"Ithaca," she said. "And it is small. It's a lot smaller than Memphis."
"You just said New York, so I thought you were talking about the city."
She shook her head. "The state."
They stared at each other for what must have been ten seconds without saying a word. She took her hand off his, but she left it on the table near him. Owen felt desperate at the thought of her leaving. Memphis would truly not be the same without her presence.
"Columbia?" he asked, still doing his best to seem unaffected.
"Cornell."
"That's right," he said, nodding. "I knew it started with a C. Marketing, right?"
"Yep," she said.
"I thought I heard you say that."
Darcy stared at Owen with a sincere expression that begged him to stop the small talk and get real. He could see by the look in her eyes that she wanted more from him, and it caused that crushing sensation in his chest to worsen. He yearned for her—longed to be next to her.
She gave him a sad smile after a long awkward silence. "So, I guess I just wanted to tell you I was leaving Tuesday," she said.
"Okay, well, I'm happy for you," he said.
It was a blatant lie. He wasn't happy at all. He was happy for Darcy that she was going off to a nice school and would no doubt have all sorts of adventures, but he wasn't happy—he had never been less happy. He found it difficult to breathe.
"Okay, well I guess that's it," she said.
"Yeah," he said. "Good luck."
She gave him another sad smile. "Thanks. You too."
Darcy stayed there in silence for a few more seconds, begging him without saying a word to say something more. Finally, she made a disappointed expression before offering him another fake smile. She flinched like she was about to stand up, but Owen reached out and put his hand on hers in the same way she had done to him. She turned her hand instantly and grasped onto him as if she had been waiting desperately for him to touch her. He felt her little cold fingers squeeze his, and his heart pounded.
"I'm proud of you," he said.
She gave him another little smile that was again laced with disappointment. She sighed. "That's not what I thought you were gonna say," she whispered.
"What'd you think I was gonna say?"
She shrugged shyly and glanced downward. "I don't know. Maybe that I should wait for you or something. Or that you might wait for me—that we should wait for each other. It's stupid. I guess I'm just feeling weird about leaving. You're probably gonna be married by the time I get back."
Her voice was so timid and vulnerable that it caused the burning fire inside of Owen to flair to an unreasonable level. He wanted to pick up the table that separated them and throw it across the room.
"It's not stupid," he said quietly, doing his best to control himself. "I'm sure it's hard thinking about leaving all your friends and family behind and going on to other things." He paused and then added, "And I'm not gonna be married. I'm not even interested in anybody."
She took a slow, deep breath as she regarded him. "Well, I guess I've sufficiently embarrassed myself," she said. "But I guess it's no secret how I feel about you. Never has been."
Owen could tell Darcy was embarrassed as she glanced down and let go of his hand.
"Darcy, you're the one who's gonna find someone. You never know what's in store for you up there at that Ivy League college. You're the one who's gonna go off and get married. I'll just be here doing my same routine—just going to school and work. I'm not trying to date anybody. I'm not interested in that."
Darcy couldn't help the sarcastic smile that crossed her face. She had done nothing but try to gain Owen's interest for the last six years. To say he wasn't interested in dating was an understatement. She scooted to the edge of the booth.
Owen wanted so badly to reach out for her, but he stopped himself. He glanced past Darcy and saw his cousin walk in with the two other guys. He felt the urge to fight Cameron Shaw right there in the restaurant in front of God and everybody. He took a deep breath as he forced a guarded smile at Darcy.
"Just tell me to wait for you, Owen, and I will. If there's even the slightest chance that you want me to, I'll do it," she said.
She was so sweet and sincere that something came over Owen. He knew he should tell her to go on with her life. He knew he should pretend he didn't care for her just as he'd been doing since they were kids, but he couldn't do it.
"Wait then," he said. He was so nervous as he said the words that his breaths came in short, labored spurts.
"Really?" she asked, with a hint of hope in her expression.
"Really," he said. "I mean, if you want to."
