Storm Warning
009
The second date-- a sushi dinner followed by seeing a movie at the theater just down the street from her apartment-- had been a massive success that even ended in a little bit of making out on the sofa in her apartment after. As always, Jeff had been pretty nervous and he'd ended up causing them to bump heads. He couldn't stop apologizing but she'd just laughed it off, rubbing her forehead for a moment before grabbing his face in both hands and pulling his lips down to hers.
Losing three out of four games at home the next week puts Jeff in the exact kind of mood one would expect. Lyla hates seeing him full of disappointment each night but she doesn't mind being the one who snuggles up to him on the sofa until he feels better. They end up falling asleep together one of those times and when she wakes the next morning completely wrapped up in his arms, their legs tangled together, she realizes she's starting to like him a lot more than she originally planned.
After that, Lyla tries to put some distance between them. Things have already become more serious that she ever meant them to and she doesn't want to give him the wrong idea so she starts making herself a little more scarce. It helps that he gets ridiculously busy with game after game, traveling near constantly. He still makes the time to text her daily but she tries not to be too eager about responding, instead waiting a few hours between replies. She finds lots of new things to do in her new city, including going to yoga classes, seeing some local plays, and discovering a new favorite coffee place.
She spends a lot of time with Tessa and the boys, and even Kyle's new lady friend Zoe, who starts coming around more and more. Zoe's from England, one country that surprisingly Lyla has never visited, but she's also pretty well traveled so she and Lyla find lots to talk about. Going anywhere with this new group of friends is surprisingly lonely since she's now a fifth wheel but she's used to feeling lonely even among crowds. It's a side effect of the lifestyle.
April rolls around and thankfully Jeff is out of town for a game in Florida because she just wants to be alone on her birthday. She did the same thing last year, her first birthday without her parents, because it was the first time there wouldn't be a cake or a song sung in whatever language they were speaking at the time or a retelling of the story about the day she was born, told back and forth between her mother and father who couldn't stop interrupting each other and laughing at how ridiculous they'd acted during the whole ordeal. She'd spent her twenty-third birthday alone in Denver and she wants to do the same for her twenty-fourth in Raleigh.
Lyla sneaks out of the apartment before sunrise so that Kyle doesn't question where she's going and she spends a good portion of the early morning just walking around the city aimlessly before ducking into her new favorite coffee place for a cinnamon bun and a cappuccino. She sits there in the overstuffed dark orange armchair, her feet propped up on the matching ottoman, and she sips on the hot drink, feeling sorry for herself because there's no one in the world to wish her happy birthday. Technically, it's her own fault since she didn't tell anyone that it's today, except Jeff. But she'd told him during a back and forth rapid fire game of questions on their first date so she doesn't expect him to remember, especially with all he's got going on with hockey.
The shop begins to fill up with customers stopping in to grab a coffee on their way to work but she just keeps her position near the back corner, nibbling on her cinnamon bun and people watching. Her phone chimes from its position on the small table next to her and she picks it up, thinking it's probably Kyle having just woken up and wondering where she is. It isn't Kyle though, or Cash, or anyone she would have expected. It's a Chicago number no longer saved in her contact list but forever etched in her memory; it's him. The text is a simple happy birthday with no punctuation or personalization whatsoever but it still makes her heart hurt a little to know that as angry as he must be at her, he's still thoughtful enough to wish her a happy birthday.
She deletes the message immediately and stuffs the phone into her purse to get it completely out of her sight. Her mood sinks even lower and once she finishes off her coffee, she leaves the shop and goes walking again. It's easy to waste time in the used book store she comes across and after an hour or two of browsing shelves, she curls up in a chair in the little alcove by a big window with a book on tourism in Tuscany. With every turn of a page, she's taken back to the two years she spent in the beautiful countryside and the wave of nostalgia lasts long after she puts the book back in its spot on the shelf and walks out of the store. She stops in to look around the antique shop near her apartment before making her way over to the parking lot across the street to her car.
Driving always seems to have a way with soothing the soul. Just being out on the road with the windows down and the radio up so loud she can't hear herself think has always brought a sense of peace that she can't really explain. She doesn't have anywhere specific in mind, instead just picking a route and setting out on it until she runs out of road. The town she finds herself in is situated right on the edge of a large river that opens up into the Atlantic and she finds a small park with a cute little white gazebo overlooking the water so she parks the car nearby.
