by Marchman, AC
“I just wanted to tell you that I’ll be flying into Lynchburg tonight. My flight gets there at ten-thirty tonight. Can you come pick me up?” She’s going to see right through that act.
“Aw, sweetie, something did happen.” I knew it.
“Yeah, it did. I don’t want to talk about it right now. I will when I get there. But Mom, how did you know something was wrong? I thought I sounded fine.”
“You hardly ever come home, now you’re flying in on a whim? That’s not like you at all, sweetheart.” Oh, this is true. I never come home, unless it’s the holidays or something like that.
“Well, I’ll just talk to you tonight. Right now, I’m on the bus heading back to Atlanta.”
“Okay, sweetie. I’ll see you tonight. Please be careful. I love you.”
I sigh, my heart feeling like it weighs a thousand pounds. “I love you, too. See you later.” With that, I hang up, close my eyes, and try not to think of Donovan speeding towards Atlanta, with hopes of finding me. I won’t be there, at least for a week. Maybe then, I’ll be ready to untangle the web of lies. Until then, I want to lay low and forget everything.
Chapter 22
We pull up to the bus station a little after six. I step outside into the humid air and look for my best friend. She’s not hard to spot; I see her strawberry blonde hair about twenty feet in front of me. I make my way over and the minute she sees me, she trots up to me and hugs me. It feels good to see Livey again. I know it’s only been a day or so, but it feels like forever. “I got your bag in the car. You wanna grab a bite to eat before we head to the airport?”
“Yeah, let’s go. I need air conditioning, like now,” I gasp, the heat taking my breath straight out of my lungs.
We walk through the crowd out to the parking lot and hop into her Explorer. She starts the engine, then looks at me. She puts her tiny hand over mine. “Allie, I know you’re hurting and I know things don’t seem like they’re gonna get better. But trust me, they will. Don’t they always?” She doesn’t sugar coat anything and she’s being honest with me. Funny, she’s the first person to do that today.
“Yeah, I know. I just feel like it’s going to get worse before it gets better.” I put my head in my hands. My headache still hasn’t gone away, and I’m sure it’s from all the stress and the long bus ride. Livey hands me a Coke. “Oh, thank you. I needed this so bad.” I pop the top and chug half the can in one gulp. Too bad it’s not a beer, I could seriously use one. “Where do you want to go?”
“I was thinking we could go to Fandangles. Something tells me you need a good martini.” She pulls out and hangs a right. “Besides, it’s not that far from the airport, so we can just hang out for a little while.”
“You have no idea how right you are. I’m going to have to get pretty tipsy to get on a plane, too.” I guess it’s better than taking a Valium.
We make the ride in comfortable silence, and it feels so good to just be with someone that gets me. Livey and I don’t have to talk at all times, like a couple of gossip queens. We can just be in each other’s company and enjoy it. And it makes me forget things, just a little. She turns on the radio and tries to find a station that isn’t playing love songs. She finally settles on a rock station and ‘Kashmir’ starts playing. I try to let the music distract me from my thoughts, which have gone back to Donovan. I wonder where he is right now.
We reach Fandangles, which is in the Sheraton, and to be a Saturday evening, it’s not crazy busy. We head to the bar instead of waiting for a table. The entire place was a sleek, modern look with gold and red accents. The bar itself must be at least fifty feet long and the amount of liquor they have is astounding. We perch ourselves on a high stool and wait for the bartender to notice us. “I’m so not dressed for this place,” I say, looking down at my shorts and tank top. “Guess I wasn’t expecting to even be back in Atlanta today.”
Livey waves her hand up to get the bartender’s attention. “Well, you’ve had a long day and you still look amazing. You kinda make me sick.” She gives me a wide smile and it makes me blush. When the guy comes up to us to get our drinks, we order two peach martinis to start, along with our appetizers of jumbo crab cakes and bacon wrapped shrimp.
As we sip on our beverages, Livey turns to look at me. “I know you don’t really want to talk about it right now because it’s so soon. But I really think you might want to give Donovan the benefit of the doubt here.” I almost choke.
“Are you serious? You really think I should give him another chance? After all the lies he made me believe?” It comes out meaner than I would like, and truthfully, I want to see him again so bad, it hurts. I want nothing more than to have him hold me and tell me it’s going to be okay, that we’re going to pull through this. But right now, my heart is laying on the ground in Savannah, shattered.
“Whoa, sorry. Didn’t mean to offend. But I know you too well, Al. I can tell you love him, and he loves you. I saw that from the very first date you had with him. Maybe you two didn’t know it then, but I did. It was so obvious you two were crazy about each other.” She plays with the stirrer in her martini.
“If he loved me, then why the hell did he lie about so much? Why couldn’t he be honest with me?” I take a swallow of my drink and it burns so good going down. At this rate, I’ll be real tipsy for my flight.