"I'm serious, Owen," she said. "I really will wait."
He felt so overwhelmed with emotion and nerves that it made him nauseous, but he nodded anyway. "I will too," he said.
Just then, Liam and Cameron made their way to the table. Sam had gone straight to the booth where the others were sitting, but Cameron saw Darcy and came over with Liam. Liam greeted Darcy and gave her a quick sideways hug before switching places with her and sitting across from Owen. Cameron put his arm around Darcy's shoulder like he had every right to do so. Owen almost stood up and tackled him right then and there, but he contained himself… barely.
"What are you doing over here with this Bishop thug?" Cameron asked, trying to be funny.
"I was just congratulating him about the baseball team."
"What, that he can play with one leg?" Cameron asked, smiling and winking at Owen.
This comment caused Darcy to shrug out of Cameron's grasp. "That they made it to state," she said in an agitated tone. She blushed from anger as she turned and started toward the restroom.
"Aw, come on, Darcy, Owen's my boy," Cameron said. "He knows I'm just messin' around."
Darcy continued to walk away, and Cameron smiled and rolled his eyes at her with a wave toward Owen and Liam as he headed to meet his friends at the corner booth.
Chapter 3
Owen knew Cameron Shaw hadn't meant any harm when he made the comment about his leg. Owen was popular at school, and as an athlete, he had been in enough locker rooms to know how to both dish out smack talk and take it.
He honestly didn't care about the leg comment.
He was too confident for that.
Owen was way more annoyed that Cameron had come up and wrapped his arm around Darcy's shoulders. He knew that they had seen each other over the years, but he couldn't stand the thought that Cameron felt like he had the right to do that just anytime he felt like it—especially right after he and Darcy had just had an out-of-nowhere, somewhat intense exchange about waiting for each other. Owen's heart was racing, his hands were shaking, and he didn't even know which way was up, but he smiled at his cousin as if all was right with the world.
"What was Darcy Meyers doing over here?" Liam asked, glancing curiously in the direction of the ladies room.
"What? Darcy? Baseball. She was saying something about baseball. She's going to New York on Tuesday."
"Is she still in love with you?" Liam asked as he opened the cellophane wrapper on a pack of saltine crackers and popped one of them into his mouth.
"No," Owen said. "I don't think so. I don't know."
Liam smiled and tilted his head at his cousin. "Why'd she get so ticked off when Cam started messin' with you?"
"I don't know. You know girls."
"I think she loves you," Liam said. "When I was dating Rachel Newbery in high school, she used to talk about how Darcy would cry over you."
"That was a long time ago," Owen said, still shaking.
"Two years," Liam said, eating the other cracker. "That's not that long. And by the way she scowled at Cam, it seems like she still has feelings."
Owen shrugged. "It's not an option, anyway."
"Why not?"
Owen narrowed his eyes at Liam.
"What?" Liam asked, looking genuinely confused. "Why is it not an option?"
"
Her family." Owen said.
"What about them?"
"Her granddad is Stephen Meyers, Liam."
"So?"
"So, he hates us, and he's not someone you mess with."
"What? You mean just because he tried to keep Shug and Doozy apart?" Liam asked. "That was like fifty years ago, and obviously it didn't work."
"It's not just that," Owen said. "I mean, that's part of it, but it's not just that. He's a bad man. A really bad man—and Darcy lives with him. He raised her. Uncle Max said they were cut from the same cloth."
Liam glanced at his cousin with curiosity, but both of them put the conversation on hold and acted like nothing was wrong as Darcy walked by, heading for the corner booth. Just after she passed by, the waitress came to take their orders. It took a few minutes for them to talk to her. Liam had to glance at the menu to figure out what he wanted. He decided on a hamburger since that’s what Owen was having. They handed their menus to the server who walked off with a smile.
"Mom told me the story about Stephen Meyers threatening to have Pa fired from the church if Doozy didn't stay away from Shug, but that was like a hundred years ago," Liam said. "Is that what you're talking about?"
