Crossing Paths

by Melanie Stinnett

  Liam closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he looks at me again, he speaks with a calm voice. “I wish you could have heard our conversation on the way to the bar tonight. For heaven’s sake, all I talked about was you. I left the girls at the bar, so they had to catch a cab home. I drove like a madman to come and see what was going on with you.”

  “You need to leave,” I say coldly. Turning away from him, I’m determined to make it into the apartment this time.

  “Please, Caroline, don’t do this. I care about you. I know June probably told you to stay away from me, but just give me a chance to explain. Give me a chance to show you how much I care.”

  “No, I won’t do it.” I know I sound immature, but to be honest, I need the resolve of a stubborn child to stand my ground. “You will not make a fool of me, and just so you know, I haven’t said anything to June. I’m the one deciding to stay away from you,” I say as I close the door in his face.

  Rushing into my apartment, I run to my room, slam the bedroom door behind me, and then collapse onto my bed. I wish I had never given him a first chance, and I have never understood the point of second chances. If it wasn’t worth it the first time, then how could it be worth the risk again?

  I hear the muffled sound of my phone ringing, but I know it must be him. I close my eyes and try to sob as quietly as possible, so there’s no way he could hear my sadness if he’s still at the front door.

  A few minutes later, my phone rings again…and again…and again. I finally get up and fish it out from the bottom of my purse. Before I turn it off, I take a quick glance at my missed calls. They’re all from my mom and dad. Why would they call me so many times? My sadness quickly turns to fear as I return my dad’s call.

  “Caroline…”

  There is an emotion in my dad’s voice that I can’t place at first. Then, before I can get any words out, I hear my dad crying on the other end of the line.

  “Dad?” I say, scared to ask any questions.

  “Care, it’s your brother.”

  He’s not just crying. I can barely understand his words through the tears.

  “Dad, you need to tell me what’s going on before I get in my car and drive all the way to Washington tonight. Where’s Mom?”

  “She’s with your brother. They’re waiting for the doctors.”

  “Oh my god! Is Julie okay?”

  “Julie is very sick, but we’re also worried about your brother. On Wednesday, he got a call that Julie wasn’t doing well, so he flew home immediately. This morning, the Franklins brought Julie to the hospital, and CJ was driving here to be with her. I’m sure he hasn’t been sleeping well with everything that’s been going on, so I’m guessing he was tired. He had an accident on the way to the hospital.”

  “Is he okay, Dad?”

  “It isn’t good, Caroline. Your mom thinks you should come home.”

  I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes again. “Are you serious? Is he going to die?”

  “We don’t know.”

  The line is silent, except for my dad’s uneven breaths. I can tell he’s about to lose it again.

  “Oh my God. I’ll book a flight tonight. I’ll send you my itinerary soon. Please tell Mom that I love her. I’ll be there with you as soon as I can. I love you.”

  “We love you, too, Care. We’ll talk to you soon. Be careful.”

  I hang up the phone and clutch it to my chest. My tears have dried, but I know they will come flooding back soon.

  When I hear a knock on the front door, I walk over to let June in. She must have lost her key again. I unlock the door, open it slightly, and immediately turn, walking in the other direction, so June can’t see my tear-streaked face.

  “Caroline.”

  I stop abruptly. Why is he still here? I thought I made my opinion of him pretty clear. Tears prick my eyes again as I turn to tell him to leave, but instead, I take in his lean frame. His expression is filled with concern and worry. In one motion, I throw myself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. I remind myself that just a few hours ago, he mattered to me.

  “I’m so sorry,” he whispers lightly into my hair, his hand running over the back of my head.

  “My brother,” is all that comes out from between my lips.

  Liam gently pushes me back, so he can examine me at arm’s length. “What about your brother?” he asks, his brows furrowed with confusion.

  “He’s dying.”

  His face then fills with another emotion—pity.

  We walk to the couch, and he sits, guiding me to lay my head in his lap. He pulls a blanket over me as I sob, soaking his khaki pants with my tears. Caressing my hair, he whispers what small pieces of reassurance he can find for a situation he knows little about.

  I’m not only crying for myself. I am crying for my parents, for Julie, and for her parents. I am crying for June and for the way she will respond when I have to reveal everything about my brother. I dread telling her that the guy she has been falling for is now lying in a hospital bed.

  As my thoughts run in circles, my eyes begin to feel heavy from crying until everything fades to an uneasy shade of gray.

  Friday

  Caroline is acting so weird. I have only seen her cry a handful of times. Most of them had to do with snags in designer clothes or mean professors. This time, her crying was different though. It was heartbreaking. I wish I could do something for her, but she has been pushing me away more and more. Maybe she’s homesick. I should call her mom and see if her parents could come for a visit. I resolve to find a solution after I get home this evening, but for now, I’ll spend a little time hanging out with my brother.

  “Hey, Liam.”

  “June, where is Caroline?” he asks, looking past me.

  “On her way home.” Liam turns his attention back to me. “Apparently, she has had a rough week at work. I haven’t seen her this upset in a long time. I think something else might be bothering her, but I just can’t put my finger on what it could be.”