It's just past five now so she spends some time walking around the vicinity before she makes her way over to the large gazebo to plop down on the steps and watch the sunset. After the daylight of her birthday has completely faded, she dusts herself off to go back to the car, only then realizing that she'd left her bag in the passenger floorboard the whole time. Out of habit, she checks her phone and finds three text messages. The first is from Kyle asking where the hell she's been all day, the second is from Cash asking if she's coming down to the bar to watch the Canes game at 7, and the third, to her surprise, is from Jeff.
happy birthday lyla. wish i could be there to celebrate with you
The clock on her dashboard says that it's almost eight so she knows that he's on the ice now for the game but she replies anyway, figuring he'll probably see it when he checks his phone at the first intermission.
Thanks, but it's honestly not a big deal. I don't really celebrate anymore
She drops her phone into the cup holder, ignoring the other texts, and fastens her seat belt to begin the long drive back to Raleigh.
-
Kyle practically interrogated her when she finally arrived home and Cash does the same thing the entire next day. Lyla only offers the excuse that some days she just has to be by herself and, while none of them seem to understand why someone would need that, they don't question her about it anymore. Tessa and Zoe meet her at the bar in the evening while Cash and Kyle are both working but the girls don't mention her disappearance either so she assumes the boys told them not to.
Lyla doesn't look up at the sound of the door opening but a quick jab to her ribs from Tessa's elbow causes her to jump and glare at the older girl before following everyone else's line of sight to the boy standing just inside. Jeff smiles when her eyes meet his and he makes his way over to where she's sitting between Tessa and Zoe, returning hellos to the boys behind the counter. She's surprised to see him considering he never responded to her text, but it could have been because they ended up losing the game pretty bad and he just wasn't in the mood to talk.
After a quick introduction of Zoe to Jeff and vice versa, he grabs her hand and gently tugs her arm to make her stand from the bar stool she's sitting on. "Come on," he says.
"Where are we going?" she asks in return but she doesn't even try to resist, letting him lead her toward the doors. She tosses a wave back to her friends just before they step outside and once they're standing on the sidewalk, Jeff pulls his cell phone out of his pocket with his free hand to check the time.
"I'm taking you out. I missed your birthday so we have to make up for it."
"That's not necessary, really. I told you, I don't celebrate my birthday."
"Alright, fine. We won't celebrate," he shrugs before offering her another ridiculously adorable dimpled grin. "But we're still going out. Date number three, I believe?"
"If we're going out on a date, at least let me change clothes first."
"What you're wearing is fine. Remember, we're not celebrating or anything."
Lyla sighs, but a little smile creeps up onto her face as Jeff tugs on her hand again and they quickly cross the street to get to the parking lot where Jeff's shiny BMW is parked next to her Jeep. "So, what are we doing on our third date?"
"I'll tell you what we're not doing. We're not going to some fancy place to have dinner. We're not going to have a huge birthday cake. Definitely no big fancy presents or treating you special in any way at all. Sound good?"
She shakes her head at him but still can't keep the smile off her face. They finally reach his vehicle and he of course opens the passenger door for her before going around to get into the driver's seat. He glances up at her after he puts the key into the ignition. "Where do you want to eat?"
"It doesn't really matter. Take me to McDonald's."
"McDonald's? Seriously? This may not be a fancy birthday dinner, but we can do better fast food than McDonald's."
Lyla chuckles and fastens her seat belt as Jeff pulls out of their parking space and turns out of the parking lot onto the road. It's only a few minutes and a couple of stop lights before they pull into the parking lot of a small restaurant called Cook Out. It's obviously a pretty good place to eat considering how busy it is and while they're waiting in the drive thru line, Jeff gives her a brief overview of the restaurant and how it only exists in a handful of Southern states, North Carolina being one of those. Lyla of course orders the barbecue because it's North Carolina barbecue and she gets a milkshake because Jeff insists they're the best he's ever had.
There's no inside dining room and nowhere to sit outside so they head back to Lyla's apartment to eat their non-fancy, non-birthday dinner and then watch a movie. Luckily, Kyle is going to be down at the bar working til close so they have the place to themselves at least until midnight. Just before Lyla digs into her caramel fudge milkshake, Jeff stops her to fish something out of his pocket. He comes up with a single silver candle and a small cigarette lighter, plopping the candle right into the middle of her cup before lighting it and giving her a grin. She raises her brows at him questioningly but he just shrugs.
"I said no big birthday cake and I kept my promise. Now, make a wish and blow out your candle."
"I can't think of anything to wish for."
"Come on, nothing?"
Lyla looks up at him and the adorable dimpled smile on his face and the hopeful look in his eyes and she can't help thinking about what's going to happen to him when she eventually decides it's time to leave Raleigh and set off for the next place she finds on her map. It's almost painful, that sinking feeling in her chest, when she pictures the effect her absence is going to cause-- not only on him, but also on the others she's become close to already. She closes her eyes and makes her wish before quickly blowing out the candle, eager to move on to getting it out of her sight and actually eating in order to hide her true feelings. The wish is ever present in her mind as she looks across the table at Jeff, smiling contentedly as he eats his own milkshake.
