“Come with me, Abby. Please. I need you there.”
Abby looked into his eyes, pleading with her to let go of the facts and let him live his dream. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t stand the thought of losing him.
“No,” she said finally. “You’re a grown man. If you choose this, then we’re through.”
“Just like that? You’re going to throw everything away because I won’t walk away from hockey? Who’s pig-headed now, Abby?”
“I care about you. Can’t you see that? I can’t just let you die.”
“I’m not going to die. Dammit, Abby. You’re not hearing me. I have a plan.”
“Your plan can’t compete with reality.”
“You know what? I can’t do this right now, Abby. I have to go. We’ll talk tomorrow. I love you.”
He leaned down to kiss her again, but she turned away.
“Fine, Abby. Be that way. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“If you’re still alive tomorrow,” Abby countered.
“Don’t be dramatic.”
“Why not? If you can be a complete idiot, I’m entitled to my drama.”
“Whatever, I’m out.”
“Leave. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”
Trevor opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it and grabbed his bag. He stormed out of her apartment and slammed the door. The apartment shook and the sound echoed long after he was gone.
Abby’s face crumpled. Just like that it was over. She couldn’t be with a man that would take such careless risks with his life. She couldn’t watch him destroy himself for a game.
Abby showered and dressed quickly. She had nowhere to go, but she couldn’t stay in bed, naked and smelling of him and their love-making. The sooner she washed Trevor Miles out of her memories the better.
He would only break her heart.
Still damp from the shower, she ripped the sheets off the bed and marched to the washing machine. The urge to throw them away was strong, but they were her favorite sheets and she wasn’t irrational. If she threw them out because they reminded her of Trevor, she might as well burn her entire apartment to the ground.
And that wasn’t going to help anyone.
She dumped a heaping cup of soap into the wash and slammed the lid. She was so angry she wanted to scream.
What was he thinking? Didn’t he realize that he was her entire world and she didn’t want to live without him?
He said he loved her, but she didn’t see how that could be. How could you love someone and still choose a game over a long life with them? Abby didn’t know, but she doubted that Trevor did either. He was going after what he loved without worrying about the consequences.
Abby straightened up the apartment, cleaning up the dirty dishes they’d left and making sure that everything was where it belonged. She threw away any evidence of Trevor in her life, dropping it into the trash and tying up the bag. She placed the bag in the dumpster and took one more turn around her apartment.
Everything was back to normal and as it should be. Tomorrow, she would go to work as usual and forget that Trevor had ever been a part of her life.
It was settled.
So why was she still so angry?
*****
Abby paced the floor, her anger overwhelming her.
“What the hell is he thinking?” she said out loud to the empty apartment. “Maybe he wants to die.”
She was so angry. They had a good thing, and he was willing to just give it up for a stupid game. Hot tears threatened, but Abby pushed them back. If Trevor Miles wanted to end his own life doing something stupid and pointless, that was his fault.
But she couldn’t let it go. She couldn’t just walk away from the greatest love she’d ever known. She had to be there. Maybe, if something happened, she could save his life. What better way to use her skills than to save the man that she loved?
Or maybe nothing would happen and he would be fine. Not every game ended in a head injury, right?
“Yeah right. Don’t be naïve, Abbryana,” she admonished herself. “Something will happen, it’s only a matter of time.”
Decision made, she packed her doctor’s bag and headed to her car. She might not be able to stop him from playing, but she didn’t have to sit back and watch him lose his life if she could stop it.
She threw the bag into her BMW X5 and slid behind the driver’s seat. She wanted to race there, but it was hockey season, which meant the city of Blaine was blanketed in snow and ice. She was racing to save a life. She couldn’t risk losing her own in the process.
Abby tried to remain calm, thankful for the SUV’s handling in the icy conditions. She eased the accelerator down, tiny snowflakes flinging themselves silently against her windshield.
She got to the rink quicker than she expected. She jumped out of the car, shoes crunching in the fresh snow. Abby’s breath crystalized in the air before her. It was freezing, and she wasn’t dressed for this. It didn’t matter, she was on a mission.
She paid for a ticket, stepping through the doors and looking at the clock. Her heart sank. It was already the third period. The game would go on until someone won, and she wouldn’t have a chance to talk Trevor out of playing if he wasn’t already injured.
She stepped carefully down the stairs of the center aisle, ignoring the whispered hisses of the people she blocked as she went.
She couldn’t see Trevor. What number had his jersey read when he was admitted to the hospital? She couldn’t remember and she kicked herself for forgetting something so important.
But, with so many white men with almost the exact build of Trevor, it was going to be impossible to pick him out of the team.
Defeated, she took her seat to watch the rest of the game, setting her doctor’s bag on her feet rather than the sticky floor.
What did people see in this experience? It was loud, the floors were sticky with eons of spilled soda and food and it was cold. So freaking cold.
Abby was miserable, but she focused on the task at hand and tried to push the rest out of her mind. Being cold was the least of her problems right now.