“What all did he lie about?” I proceed to tell her the gory details of Donovan and Claire, of how Frankie told me what really happened, and that my boyfriend couldn’t bring himself to tell me the truth. I also told her how much Donna hated me and how incredibly weird that was for me.
She sits, in deep thought, and seems to be taking in consideration everything I said. She twirls her hair around her index finger, carefully orchestrating in her head what she will say next. “Okay, granted that he lied to you about this...relationship with Claire, but didn’t you tell me she was a crazy bitch to begin with?” I nod “Do you think that maybe he didn’t want to let you know just how insane she really is? He didn’t want to tell you that she bought the house, probably he’s either ashamed or she doesn’t own it anymore. Did you ever think of that?”
I shake my head; the thought hadn’t crossed my mind. “Okay, while that could be true, why did he tell me that he met her while trying to make some money instead of being BFFs with her stepson?” I can feel my sorrow being replaced by anger that threatens to make me explode.
“Would you want to tell him that you had screwed your best friend’s stepfather? How would you feel about yourself if you had to confess something like that to the one you love? Maybe he lied about it because regardless of how they met, they still had this crazy, screwed up relationship.” Livey’s hazel eyes burn with an intensity I’ve never seen in her before. “You have to understand, guys are not always open books like we are. They don’t feel the need to tell us every single detail about their past. It’s just the way it is. I’m not defending Donovan and saying what he did was right, just to see it from his point of view.”
The bartender brings our food, asks if we need anything else, then goes on his merry way. I’m not hungry anymore, so I pick at my crab cakes. Maybe Livey’s right. Maybe I should sit down and have a long discussion with him about all this, but it will have to wait. “As much as I want to see his face right now, I’m just not ready. Maybe once I get back from Lynchburg, I’ll be prepared to deal with this. Until then, I need some time away.” My voice is quiet, sad and distraught. It sucks when your heart tells you one thing, and your brain tells you something completely different. Which do you listen to? Emotion or reason? How do you make such a decision?
“Love, I know it’s hard, and I get that you need time. I’m pretty sure he will be there when you are ready to talk,” she says, then her eyes bulge out of her eye sockets. I give her a confused expression, then turn my eyes towards the direction of her horror. My mouth drops and my heart stops.
Are you kidding me?
Jeremy, that son of a bitch that assaulted me at the bar last m
onth, is making his way towards us. There’s nowhere to run or hide; he’s already seen us. “Oh no, he’s still pissed about Donovan kicking his ass,” I whisper to Livey, too scared to move or blink. I can’t take my eyes off him for a second. Soon, he’s standing in front of us, looking contrite.
“Could I talk to you for a minute, miss?” He doesn’t even know my name and he had his hands all over me; unbelievable.
“What about?” I’m not leaving this spot to go anywhere with him. I fold my arms across my chest, trying to put some sort of barrier between the two of us. I notice that Livey has moved closer to me.
“‘I’ve been wanting to tell you how sorry I am for that night at Peachtree Tavern. I never should have acted like that. It was rude and completely uncalled for.” His brown eyes shift from me to Livey and back again. Is he really being apologetic? “I’ve been going to an anger management class, and one of the steps is to apologize for my actions to others I may have hurt. I didn’t even know your name, so I didn’t know if I would see you again. So I’m glad I got the chance.”
I cock my head, not knowing whether this is a joke or not. I’m having a hard time trusting people today. “So, you’re really sorry for what you did to me? For putting your hands on me?” My eyes narrow and my senses are on high alert.
“I understand if you don’t believe me. I just happened to be here with my family tonight and recognized you. I don’t even know you or your boyfriend’s name. So, I wanted to take the chance to say how bad I felt after I did...what I did.” Jeremy’s face drops, and I suddenly feel bad for him. I don’t know why, but I do. Maybe because it’s hard to admit you’re wrong, then even harder to apologize to the person you did wrong.
“Thank you for telling me that. I really appreciate you having enough courage to do that. And my name is Allie.” It’s against my better judgment to do this. I stick my hand out. “This is how we should have met.” He gives a small smile and accepts my handshake.
“Thank you. And I’m Jeremy.” I nod. Livey saw him in the mall with his name-tag on, but I won’t tell him that. He walks away, leaving us with a ‘what the hell just happened’ look on our faces.
“That was really random, huh? Could any more weird shit happen today?” I down the rest of my martini and order another. “I don’t think my brain could take it.”
My friends just shakes her head. “I’m sure that was really hard to admit what he did was wrong and to say he was sorry.” She gives me a knowing look.
“I get the hint, okay? I see the correlation here. And I know if that dude can do it, and I forgive him, then I should do the same for Donovan. Only difference is, I care for Donovan and my heart is smashed.” I put my head down, trying to mask the tears that start to fill my eyes. “I have to get away, Livey. I can’t think straight being here.”
“I know, doll, I know.” She wraps her arms around my neck and rubs circles on my back. “You just need some time, but you will see. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and you will miss him like crazy. I’m willing to put money on it.”
