I Tripped and Fell in Love

It has been a month since the night Carmen and I slept together and a month since I’ve seen her. The morning after we slept together she went back to her childhood home, claiming she needed to spend some quality time with her parents. She did this from time to time, went home to see her parents, but usually it was over the weekend or when I had a long road trip. Not the week before off season, especially when she was supposed to go home with me this time around.

I looked around the living room and realized how quite it was here without Carmen's music playing in the background or her singing. I sighed and looked at my phone, praying for it to ring and that it would be Carmen on the other end. That it would be her telling me she would be home after dinner. I loved talking to her on the phone, even when she would put me on hold for the longest time while she took a shower because she was too lazy to call me back.

There was a knock at my door and slowly made my way to answer it, hoping it would be Carmen. But it wasn’t, it was Jordan and Marc-Andre standing there with worried looks on their faces.

"Dude, you look like shit." Jordan said, stepping into my apartment.

I grimaced. "Thanks. What can I do for you two?" I asked, shutting the door.

"You've been moping around ever since Carmen went home. What's up mon ami?" Marc-Andre asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I sighed and looked at two of my best friends on the team. I could trust them. "We slept together." I said, quietly.

Jordan smirked at me. "I'm sorry, what? It sounded like you just said that you slept with Carmen." He looked at Marc-Andre. "Did I hear him right, Flower?" He asked.

Marc nodded. “When did this happen?

"The night of the award event.” He said quietly. “She left the next day though, ran out of here like a bat out Hell."

"Did you tell her how you felt?" Jordan asked quietly. It was no secret to the guys that I had feelings for Carmen, it was just her that was clueless. Until last night, I would have thought that sleeping together would show her that I had feelings for her. I looked at my friends and nodded my head slightly.

Right before me, Jordan and Flower shared a look and I knew that look. They knew something and it wasn't going to be good news for me. "What do you know?"

Jordan scratched the back of his neck. "We saw Carmen the other night at Diesel with that Justin guy she's been on and off with. Things were looking pretty cozy between them too."

"I also over heard him ask her to move in with him." Marc said, almost reluctantly.

That was the breaking point for me, I lost her, even thought I never had her. She was with Justin and it broke my heart. I got up off the couch and went to my room without a word to my friends. I pulled my suitcase out of the closet and began packing. I needed to get away from here right now. I needed time alone. After my suitcase was packed, I took it to my Range Rover and threw it in the trunk.

"Sidney, what are you doing?" Jordan asked, following me outside.

"I'm leaving. I'm going home early. I'm going to drive." I ran a hand through my hair. "I need time to think."

Marc-Andre joined the two of us outside and he looked at me with sad eyes. He knew I was hurting. "Just be careful and call or text one of us to let us know you got there safely." He said.

"Thanks guys and I'm sorry for running out like this. Like some baby, but I just need time."

"Understandable, she broke your heart." Jordan said softly.” Like Flower said, just be careful.".

"Thanks guys. Have great summers and tell your families I said hello."

They agreed and I climbed into my car. Before starting it though, I pulled my phone out and pressed speed dial number three. It rang three times before I heard her soft recorded voice. I felt my throat tighten up before clearing it.

"Hey Car, it's Sid. Listen I'm just calling to tell you that I'm leaving for Cole Harbour sooner than I planned. So if you go back to the apartment and I'm not there, that's where I am. Um, yeah so I guess I'll see you when I get back for training camp? Call me some time, okay? I miss talking to you. Have a great summer." By the end of the message I was fighting to keep my emotions in check. I threw the phone in the cup holder and made for the highway. Home here I come.