  “She was upset? Did she mention what she was upset about?”

  “I just told you that she said it had to do with work. Why?”

  “No reason. Listen, I need to get going. I have a lot on my schedule tomorrow, and I should get home. Have a good time, sis.”

  With that and a pat on my back, he heads toward the door with long strides.

  I stay and dance for a little bit, but I’m not enjoying myself. I don’t know anyone here, and my mind keeps drifting back to Cohen. Why can’t he just freaking call me? If he wasn’t interested in me, then he should have just left me alone when he came back to town. And if he is interested, he has a really funny way of showing it. Then, there was the way he acted at the meeting earlier this week. Maybe this guy has way too much baggage for me. After about thirty minutes of upbeat music and depressing inner dialogue, I decide to head home and see if Caroline is ready to talk a little bit more.

  The drive home is ridiculous. Traffic is horrible, and I’m left alone with my thoughts. Instead of dwelling on Cohen again, I decide to turn up some music, roll my windows down, and sing at the top of my lungs. After getting a few laughs from other drivers, I decide it’s best to dial back my singing.

  When I finally pull into my assigned parking spot, I notice that someone has parked in our visitor spot. It looks like my brother’s car, but I know it couldn’t be him. He’s never said anything about knowing anyone in our apartment complex. Some idiot must have parked in the wrong spot. I swear that people have no respect for rules.

  When I get to the door, I slip my key in the lock, but as I turn it, I realize it’s already unlocked. That’s strange. Caroline is normally a stickler about safety. Ever since some pervert tried to crawl in her window when we were in college, she has always made sure that all windows and doors are locked. When we moved in, she even wanted to put sensors on all the entry points.

  When I step into the living room, my mouth almost hits the floor as I take in the view of my brother with C
aroline in his lap. She appears to be asleep, and he brings a finger up to his lips, signaling for me to be quiet. I watch as he picks Caroline up, cradling her in his arms. He carries her down the hallway into her room.

  My feet are stuck to the floor as I try and process the scene I just witnessed. A minute or two later, the light in her room is turned off. My brother closes Caroline’s bedroom door and walks back through the hallway toward me.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” I whisper.

  He looks down. “Listen, don’t get upset. We should have told you before, but we agreed to wait a little while before we let people know.”

  “What are you talking about? You and Caroline are not…” I trail off, realizing that the guy from work Caroline has been dating is actually my brother. “Liam, what did you do? Did you hurt her? I swear to you, Liam, if you hurt her, I will kill you.”

  “I didn’t mean to. She saw me with my coworkers at the bar tonight, and she thought that I was dating one or both of them. She was crying in the restroom because of me. When you told me she was upset, I had to come and see why, but when I got here, she wouldn’t even listen to me,” he says, his face full of sadness.

  “Then, why are you here? I’ve never seen her in such a deep sleep. Did you drug her or something?”

  “God, June! No, I didn’t drug her. I’m your brother. Remember me? You act like you don’t know me, like I’m some guy off the street. I was sitting outside the door, waiting for you to get home, so I could explain everything to you and see if you would talk to her for me. Then, I thought I heard her crying, so I knocked on the door to check on her. She opened it and then turned around before seeing who it was. When she let me in, she must have thought it was you. After she realized it was me, she started crying again and said something about her brother dying. Do you know anything about that?”

  “What did she say? Oh my god. Do you know what happened?”

  “All she said was, ‘He’s dying.’ I don’t know anything else, but I think she needs to go home. When she wakes up, can you let her know that I’ll get her a ticket to leave early in the afternoon tomorrow?”

  “Sure. See if you can get me a ticket, too.”

  “Alright. I’m going to head out. I’ll talk to you both tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Liam?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you really like her? I mean, are you and Caroline serious?”

  Liam’s face transforms into a grin I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. It’s a soft smile and sincere in every way.

  “I hope so. She’s perfect, June. She broke my heart when she told me to go away tonight. I was trying to find the best time to tell you about us, but I was scared you would convince her that I wasn’t worth it.”

  I smile up at him. “I don’t think you understand my relationship with Caroline. She rarely listens to me, especially when it comes to men. Honestly, I would have been just as concerned that she’d drop you on your ass as I would about you leaving her high and dry. Maybe the two of you are meant to be.

  “Thanks, June Bug. Good night.”

  After my brother leaves, I lock the door, get ready for bed, and sink down against my headboard. What have I been missing over the past week? I was so caught up in my time with Cohen that I didn’t even notice my best friend was dating my own brother. It would explain how easily they seemed to get along at dinner last weekend.

  When did Caroline find out that her brother is dying? Have I really been that horrible of a friend? Instead of worrying about myself, I decide to place all my focus on my best friend over the next few days. She’s going to need someone to help her through this. I’ll have to find a way to forget about Cohen.

  Sunday

  When I was ten years old, I got a trampoline. My first thought wasn’t about how it would impact my life. I thought about the special tricks I could learn, like bouncing my friends higher than any sane adult would allow. The moment I ripped through that wrapping paper, I was ecstatic as I stared at the picture of three happy kids jumping with their limbs flailing through the air. The box was gigantic, but I found a way to hug that box with more emotion than any other hug I had ever given.