She watched as the puck was passed from man to man, marveling at how such hulking men could be so light on their feet. They ducked and weaved through the mass of shoving bodies, gliding along the ice as if the skates were merely an extension of their bodies.
Abby got caught up in the beauty of it. The sound of the skates cutting the ice and the clap of sticks slapping together was mesmerizing. Abby found herself enjoying the game even while she desperately searched the men, looking for Trevor. He had to be here somewhere.
A timeout was called and the crowd booed. Abby didn’t know what had happened, but it didn’t matter. The men were skating to their respective coaches, removing helmets as they went.
This was her chance to spot Trevor!
She jumped out of her seat and rushed down the stairs. Her eyes were locked on the men as they came to the railing in a line to speak with the coach.
Abby moved until she was close to where they were filing by, but she still didn’t see Trevor. Had he been taken to the hospital already? Had something happened to him on the road?
Their fight flashed through her head and Abby’s stomach knotted. Would the last thing she said to him be the last thing he heard? How would she live with herself?
“Abby. Abbryana! Over here.”
Was she hearing things?
“Abby! That’s the wrong team.”
Abby looked up and down the rink to the other team’s box. It was Trevor shouting at her from behind the bench. Abby couldn’t believe her eyes. What was he doing there?
She worked her way over, ignoring the angry words of people as she passed down the row. There was no one on the ice, she didn’t know why people were yelling at her to sit down.
Abby finally reached Trevor, surprised to see that he wore his jersey and a pair of jeans and sneakers.
“Did you get hurt?” she blurted out.
“Then why are you not on the ice?”
“I did a lot of thinking, and it turns out, you were right. I talked to the coach and he’s hiring me as his assistant. No one knows yet, but Coach is retiring at the end of the year. When he does, I’ll take his place.”
“So that’s it? You’re just giving up playing?”
The relief she felt was clear. Trevor smiled tenderly at her through the plexiglass.
“I’ll never forget what you asked me before I left.”
“‘Are you going to choose love or the game?’” Abby remembered.
“And I realized. I didn’t have to choose. I could have both.”
“You can?” Abby teased.
“I can. After all, choosing to play meant I could lose you. And a life without you, Abbryana Ferris, isn’t really a life at all.”
THE END
Bonus Story 24 of 40
Protecting Nicole
Nicole
The last thing any woman wants to do while in her boyfriend’s house is find his secret room full of things practically idolizing her mother. At first I didn’t know what to think as I stood inside the pretty large closet of posters, paintings, t-shirts, and fan collections of things relating to my mom. My eyes scanned the room several times to make sure it was all real, because goodness knows that I didn’t want it to be. I really, really didn’t want my boyfriend to have a life size cardboard cutout of my mom holding a Grammy and smiling happily at me.
“Nicole…Nicole? Where’d you disappear to?” I froze when I heard Remy’s voice and quickly backed out of the room and shut the door. He rounded the corner into the hallway and stopped when he saw me, a curious smile on his face. I used to think Remy was a great guy, handsome, great job, had his life together… But you never seem to know a person until you find a closet that is full of things making them a celebrity’s super fan. Remy pointed to the closet and that’s when I saw his smile start to disappear as nervousness crept into his eyes.
“Was that closet…unlocked?” he asked me slowly and I simply nodded and then swung open the door.
“I really need you to start explaining Remy,” I said hoarsely and he actually had the nerve to look contrite as he slowly walked towards me.
“So…I look up to your mom a little bit, but she’s an incredible woman. To be a successful singer, producer, and actress…I mean you know more than anyone that she has a pretty wide variety of fans,” he said, his light blue eyes were no longer contrite, but only slightly embarrassed that I found his shrine to my mother.
“Can you tell me right now if you only came into this relationship to try and get close to my mom?” I asked him and his expression sobered, I didn’t see outrage or incredulity in his gaze at my insinuation. I saw a flash of guilt and that was all I needed to see. “You fucking jackass. You didn’t think I would eventually find out about this? This is sick!” I yelled at him, my shock having completely dissolved at that point and anger quickly boiling into fury in my chest. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t found out about it sooner! I was equally upset with myself for falling for Remy and his obvious ploy to try and get close to his idol apparently.
“Nicole, just wait a second. Let’s calm down a little and talk about this. I really do love you,” he said pleadingly, but I saw through his crap, his ticket to the famous Ronnie James was slipping away from him and he’d probably say anything to get me to stay.
“Don’t even bother Remy, it’s over,” I said harshly and then stormed off to his room to pack whatever stuff I left at his place. I was beyond furious and more at my own stupidity, which made me feel even worse. Was I really that naïve to believe that not everyone wanted to be close to me just to get to mom? Remy had done a standup job in fooling me. I thought he was real, I thought he saw the real me and loved me…not the fact that I was Ronnie James’s daughter.
“Nicole, c’mon let’s talk about this. You’re not leaving, this isn’t over…” Remy said as he walked into the bedroom. I was emptying out my drawer and still had to get some of my toiletries from the bathroom.
