll be back.” He chuckled.

  “How do you know she didn’t just say that because she was going anyway? For all I know she probably never even meant it.”

  “And for all you know she could be doing the exact same thing you are right now. Relax, will you? She’ll be back.”

  I released a frustrated groan as I gripped my head. “I don’t know. I need to go and do something. I can’t sit at home worrying over it,” I told him. I needed to get away. Think about something else until it was time to leave for the airport. “I’m gonna go to the warehouse. Make sure it’s all ready.”

  “Mate, you were there just a few hours ago. I’m sure nothing’s changed since then.” He smirked.

  “Well, what the fuck do I do then? I’m going crazy here?”

  “Just relax.” He sighed as he pulled out a garden chair. I forced myself to take a seat and placed my elbows on my knees to stop them from bouncing. “Relax…” he continued. “Enjoy the quiet while you can, because I can assure you, in a few hours you’re gonna wish you’d cherished these rare moments while you had the chance.”

  “I’ve had three months to enjoy the quiet. I’ve hated every damn second of it.”

  Taylor was smirking as he took the seat beside me, gazing out onto the fields.

  Christmas had come and gone with little to no entertainment. I found myself pacing more often than not during the festivities. It was nice having everyone under the same roof for once. But knowing it was going to be our last Christmas at the home I’d known my whole life forced a new kind of sadness to wash over me. One that didn’t quite match the sadness I felt when Mel went away, but a new kind of depression that you only felt when change was happening. I wasn’t sure whether that change
was going to be good or not, but it was coming… I could feel it.

  Christmas in New York was like a never-ending Disney movie. That’s what it felt like when I looked down from the rooftop on an evening, watching as the sky turned dark and the soft blanket of snow glistened against the pavement. My mum had taken me to New York when I was just a little girl, but I couldn’t remember much of that holiday. I only remembered how cold my toes were inside my snow boots, and how the end of my nose tickled as it ran with the change in temperature. This time, though, I took it all in. I walked into every store that held a wintery Christmas display in the window, buying silly wooden hanging ornaments from every place that had them, and slipping them onto each Christmas tree branch I came across. One by one, I slid those small, delicate baubles onto the plush green branches and smiled at each passer-by who looked at me as though I were trying to steal them.

  When I wasn’t working, I would eat out at different places, do the whole tourist thing, snapping pictures wherever I went, capturing each moment so I would be sure to remember them. And I wanted to remember it all. I wanted to remember what it felt like having the crunchy snow beneath my feet, and warming my hands up afterwards with a milky hot chocolate. I wanted to remember my nights out with the friends I had made, and cherish each delicate cuisine I was forced into trying. I wanted to remember it all.

  I had been right about Daniella. She was a dream to work with and was beyond happy with the gown I had designed for the Lights Out premiere. So much so, she had invited me along. Her boyfriend Marcus was ridiculously handsome, too, and so obviously besotted with his rising star of a girlfriend. It made me miss having someone to hold at night. Someone to be silly with. Someone to wrap their arms around me while we people-watched from the rooftop, taking in the white fairy lights and Christmas trees that lined the streets of Manhattan.

  It made me miss Jake.

  We’d spoken only occasionally since we last saw each other at the airport. We were both so busy and the time difference made it difficult to keep in contact. He was usually asleep when I called and I always felt bad for waking him. He was still recovering from the injury he suffered, and although surgery had been a success, he still had a long way to go. I hated knowing that his dream had been taken from him while I was so busy immersing myself in my own. I felt guilty for that. And I felt guilty for not being there when he needed me the most. But I didn’t have to worry about that for much longer. Because I was finally going home, back where I belonged.

  I leaned over the railing of the rooftop terrace and sighed. This would be my final time seeing this place and I wanted to remember what it felt like to be up here, alone, free…

  With my bags packed ready to go, I picked up my handbag and the handles of my suitcases and walked through the studio for the final time with my luggage dragging behind me.

  Danni was in the middle of a fitting and looked nothing short of flustered as Susan tried to make alterations on a knee-length dress. It looked as though she’d been wrapped up in pink toilet paper and was being forced to keep still. I tried not to laugh as I approached them.

  “Mel… are you sure you can’t stay? This place just won’t be the same without you,” Danni said, her eyes pleading for my help.

  I smiled brightly but shook my head. “I’m sorry.

  “No, you’re not.” She smirked. “If you were sorry, you’d have taken me up on my offer to stay and eat more of those delicious jalapeno burgers at our favourite diner every day without any boys around to judge the slop around our faces. You can’t wait to go, can you?” She winked.

  Those burgers were amazing, but unfortunately not enough to convince me to stay. I missed home. Something I never thought I would ever say. “Honestly? No, I can’t.” I grinned. “But I’m worried that things have changed since I’ve been gone. Three months is a long time. What if when I get back Jake decides he doesn’t want to be with me? It’s been three months…” I shook my head and sighed. “How do you do it?” I asked, concern filling my voice as I gazed up at Danni for answers.

  Danni tilted her head in understanding, her sympathy shining from her eyes. “It’s easy for me, Mel. The guy I love follows me around the world, for the most part. Without him, I’d be ready to go home, too.”