Owen shook his head while wearing a grave expression.
"What?" Liam asked.
"Uncle Max said he's a seriously bad man—that if I mess with Darcy I could…" Owen trailed off, but gestured by running his closed fist across his neck as if to imply certain death.
Liam let out a laugh.
"I'm serious, Liam," Owen said, glancing toward Darcy. "If I didn't think he would kill me, I would've asked her out a long time ago."
"Oh, come on," Liam said, opening another pack of crackers. "He's got a reputation, but not for being a murderer."
"Yes, he does," Owen said. "Uncle Max told me all about it when I was in seventh grade, and he was totally serious. I remember him turning pale and starting to sweat when I told him Darcy was my science partner. He flat-out begged me not to talk to her ever again."
"Uncle Max said that?" Liam asked.
Owen nodded. "You know he raised her," Owen said.
Liam nodded. "Because her parents died when she was a baby."
Owen nodded with wide eyes.
"Oh, please," Liam said. "You don't expect me to believe Stephen Meyers killed his own son?"
Owen shrugged. "Uncle Max said he did. Stephen and Loretta only had the one son. His name was Stephen, too, although they called him Tre since he was a third. Apparently, Tre fell in love with some gypsy girl when he was at a concert out in Arizona, and their affair resulted in her getting pregnant with Darcy. I guess they tried to talk sense into Tre and his girlfriend about coming back to Memphis with the baby, but he decided to stay. Apparently, he was in love with the girl and ended up marrying her. Stephen didn't want any grandchild of his being raised out there in Sedona with a bunch of hippies, so they begged Tre to come back to Memphis. Not only did he refuse, but he also threatened to never talk to them again and to cut off all communication with the baby. Tre was their only child and Darcy their only grandchild, so they were devastated that he didn't want to come home. They couldn't understand it. They went out there and tried to convince them, but the girl insisted on staying. She was free-spirited and didn't care about their money or bribes. Anyway, Max said their last resort was to have someone go over there and take care of her, if you know what I mean."
"Kill her?" Liam asked.
Owen nodded, shifting to stare toward Darcy's table just to make sure nobody was listening. "I don't think they meant for anything to happen to their son. Max said the plan was just to get rid of the mother so Stephen the third and his new baby could come home, but he ended up getting caught in the crosshairs. Max said there was definitely foul play with their deaths. He acted like it was common knowledge and that everyone should just know to steer clear of Stephen Meyers and his family."
"It wasn't common knowledge to me," Liam said. "Mom told me about how he tried to keep Shug and Doozy apart, but I never heard anything about him murdering his own kid."
"I'm not saying I know it for a fact. I wasn't there. All I know is that Max looked me in the eyes when I was in seventh grade and made me promise never to get involved with Darcy. He said I would have to be crazy to mess with her since her grandfather was insane enough murder his own son."
The waitress brought their hamburgers, and Owen and Liam both said a quick, silent blessing and began eating.
"Why didn't you just ask her?" Liam asked as he chewed a bite of fries.
Owen grimaced at his cousin. "Oh, yeah, great idea. Just walk up to her and say, 'hey, Darcy, I heard your grandfather, the man who raised you from a baby, brutally murdered your own parents. Is that true?'"
Liam let out a laugh. "I didn't mean to ask her that. I just meant ask her if he's a nice guy."
"Of course she thinks he's a nice guy. He's her dad."
"You should ask your dad about it, or Doozy."
"Doozy doesn’t like him," Owen said.
"Yeah, but that's just because he tried to keep him from marrying Shug. You should see what your parents have to say."
"I did mention it to Mom one time," Owen said. "My junior year, Darcy worked up the nerve to ask me to homecoming. I agreed because I really wanted to go with her, and when I got home and told Mom, she begged me to call her and cancel. I think she really was scared of that guy."
"Did she say he's a murderer?"