I wish I could find a way not to hurt him.
Losing three out of four games at home the next week puts Jeff in the exact kind of mood one would expect. Lyla hates seeing him full of disappointment each night but she doesn't mind being the one who snuggles up to him on the sofa until he feels better. They end up falling asleep together one of those times and when she wakes the next morning completely wrapped up in his arms, their legs tangled together, she realizes she's starting to like him a lot more than she originally planned.
After that, Lyla tries to put some distance between them. Things have already become more serious that she ever meant them to and she doesn't want to give him the wrong idea so she starts making herself a little more scarce. It helps that he gets ridiculously busy with game after game, traveling near constantly. He still makes the time to text her daily but she tries not to be too eager about responding, instead waiting a few hours between replies. She finds lots of new things to do in her new city, including going to yoga classes, seeing some local plays, and discovering a new favorite coffee place.
She spends a lot of time with Tessa and the boys, and even Kyle's new lady friend Zoe, who starts coming around more and more. Zoe's from England, one country that surprisingly Lyla has never visited, but she's also pretty well traveled so she and Lyla find lots to talk about. Going anywhere with this new group of friends is surprisingly lonely since she's now a fifth wheel but she's used to feeling lonely even among crowds. It's a side effect of the lifestyle.
April rolls around and thankfully Jeff is out of town for a game in Florida because she just wants to be alone on her birthday. She did the same thing last year, her first birthday without her parents, because it was the first time there wouldn't be a cake or a song sung in whatever language they were speaking at the time or a retelling of the story about the day she was born, told back and forth between her mother and father who couldn't stop interrupting each other and laughing at how ridiculous they'd acted during the whole ordeal. She'd spent her twenty-third birthday alone in Denver and she wants to do the same for her twenty-fourth in Raleigh.
Lyla sneaks out of the apartment before sunrise so that Kyle doesn't question where she's going and she spends a good portion of the early morning just walking around the city aimlessly before ducking into her new favorite coffee place for a cinnamon bun and a cappuccino. She sits there in the overstuffed dark orange armchair, her feet propped up on the matching ottoman, and she sips on the hot drink, feeling sorry for herself because there's no one in the world to wish her happy birthday. Technically, it's her own fault since she didn't tell anyone that it's today, except Jeff. But she'd told him during a back and forth rapid fire game of questions on their first date so she doesn't expect him to remember, especially with all he's got going on with hockey.
The shop begins to fill up with customers stopping in to grab a coffee on their way to work but she just keeps her position near the back corner, nibbling on her cinnamon bun and people watching. Her phone chimes from its position on the small table next to her and she picks it up, thinking it's probably Kyle having just woken up and wondering where she is. It isn't Kyle though, or Cash, or anyone she would have expected. It's a Chicago number no longer saved in her contact list but forever etched in her memory; it's him. The text is a simple happy birthday with no punctuation or personalization whatsoever but it still makes her heart hurt a little to know that as angry as he must be at her, he's still thoughtful enough to wish her a happy birthday.
She deletes the message immediately and stuffs the phone into her purse to get it completely out of her sight. Her mood sinks even lower and once she finishes off her coffee, she leaves the shop and goes walking again. It's easy to waste time in the used book store she comes across and after an hour or two of browsing shelves, she curls up in a chair in the little alcove by a big window with a book on tourism in Tuscany. With every turn of a page, she's taken back to the two years she spent in the beautiful countryside and the wave of nostalgia lasts long after she puts the book back in its spot on the shelf and walks out of the store. She stops in to look around the antique shop near her apartment before making her way over to the parking lot across the street to her car.
Driving always seems to have a way with soothing the soul. Just being out on the road with the windows down and the radio up so loud she can't hear herself think has always brought a sense of peace that she can't really explain. She doesn't have anywhere specific in mind, instead just picking a route and setting out on it until she runs out of road. The town she finds herself in is situated right on the edge of a large river that opens up into the Atlantic and she finds a small park with a cute little white gazebo overlooking the water so she parks the car nearby.
It's just past five now so she spends some time walking around the vicinity before she makes her way over to the large gazebo to plop down on the steps and watch the sunset. After the daylight of her birthday has completely faded, she dusts herself off to go back to the car, only then realizing that she'd left her bag in the passenger floorboard the whole time. Out of habit, she checks her phone and finds three text messages. The first is from Kyle asking where the hell she's been all day, the second is from Cash asking if she's coming down to the bar to watch the Canes game at 7, and the third, to her surprise, is from Jeff.
happy birthday lyla. wish i could be there to celebrate with you
The clock on her dashboard says that it's almost eight so she knows that he's on the ice now for the game but she replies anyway, figuring he'll probably see it when he checks his phone at the first intermission.