  I thought over her words for a moment and sighed again. Marcus wasn’t Jake. While Marcus would spend his entire life by his girlfriend’s side, I wasn’t sure that Jake ever would. “What if we want different things out of life? What if I’m not really who he wants to spend his days with?” I asked, admitting the questions that had been plaguing my mind.

  Danni glanced down at Susan and shot her a look that asked for a minute alone without her actually having to say the words aloud. Susan rolled her eyes and moved away, allowing Danni to turn her full attention to me, her hands landing on her hips and her smile pushing up into her cheeks.

  “You know, I grew up watching a very close pair of friends of mine do what you and Jake are doing now. The whole assumption thing. The whole ‘he wouldn’t want that, she wouldn’t want that, so I’ll stay away forever to make it easier for everyone’ saga. You want my advice? Fuck it all, Mel. Let Jake decide what he wants. Don’t make those decisions for him. Go home, see how you feel, and if you want to run back to New York…” Her smile grew bigger. “Well, I think I know a blonde lady who would love you to design a few more dresses for her in the future.”

  And this was why I loved Danni. She always knew the right words to say at just the right time. She was strong, and had been through her own kind of Hell. She understood what it felt like to be alone and I guess that’s what drew me to her to begin with. That mutual understanding of how the world really functioned. I nodded my head. She was right. I couldn’t make decisions for him. I needed to hop on that plane, see where life took us.

  “I’m gonna miss you,” I told her, feeling the sadness creep in. Having her around these past few months had taken my mind off of life back home. It was going to be weird not seeing her every day.

  Danni shuffled forward in her dress, planting both hands on my shoulders gently. “Haven’t you heard about me, Mel? I don’t let people miss me. Once you’re in my circle, you’re screwed. For life. FaceTime saves relationships, don’t you know.” She chuckled lightly. “Marcus, however, will definitely miss you dealing with my fashion crises so he doesn’t have to. But you need to go do your thing. It’s your time now.”

  “Marcus is great, Danni. If I ever have the kind of love that you two have, I’ll be sure to hold on to it. As for this hideous dress?” I grimaced, snapping my fingers to Susan and shooting her a look that said, ‘what the freakin’ hell are you doing?’

  Susan stepped forward with her sewing cushion where a handful of pink pins stuck out. I pointed to the hem and said, “Take it up a half inch. Danni has great legs. Don’t hide them. And tuck that waist in. It’s meant to be a corset not a baggy jumper. This whole ensemble screams ‘dress up day at school only my mum forgot to make something so I dyed a bin bag pink and stuck it over my head’ kind of look.” I frowned, blew out a breath and shook my head again.

  Danni’s grin erupted. “And this is why I know you’ll make it. You just have it.”

  Grinning, I held out a hand to Susan. “Pins,” I asked in a bored tone I used only for her. She was the annoying type who always had to be right. I couldn’t leave knowing Danni would be forced to wear a dress that appeared to be three sizes too big. It was unflattering to say the least.

  When she slipped them into my hand, I began to tack them into place, pulling up the hem just enough that it hit above the knee. Then I gazed up at Danni with a grin. “I guess it pays off when your mother is a goddamn genius.” I continued to do the same to the waistline until it hugged the curves of her hips. “There.” A smile of satisfaction set across my face when I examined the dress in the full- length mirror. “Much better.”

  “Oh, please.” Danni rolled her eyes playfully. “Your mother may be a genius, but talent isn’t inherited.
It’s just there, God-given. Quit making yourself out to be less than you are, or I will force you to stay and you’ll have to listen to my ridiculous advice and boring lectures for another three months until it sinks into your head just how talented you are, missy.”

  A part of me wanted to take her up on that, lecture or no lecture. It was easy to forget how difficult things were back home when you’d spent three months away from all of the chaos.

  I sighed, shook my head and reached for my bags. “I may take you up on that. God knows what will happen when I get back. For all I know, he may not even show up.”

  “Well, whatever happens, embrace it. Good or bad. You can’t run from life. All you can do is tackle it head on. But something tells me he’ll be waiting.” She grinned.

  “I really hope you’re right,” I smiled and threw my arms around her, awkwardly avoiding the sharp pins. “Thank you for everything, Danni. I’ve had the most incredible three months of my life. I won’t forget what you did for me. Not ever,” I told her.

  “I’m so glad you won,” she said as she gave me one last squeeze. “Keep in touch, Mel. And for the love of God, keep that pretty smile on your face. Now, get out of here because my eyes are starting to get all watery and I’m a spontaneous crier when it comes to saying goodbyes.”

  I laughed nervously and waved my goodbyes, making sure she agreed to tell Marcus I said goodbye. I was going to miss them. Hell, I was even going to miss Susan which made absolutely no sense. With a heart full of memories and nervous smile, I left.

  Everything was in place.

  The warehouse was looking better than it ever had with the new equipment and shelving racks which Riley and Taylor had help me set up just the day before. I’d even taken Bessy on a shopping run to buy new fabric to line the shelves. I wasn’t scared of Bessy anymore. She was actually pretty sweet for a crazy old lady. I actually wasn’t sure who was looking forward to seeing Mel more. Bessy or me.

  I had only one other minor detail to take care of before I made the twenty-minute journey to the airport, and that wouldn’t take long.