  Of course, my dad had to put it together right away. We sat in the backyard with metal pieces and tools surrounding us. The large round fabric was spread out, obscuring the grass from the sun.

  Two weeks later, when I was happily jumping up and down, the unimaginable happened. One moment, I was free as a bird, flying through the air, and then falling, bending the fabric toward the ground. As I took my next flight, I could have never predicted what occurred next. When my feet left the trampoline, I raised my hands out from my sides with a huge grin across my face. While my body was in the air, I glanced toward the front of the empty house next door, and suddenly, my world changed.

  A petite young girl with blonde hair flowing around her shoulders slid off the seat of a moving van. She was smiling and laughing as she ran up the sidewalk. My body descended, but my heart was still floating above. Then, it came crashing down moments after my eyes lost sight of her.

  My young mind had no words for the emotion that planted its seed that day. I should have known then that I would fall in love with Julie Franklin. Instead, with everything in my being, I fought against loving her for the next three years.

  On my thirteenth birthday, I decided to have a party at my house rather than a lame bowling or miniature golf get-together. My dad, being a friendly guy, decided to invite Julie since she lived next door.

  “Dad, seriously? I don’t want her to come.”

  “Could you try and be a little friendlier, son? Mr. Franklin has been really helpful to me on several occasions. It wouldn’t hurt you to have his daughter come over and enjoy some cake.”

  “She probably won’t know anyone here. We don’t have the same friends.”

  “She’s a nice girl, and her parents are always kind. It’s only for one day.”

  “It’s supposed to be my day.”

  “I know, son, and having Julie here won’t take away from that.”

  As he walked away, I knew I had no further say in the matter.

  Being around Julie made me nervous. It felt the same as when a teacher would call on me in class, and I wouldn’t know the answer to the question. I didn’t like that feeling. I had no clue what I would say to Julie or if I could even look at her, so I decided that I would avoid her at all costs. When my friends started to arrive, I tried to forget about Julie.

  My party went off without a hitch, and Julie didn’t show up. Thank God! It was basically like any other day at my house, except we had cake, presents, and a few extra people.

  After the party, I was lying on my trampoline, throwing a baseball in the air. When I felt the trampoline give on my left side, I glanced over through pieces of my long hair, and I saw Julie smiling shyly at me. I sat up quickly as she slid an unwrapped gift box toward me.

  “Hey,” is all she said.

  “Hey.” I nodded.

  A minute or two went by as we awkwardly looked at each other. It was just an awkward stare.

  “Happy birthday,” she finally said.

  “Uh, thanks.”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your party.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “Well, open it.” She motioned to the box.

  “Oh yeah. Okay.”

  I opened the box and found a cupcake decorated to look like a baseball.

  “I made it for you.” She looked down at her hands fidgeting in her lap.

  “Wow. Thanks, Julie.” Without thinking, I placed my hand over hers, not knowing what had possessed me to touch her.

  “Do you want to come in for dinner? My dad’s ordering pizza since it’s my birthday.”

  Julie came in for dinner that day and then practically every day after.

  A few weeks later, Julie’s parents invited my dad and me over for dinner. They were beginning to miss having her at home.

  When I
turned sixteen, I was sure Julie was it for me. I never left her side, and she was always there for me. We had the picture-perfect high school sweetheart story.

  On graduation day, I proposed to Julie with a simple gold band. It wasn’t much since I bought it with the money I had saved from my part-time job. Our parents thought we were too young to get married, but we wouldn’t listen to anyone. We chose colleges in the same town and knew that we could handle leaving home as long as we had each other.

  We got married two weeks before starting college in Seattle, which was eleven hours away from our families. When we informed our parents that we would be moving, they all decided to up and move with us. Although it might seem very strange, Julie was an only child, so her parents couldn’t stand the thought of being that far away from her. My dad didn’t mind moving back, especially since it meant he would get to see more of Caroline. Everything just worked out. Her parents and my dad were even able to find homes just down the street from one another.

  Julie went to culinary school. After just two years, she opened a bakery shop, specializing in cupcakes. Her mom helped her out in the shop a few days a week, and both my parents were frequent customers. Julie loved running her own shop, and she was passionate about making baked goods to complete someone’s special occasion. No day was complete unless I found her covered in flour.

  College took me an extra year because my dreams kept changing, but Julie never complained. She was always supportive of my dreams. Even when I had to request extra student loans, she just joked about how a few extra cupcakes could pay the bill. After I graduated and attained my dream job, we started to make plans for a family.

  Then, things changed. Everything was destroyed. I never thought my feelings for Julie could be swayed. Of course, if our path hadn’t veered, I would still be in love with her, still longing for the life we planned together.

  Some days, the guilt overwhelms me. As I’m lying in this dark hospital room, staring up at the ceiling tiles while listening to the beeping sounds from the medical equipment, I wonder what I will say to Julie.