“Remy I have nothing to say to you, nor will I ever. So please just let the fact that you’re an idiot and a jerk sink in. You messed up and I can’t forgive you for this, it’s over,” I said without looking at him and brushed by him with my overnight bag to get my stuff from the bathroom. Once I was all packed up I stormed out to the kitchen and grabbed my purse and car keys.
“Nicole…” Remy grabbed my arm almost forcefully as I was stepping out to the garage and I wrenched it away from him and met him face to face. “This is crazy, you’re not leaving,” he said, his eyes were wide, but strangely unbothered. He didn’t appear upset, which was…strange. “Look, I’ll give you some time and then we’ll talk about things, okay?” he said and I just shook my head at him, I wondered if he was delusional.
“No Remy, I don’t trust you, it’s over,” I said with finality and then walked away from him to get into my car and leave. As I got into my Audi and put my bags in the back seat, the garage door opened and I figured that he couldn’t be that crazy if he was letting me leave. I glanced at him one last time and found his suddenly cold and angry expression to be a bit chilling. I quickly put the car in gear and got the hell out of there.
I drove to my mom’s place in Montauk. The hour drive from Long Island gave me enough time to at least calm down. When I pulled up to the front gate of her house I remembered that I didn’t even call to make sure she was home. I used my pass card anyway and figured if she wasn’t home I’d just wait for her inside. Once I got past the gate I drove up the drive to the house and then let myself inside, I heard my mom’s loud laughter coming from the living room to the left of the foyer and I walked towards the sound of her voice.
*****
“Oh Nicole! Listen, my daughter just dropped in, I’ll call you back Em.” Mom was on the phone while standing in front of the huge floor to ceiling view of the beach behind her house. She looked the same, gorgeous as ever, even without makeup. Ronnie had light brown, café au lait, skin that was just like mine. Her hair was long and curly and hung to her mid back, whereas I wore mine straight and it was just as thick and long. She had really pretty feminine features, well formed cheekbones, not too high or too pronounced. Her nose was a graceful slope and her lips plump and full. I think the only other difference between us were my eyebrows, I had slightly thicker ones than her naturally thin and arched brows. I was really glad that I inherited her grey eyes though, I always thought that those were one of the features that made my mom memorable.
“What brings you here baby girl?” she asked me as I walked over to her and gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek. She took one close look at me and knew something was wrong. “Uh-oh, talk to me. What happened baby girl?” she asked and I sighed deeply and just shook my head.
“Boy problems…Remy is obsessed with you, so I had to dump him,” I said and at first my mom laughed a little, mostly out of disbelief. Then she saw in my gaze that I wasn’t kidding at all.
“What do you mean…obsessed?” she asked carefully and I sighed again. I was getting upset with myself all over again.
“I mean he had a life size cutout of you, and a room completely dedicated to idolizing you,” I said and my mom’s eyes widened in angered dismay.
“I can’t believe him, and you really seemed to be liking this guy too. To think I wanted to meet him soon,” she scoffed and shook her head. “I’m sorry baby, I’m sorry you have to go through stuff like this. Having to filter through everyone who wants to get close to you with a fine toothed comb,” she said apologetically and I shrugged.
“I’m used to it by now…I should be anyway. I’m more upset at myself for not seeing through his façade, and little after thought questions about you,” I sighed and my mom hugged me again and rubbed my back soothingly.
“How about we make some lunch?” she asked me and I nodded.
“That sounds good, I could use som
e distraction,” I said and she wrapped her arm around my shoulders as we walked over to the kitchen.
“You know…if he’s a super fan like you described, with like a shrine and everything, I think you need to be careful with how you handle the break up…” my mom said slowly and I looked at her curiously.
“Why do you say that?” I asked her and she tilted her head at me and lifted her eyebrows slightly.
“Well because if he’s a super fan and tried to use you to get to me, then I don’t imagine he’ll give up his only link to a person he idolizes,” she said seriously and I chewed on my bottom lip in speculation.
“I see what you’re saying…” I said and then remembered the look on Remy’s face as I was leaving. Mom went to the fridge and started getting out ingredients for loaded grilled cheese, one of my favorite dishes that she’s ever made for me. And really one of the only dishes she really knew how to make well.
“Come help me babe,” she said and I went to help her make lunch.
“How long will you be home?” I asked her and she sighed, I knew what that meant. She was getting ready to do a long stint of working away.
“Well I’ve been cast for a movie and we start shooting in the UK next month, but the date might be brought up depending on how soon funding comes through,” she said and I looked at her curiously.
“How long will you be away then?” I asked her and she actually shrugged.
“A few months, but my music agent thinks that since I’ll be in the UK, I should do a tour there for the old album before I start recording the next,” she said and I turned my attention to chopping bacon.
“So you’ll be away for a while then,” I said and she nodded.
“You know you can always visit me,” she said and I knew that was out of the question.
“Yeah I know; I just miss this you know? It seems like you’re working more and more these days,” I said and she stopped washing spinach to look at me.
“Well, you’re all grown up now, you have your own lounge and restaurant and your own life. I figure why not take up an extra tour or two?” she said and I nodded.
Two Wolves For Lizette Page 82