Thanks, but it's honestly not a big deal. I don't really celebrate anymore
She drops her phone into the cup holder, ignoring the other texts, and fastens her seat belt to begin the long drive back to Raleigh.
-
Kyle practically interrogated her when she finally arrived home and Cash does the same thing the entire next day. Lyla only offers the excuse that some days she just has to be by herself and, while none of them seem to understand why someone would need that, they don't question her about it anymore. Tessa and Zoe meet her at the bar in the evening while Cash and Kyle are both working but the girls don't mention her disappearance either so she assumes the boys told them not to.
Lyla doesn't look up at the sound of the door opening but a quick jab to her ribs from Tessa's elbow causes her to jump and glare at the older girl before following everyone else's line of sight to the boy standing just inside. Jeff smiles when her eyes meet his and he makes his way over to where she's sitting between Tessa and Zoe, returning hellos to the boys behind the counter. She's surprised to see him considering he never responded to her text, but it could have been because they ended up losing the game pretty bad and he just wasn't in the mood to talk.
After a quick introduction of Zoe to Jeff and vice versa, he grabs her hand and gently tugs her arm to make her stand from the bar stool she's sitting on. "Come on," he says.
"Where are we going?" she asks in return but she doesn't even try to resist, letting him lead her toward the doors. She tosses a wave back to her friends just before they step outside and once they're standing on the sidewalk, Jeff pulls his cell phone out of his pocket with his free hand to check the time.
"I'm taking you out. I missed your birthday so we have to make up for it."
"That's not necessary, really. I told you, I don't celebrate my birthday."
"Alright, fine. We won't celebrate," he shrugs before offering her another ridiculously adorable dimpled grin. "But we're still going out. Date number three, I believe?"
"If we're going out on a date, at least let me change clothes first."
"What you're wearing is fine. Remember, we're not celebrating or anything."
Lyla sighs, but a little smile creeps up onto her face as Jeff tugs on her hand again and they quickly cross the street to get to the parking lot where Jeff's shiny BMW is parked next to her Jeep. "So, what are we doing on our third date?"
"I'll tell you what we're not doing. We're not going to some fancy place to have dinner. We're not going to have a huge birthday cake. Definitely no big fancy presents or treating you special in any way at all. Sound good?"
She shakes her head at him but still can't keep the smile off her face. They finally reach his vehicle and he of course opens the passenger door for her before going around to get into the driver's seat. He glances up at her after he puts the key into the ignition. "Where do you want to eat?"
"It doesn't really matter. Take me to McDonald's."
"McDonald's? Seriously? This may not be a fancy birthday dinner, but we can do better fast food than McDonald's."
Lyla chuckles and fastens her seat belt as Jeff pulls out of their parking space and turns out of the parking lot onto the road. It's only a few minutes and a couple of stop lights before they pull into the parking lot of a small restaurant called Cook Out. It's obviously a pretty good place to eat considering how busy it is and while they're waiting in the drive thru line, Jeff gives her a brief overview of the restaurant and how it only exists in a handful of Southern states, North Carolina being one of those. Lyla of course orders the barbecue because it's North Carolina barbecue and she gets a milkshake because Jeff insists they're the best he's ever had.
There's no inside dining room and nowhere to sit outside so they head back to Lyla's apartment to eat their non-fancy, non-birthday dinner and then watch a movie. Luckily, Kyle is going to be down at the bar working til close so they have the place to themselves at least until midnight. Just before Lyla digs into her caramel fudge milkshake, Jeff stops her to fish something out of his pocket. He comes up with a single silver candle and a small cigarette lighter, plopping the candle right into the middle of her cup before lighting it and giving her a grin. She raises her brows at him questioningly but he just shrugs.
"I said no big birthday cake and I kept my promise. Now, make a wish and blow out your candle."
"I can't think of anything to wish for."
"Come on, nothing?"
Lyla looks up at him and the adorable dimpled smile on his face and the hopeful look in his eyes and she can't help thinking about what's going to happen to him when she eventually decides it's time to leave Raleigh and set off for the next place she finds on her map. It's almost painful, that sinking feeling in her chest, when she pictures the effect her absence is going to cause-- not only on him, but also on the others she's become close to already. She closes her eyes and makes her wish before quickly blowing out the candle, eager to move on to getting it out of her sight and actually eating in order to hide her true feelings. The wish is ever present in her mind as she looks across the table at Jeff, smiling contentedly as he eats his own milkshake.
I wish I could find a way not to hurt him.
