Page 60 of The Tape Job
But as I look into the apartment, I spot Vicky standing at her bedroom door, eyes wide.
“See, nothing to worry about, Vic. You can go back to bed now,” Ryan says as he walks past.
After she slips into her room, I follow Ryan into the living area.
“What’s up?” he sits on the sofa, and I sit next to him. I’m trying to think fast, but luckily, I spot a realtor’s booklet on the coffee table, so I ask him what the latest is with the house buying venture.
“You’ve come here to ask me about real estate? It’s—” He checks the time on his phone.
“Okay, I didn’t.” I change direction, thinking about Johnny. “Any thoughts on what’s going on with Johnny?” I must not be making any sense. But he goes along with it.
“What do you mean? Did something happen at dinner?”
“Nah, forget about dinner. That was a fucking shit show though, but Johnny’s acting… weird. I think he’s seeing someone but doesn’t want any of us finding out.”
“Nah, Johnny wouldn’t have reason to do that, would he?”
I fill him in on the evening, and then giving him my best Johnny impression, forgetting myself in the moment andneglecting to leave out the bit where he told me to keep away from Vicky.
“The thing is with Johnny, he likes to be in control,” Ryan says, as if he’s reading my mind.
No shit, Ryan. Johnny’s been our best friend for a long time. This is not breaking news.
“He’s right though. All this back and forth with Vicky—it needs to stop. You’re setting yourself up for another heartbreak. It’s not healthy.”
Whose side is he on?
He frowns, taking in my expression. “Lee, I hate to say it, but give this some thought. The first time you broke up was hell, and the second time you didn’t even mention it. But look what the outcome of that was, and now? If she does it again, what will happen? I can’t predict the outcome, but I know it won’t be good. Step away briefly, then assess if a friendship is possible. It sucks seeing you like this, bud.”
The more Johnny and Ryan keep on at me to leave Vicky alone, the more I want to do the opposite.
“How about you start dating or something? I think Jen has a few single—”
“No,” I say, cutting him off. “Let me deal with it. I don’t want anyone fucking setting me up. Talk about something else.”
My snappy tone has the effect I want because he clears his throat and circles back to talking about his plans for a house flip and a place he and Jen went to view. I let Ryan discuss it for a few moments longer, then I tell him I’m ready to head out.
“I’m just going to grab a water,” I say, slipping into the kitchen. This is when I spot Vicky’s keys. I make a split decision and grab the Boston U hockey keyring—closing my hand around it, feeling the plastic dig into my palm.
I say my goodbyes and leave, except, I don’t actually leave. I loiter in the hallway while I wait for Ryan to go to bed.
Chapter 16
Vicky
I spent my first month of college making out with Liam a lot. It was our first taste of living together, even though we weren’t officially living together. He lived off campus in a house share with three other guys from the hockey team. My dorm room was merely a storage space for my extra clothes and belongings. I spent every single night with Liam. We were making up for lost time. We were inseparable.
I enjoyed my classes, and I enjoyed the routine we’d gotten ourselves into. My favourite thing, however, was watching Liam play hockey. It brought forth nostalgic thoughts, yet allowed me to live in the present, and I felt like me again.
I remember the first of his hockey games which I attended in my freshman year. As soon as the final buzzer sounded, I made my way to the dressing rooms as pre-agreed with Liam. And as I stood outside waiting for him, I couldn’t help but feel out of place. As a newcomer, I received contemptuous looks from some sophomore girls.
“Who are you waiting for?” one girl had asked me. I hadn’t seen her around campus before, but she was clearly a veteran in dressing room loitering. I was wearing Liam’s away sweater, and I caught her studying the sleeve. “Liam Preston?” I recall her jaw dropping—literally. “How did you get that jersey?”
Before I could answer, Liam cut through the crowd and dropped his gear, the dull thud catching the attention of people surrounding us. He pulled me into his arms and lifted me into the air, spinning me around. It felt like we had the tunnel all to ourselves.
It was the start of college life for us, and we were completely consumed by each other as we went about our days. He’d even get up for morning practice or dryland before coming back to bed, pulling me into him and spooning me until we absolutely had to go to class.
Things were perfect. He was perfect. We were perfect.