"No, but she said he's a bad man who really hates our family. She cried about it like she was terrified of what would happen to me if I went."
Liam had just finished taking a huge bite of his burger and he shook his head thoughtfully as he chewed and swallowed. "I knew he was a cross dude, but I didn't know he was capable of all that." He shrugged. "I guess you just have to stay away from Darcy Meyers," he said nonchalantly.
"I guess so," Owen said even though it broke his heart. He went on eating his food. He thought about Darcy saying she would wait for him and wondered if she could've possibly meant the whole time she was away at college. He tried to tell himself that couldn’t be true, but he knew in his heart that she meant it and that she was completely serious. Darcy had it bad for him since the seventh grade, and the only reason she had gone out with Cameron, or Seth Richardson, or any of the others was because Owen wouldn't give her the time of day.
The problem was, ignoring Darcy never got easier for Owen. Granted, he was great at it after having so much practice, but the fact of the matter was that he liked her, he liked her a lot. She was kind, genuine, and she had always been the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. Owen had actually been looking forward to her leaving for college because he hoped it would be a case of out of sight out of mind. He hoped, for her sake, that she would find love and start a life way over there in another state and that her grandfather would be too old to chase after her. Who was he kidding? He didn't hope she found love way over there in New York. In fact, he hoped that Darcy held true to her promise to wait for him. He hoped she waited so long that her grandfather would just go ahead and kick the bucket.
"Did you?" Liam asked.
He phrased the question as if it wasn't his first time to ask.
"Did I what?"
"Did you get your parking pass yet?"
"Yeah."
"Did you hear what I was telling you about the coffee shop?"
"What coffee shop?" Owen asked.
"The one in the student union. Did you not hear me tell you about the raging tiger drink they make where they put two shots of espresso into a cup of coffee? It's a must when you're studying for finals. That stuff will keep you up all night."
Owen was obviously distracted by the beautiful brunette in the corner booth, but as best he could, he continued the conversation with his cousin. They ate their lunch, and Liam gave him good, practical advice for his first year at the university.
Darcy and the others at the table in the corner got up to leave before Owen
and Liam did. She glanced in their direction with a smile and a wave before they headed out. She almost got all the way out the door, but she changed her mind and ran over to their table, dodging chairs and people in the busy dining room.
She hugged Liam first since he was sitting closest to the door. "I'm leaving Tuesday, so I just wanted to come say 'bye'," she said with a smile. She gave Liam a rushed hug before crossing to the other side of the table to do the same for Owen. "Bye, Owen," she said, leaning over to hug him. "See you in a few years or if I come home for a visit or whatever."
Owen hugged her back. It was really rushed but he caught himself trying to discern what she smelled like and lock it into his memory.
"And I meant what I said," she said to him just before she smiled and turned leave.
"Me too," Owen said as she walked away.
She glanced over her shoulder as she walked away. Her smile contained some mixture of regret and hopefulness.
"What'd she say?" Liam asked.
"What?"
"She said she meant what she said. What'd she say?"
"Oh, that she might come home for a visit," Owen said, trying to omit the truth without actually lying.
Liam looked a little confused but didn't ask.
And that was the last time Owen Bishop saw Darcy Meyers—at least for the next few years.
Chapter 4
Darcy Meyers
Memphis, Tennessee
More than three years later—Christmas time
I loved the letter O.
I loved the shape of it—the way it was one big continual curve with no beginning and no end. It was easily my favorite letter in the alphabet.
Ever since I was a kid, I would find myself doodling the letter O. Sometimes I would make them simple and other times I would draw ornate designs around them as if they were the first letter in an old book—like the O from Once upon a time.
My infatuation with the letter began long ago and stemmed from a crush I had on a boy named Owen Bishop. I would doodle his name when I was in junior high, and through those doodles, I developed a fondness for the letter itself. There was another word that began with the letter O that often popped up in my mind, and that was the word overcome.
My Little Gypsy Page 2