Reunited

He had finally been released from the hospital. In his opinion, one day in that place was more than enough.

“You just want to go home?” Taylor asked from the driver’s seat. “Or do you want to go visit Lindsay?”

“You know what?” Jordan looked to his left. “Let’s go visit Lindsay.” Maybe I can convince her that I am telling the truth.”

Taylor nodded and turned right. “Hopefully I can help. You two are great together.”

“Uh, thanks man,” Jordan said. He couldn’t help but notice how awkward the statement sounded coming from his teammate. “Do you think we can stop at the florists? It might be helpful if I bring her a gift.”

His friend nodded and turned left before turning right into the parking lot of the local floral shop. The pair got out of the car and made their way into the boutique.

“Can I help you?” A young brunette asked. “Oh, hey, Jordan. Taylor.” She smiled at the two boys. “Here to get Lindsay something?”

Jordan nodded, slightly embarrassed. “That was the plan.” He walked over to the nearest display as Taylor talked to the woman. He looked through the flowers and bouquets. “What about this one?” He asked, pointing to a bundle of colourful flowers. The magentas and oranges captured his attention. He knew they were perfect.

The florist walked over to him and looked at the flowers he was pointing at. “She will love them.” She picked up the best looking bouquet and led the boys to the cash register.

Jordan quickly paid for his gift and thanked the girl.

“I’ll see you tonight,” Taylor said, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

“Ok. Good luck, Jordan.”

Jordan held the flowers as Taylor made the short drive to Lindsay’s apartment black. “This is a good idea, right?”

Taylor could tell his friend was nervous. “This is a great idea, Jordan. Now, man up and get in there.”

Jordan nodded and led the way to the door. He punched the buttons corresponding with Lindsay’s apartment number. He almost hoped she wouldn’t answer.

“Hello?” Her voice was clear through the machine. It sounded sweeter than Jordan had ever remembered.

“Hey, Lindsay. It’s Taylor.” He sent Jordan a smile, telling him to relax.

“Oh, hey! Come on up.”

The door buzzed, letting them know they could enter. They climbed the stairs to the third floor and knocked on the third door to their right. Within seconds the door opened, revealing a dark haired man with bright green eyes. “Hello!” He seemed overly happy to see the two boys. “How are you?”

His question caught Jordan off guard. Who was this man? “Fine, thanks. Is Lindsay around?”

“Sure, come on in. I’ll grab her.” The mysterious man left the door open and walked down the hall.

“Who is that?” Jordan asked, as the boys entered the apartment. They made their way to the living room and sat on the couch that Jordan was all too familiar with. He had spent many nights sleeping on it before he had gathered enough courage to ask Lindsay out.

“I have no idea,” Taylor replied, shaking his head. “Maybe it’s her brother.”

“She doesn’t have a brother,” Jordan informed him. He glanced around the small room, noticing that the pictures she had of him were no longer set up. He felt a sickly feeling in his stomach as brain began to process the idea that she had moved on. “I’ve got to go,” he mumbled before heading to the door.

“Where are you going?” Taylor asked, standing from his place on the couch.

“I just need some fresh air,” Jordan told him. He reached for the door knob and turned it.

“Jordan?”

He turned around slowly at the sound of the female voice.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to talk to you,” Jordan mumbled. He lamely held the bouquet in front of him. “These are for you.”

“Oh, thank-you.” She offered him a smile and took the package from his hands. “Are you leaving?”

“I was going to,” Jordan admitted, looking to the floor.

Lindsay nodded. “Look, Jordan. I’m sorry about what happened last week. It’s just that you kept it a secret for so long that I assumed something happened. I’ve talked to Taylor and Sam. They both said that what you told me was true.”

“You believe them, but you won’t believe me?” Jordan asked. He could feel his veins pump blood through his body.

“How can I not believe them?” Lindsay asked. “Sam is my cousin and Taylor has been my friend for years.”

“And I’m your boyfriend!” Jordan exclaimed. “I thought that meant something, but I guess not.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Taylor move. “I can’t believe that, after two and a half years together, you don’t trust me.”

Lindsay’s light blue eyes were brimmed with tears. “I’m sorry, Jordan.” Her voice was quiet.

Jordan stayed silent, trying to keep himself composed. He looked over at Taylor, who was standing at the window, pretending not to be paying attention. “You can go home if you want.”

Taylor turned around and studied his friend. “Are you sure?”

Jordan nodded. “I’ll walk home. It will be good for me.”

Taylor sent him a nod before walking over to Lindsay. He gave her a hug and whispered something in her ear. She gave him a sad smile as he pulled away from her. “Give me a call if you want a ride.” He patted Jordan on the shoulder and left the apartment.

Lindsay and Jordan stood in silence. They did their best not to look at each other.

“Who is he?” Jordan asked, breaking the silence.

“Who?” Lindsay cocked her head to the side.

“The guy who opened the door.”

“Oh, Adam?” Lindsay glanced behind her, down the hallway. “He’s my neighbour. He just moved in across the hall on Thursday.”

Jordan nodded. “Look, I should go. I’ll call you tomorrow so we can talk.”

“If this is about Adam being here, I can kick him out,” Lindsay offered.

Jordan shook his head. “I think I need to clear my head. I’ll call you later.” He could feel her eyes on him as he left the apartment. He quickly made his way down the stairs and out into the fresh air. Turning right he started his walk home. Fortunately for him, he didn’t live very far away. The doctor had told him to take it easy and not do too much exercise for a few days. He figured that walking the few blocks home would be considered little exercise compared to what he was used to.

He heard his phone ring as he walked past a corner store. Pulling it out of his pocket, he looked at the caller id. The small white letters formed his girlfriend’s name. He hit the red button, ignoring the call. The last thing he needed was to get angry with her. It was bad enough that she had had a man over when he came to talk to her; he really didn’t need to fight with her about it.

As he walked, his thoughts returned to his time in the hospital. He couldn’t ignore Taylor’s voice telling him to call the red-head from the club. Something inside of him told him it was the right thing to do, but another part of him told him that he would be stupid to call her. It didn’t help that this girl was the reason that he had gotten into a fight with Lindsay.

Shaking his head, he shook the thoughts from his mind. He stopped and looked around at his surroundings. There was a small park across the street, indicating that he had walked a block too far. Instead of turning around to go home, he crossed the street and entered the park. He walked to the nearest park bench and sat down. He pulled his phone from his pocket for a second time. This time, he scrolled through his contacts. He stopped at Taylor’s name; his thumb threatened to hit the call button. Instead Jordan hit the red button. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled a matchbook from it. He slowly opened it and looked at the numbers scrawled across the flap. Those ten numbers taunted him. He pressed the keys on his phone, leaving several seconds between each number. Once all ten digits were entered, his thumb hovered above the green button, once again threatening to touch down. This time, he hit the call button. Jordan raised the phone to his ear and listened as the phone sent a ringing sound into his ear. After four rings, he was ready to end the call. He was about to pull the phone away from his ear when the ringing stopped. The background noise made him believe that the person receiving his call was somewhere in public.

He was about to ask if anyone was there when a sweet voice came through the phone. “Hello?”