We finish our food and one last drink before I need to be at the airport. As we head back out to the car, I ask Livey, “Do you really think we’ll get back together? I mean, will I ever get over the hurt I feel right now?”
She stops and takes my hand. “Al, I know it. I just feel it in the pit of my stomach and my instincts are usually right. It doesn’t feel like that right now, but it’s only because it’s so fresh. Things will be alright, I promise.”
“I really hope so. I hate this shit; feeling like my life is spiraling out of control. I don’t feel like anything makes sense anymore, when just this morning, it was perfect.”
Chapter 23
Donovan
Her Mustang is still there when I whip into the parking lot. I got here in record time, hoping to catch Allie. I don’t even turn the car off when I jump out. I knock on her door and patiently wait. No answer, so I bang a little harder. Still no answer. “Allie! Are you home?” I shout. “I need to talk to you, please.” Nothing but silence, with the exception of the stupid barking dog next door. I give up and decide to just sit here until she gets home. I sit my pathetic ass right in front of the door and pull out my phone. I’ve called four times with no luck. I start scanning through the pictures. One catches my eye and I remember when I took it.
“Donovan! Stop! Don’t take my picture, please,” Allied begged. We were out by the pool and we had been swimming all day. Her hair was tied up on top of her head and she had her blue bikini on. “I look awful. Don’t.”
“Baby doll, you look sexy as hell, so I’m taking your picture.” I laughed and started snapping away with my phone. She kept covering her face, all the while giggling. “If you don’t let me, I’m tossing you in.” I had her attention then.
“You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I would.” I picked her up and put her over my shoulder. She started squealing and slapping my butt. This only made me want to do it more. I headed over to the deep end and she screamed. It was so funny, I had her where I wanted her. “So, picture or I’m dunking your ass. Your choice.”
“Okay, okay. Picture then,” she pleaded. I let her down and her face was red, mostly from the sun, but from laughing as well. “You are so getting it later.”
“I plan on it, now smile.” Her smile always takes me aback, almost stealing my breath. She took off her sunglasses, showing me her beautiful green eyes. Her hair had blonde streaks from sunbathing. I snapped the picture and showed it to her. “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“Let me see it.” She reached for my phone, so I handed it to her so she could see how gorgeous she really is. She took it and her lips curled into an evil smile. She caught me off guard and pushed me into the water. When I came up, she was laughing hysterically. “Payback’s a bitch!”
“Oh, it’s on now, baby,” I pull myself out and before she even had a chance to run, I grab her waist, take my phone back and toss her in. “Payback’s a bitch!” We both were laughing so hard, our laughs turned silent and our stomachs started to hurt.
“That was just two weeks ago,” I sigh, my chest feeling like there’s an elephant sitting on me. “I pray that she forgives me.”
“What are you doing here?” I turn my head around and see Livey. She has her keys out, with both hands on her hips.
“I was waiting for Allie,” I say, shoving my hands in my pockets. I can’t look at her in the face; I’m almost sure she knows what went down today.
“Well, you won’t find her here. She’s on a flight back home.”
“What? Back home?” Panic rises in my throat. “She’s flying back to Virginia?”
“Yeah, but don’t worry. It’s only for a week.” She pushes past me to open her door. “She’s coming back.”
I can’t wait a week. “Okay, thanks.”
I start running back to the car and I hear her yell, “Where are you going?” I have a feeling she knows exactly where I’m going.
“Virginia.”
Chapter 24
Allie
Thank goodness I had a few drinks before I got on this plane. There was a baby who cried the entire time and the plane hit some turbulence on the way. My nerves were completely on end and I almost knock people down trying to get off. “Sorry, excuse me, sorry,” I slur, the alcohol mixed with exhaustion just isn’t a good combination.
Finally, I step down and I already feel better being home. It’s at least ten degrees cooler here than back in Atlanta and this is home. Lynchburg airport is so small compared to ATL. It doesn’t take long before I find Mom, waiting for me by the only terminal in the place. I run and hug her. Her arms envelope me and I just want to break down and tell her everything. She pulls me back at arm’s length and looks me over. “Come on, sweetie Let’s go home.”
“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.”
Driving down Wards Road is so strange, being that I’ve gotten used to the eight lanes back home. Here, we have noth
ing of the sort. The traffic is almost nonexistent, with only one car on the road with us. We turn onto 460 and head toward Concord, which is the actual town I grew up in. But no one has ever heard of Concord before, so it’s easier to say Lynchburg. People know it a Jerry Falwell’s town, which I guess is true. This place revolves around Liberty, the college Dr. Falwell founded. I smile as I see the familiar ‘LU’ carved on the side of the mountain.
“So, why did you decide to come home? What exactly are you running from?” Mom is always blunt with me, which is good because she never beats around the bush. “Are you running from Donovan?”
“Yeah, kinda. He lied to me about a lot of stuff and I’m having a hard time accepting it.”
“What exactly did he lie about?”