Page 22 of When Midnight Strikes
19
Danny
With my heart sinking, I climb into my bed, still fully clothed after leaving Cole’s apartment. I should have told him, and I planned to, but I was waiting for the right moment. But the right moment would have had to be the moment I first found out. I didn’t know if I would get this far with him. I didn’t think he would want me the way he did today, not for who I really am, but he did, and I ruined it.
I run my hand through my hair before throwing my body back on the mattress. I stare up at the ceiling as if it’s going to give me some kind of answers on how to fix this mess I caused between Cole and me. I was just scared. Cole saw me for who I really was and not for the person I pretended to be, and I wanted to keep it that way.
I squeeze my eyes shut while sinking the back of my head into the comfort of my soft sheets. My phone makes a buzzing sound from what sounds like an incoming text message. I grab my phone off the nightstand with my heart pounding in my chest. Instead of seeing Cole’s name on the screen like I had hoped I would, Patrick’s name is there causing a lump to form in my throat. What does he want? I guess ignoring his calls didn’t work like I hoped it would. I open the message, and my eyes go wide to the words that appear on the screen.
Patrick:Hey, so I hadn’t heard back from you, but I’m in town tonight. I wanted to see if you would be available tomorrow to meet for coffee. The meeting I’m here for doesn’t start until Monday, so I have the whole weekend free, and I would really like to see you.
Me:Patrick, why are you messaging me after all this time? I don’t know if you remember the last conversation when you drunk-called me a year ago, but I don’t live in Sweet Grass anymore. I moved.
Patrick:I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, and a lot of it has involved you and me.
Me:There is no you and me Patrick, not anymore. There hasn’t been for years. Now stop texting me.
Patrick:I know you don’t live in Sweet Grass anymore. I talked to your mom last time I was in town visiting my parents. I went to see you, and she told me you moved to Maplehelm. I happen to have clients here, so I saw it as the perfect opportunity to catch up.
Me:Wait, you’re here in Maplehelm? Like right now?
Patrick:Yes, I’m at this small hotel in town.
Me:Fine, we can meet at the coffee shop down the road from my place. I’ll message you the address, but we are just meeting for a quick coffee, and that is it. I have moved on, Patrick. You should too.
Patrick:Perfect, see you tomorrow. I can’t wait.
If only the feeling was mutual. I don’t say anything in response other than texting him the address to the coffee shop. I have nothing left to say to him, and I doubt he has anything new to say to me. It’s better to just meet with him now and be done with it.
* * *
The next morningcomes faster than I want it to, and I don’t bother trying to dress nicely for my hang-out with Patrick. I make sure to leave every scar and flaw visible as a reminder of what had him running away from me years ago. Will he be able to face them now, or is he just hoping he can find some way around it?
I park on the side of the street across from the coffee shop, spotting Patrick standing in front of the entrance searching around for me. When his eyes land on me getting out of my car, he waves me over to where he is. I pull off my sunglasses and fold them over my visor before exiting the car to head his way. His smile is warm and welcoming, more than it was when he walked away from me.
He opens the door to let me walk ahead of him, and I move toward the barista to order my usual lemon dream tea latte. He orders a plain black coffee and shoves my card away when I pull it out to hand it to the barista. “It’s on me. Did you have breakfast yet? If not, I spotted a cute little diner further down that we could grab some food at afterward.”
I shake my head. “Just a quick coffee, remember? That’s what we agreed on, Patrick. Besides, I have plans.”
I don’t anymore, but he doesn’t need to know that. I had plans, but that all got shot to hell when I managed to run Cole off last night. Cole has the first part of today free before he has to show clients a few houses, and I had said yes to going to breakfast with him, hoping it would be breakfast shared in bed.
Patrick brings me back to reality when he shuffles his feet around against the wood floor. “I know. I was just hoping maybe… you know, never mind. Let’s go grab a table.”
I nod. “How about that one in the back?” I suggest before grabbing my tea. He grabs his coffee and follows me to the small table by the far back window. We both sit at the same time. I bring my tea to my lips and close my eyes as I breathe in the sweet lemon scent, making me forget for a minute why I’m here. Patrick shuffles around in his seat before placing his hand on the table near mine.
I wince at how close it is to touching mine, and I’m sure he did that on purpose. I pull my hand back and place it on my lap. “So, Patrick. What exactly was it you wanted to talk about?”
He clears his throat. “I just really wanted to see you. You look good, you know. Are you doing good? This place seems to suit you.”
I take another sip of my tea. “Yeah, I’m doing fine. I like it here and fit in better here. This place has really become my home over the years. Are you doing good?”
His smile falls. “No. I mean, depends on what you mean by doing good. I’ve got a great job, a great apartment, and great friends and all that jazz, but something is missing.”
“Sounds like you are doing good for yourself. Whatever it is you think you’re missing, I doubt it’s here in this town.”
He glances at his coffee cup and then back at me. “That’s just it—I think it is here. I think that thing missing is someone I made the mistake of letting go years ago. I think the thing missing in my life is you.”
I suddenly see red. This guy can’t be serious. Something just isn’t adding up here. Why now? Am I really supposed to believe he grew into this different person? I could never trust him again, and the feelings I once had for him vanished the moment he walked away from me because being with me after the accident was too hard for him. Being with me became too difficult, and he couldn’t do it anymore. What if being with me becomes too hard again?
I reach for my tea, and his hand lands on mine. “Please, Danny. Just hear me out, okay?”
What else is there I need to hear? He has been speaking complete bullshit this whole time, and I am quite done with this conversation. His eyes move from me to something behind me. When I turn to look, I spot Cole standing there with a look of fury. Instead of saying anything, he turns around and storms out of the coffee shop, making my heart jump into my throat when I realize Patrick’s hand is still on mine. Horror fills me at the thought of Cole mistaking this situation with Patrick for something more than it really was.
I yank my hand away before standing up. “Look, Patrick, like I said before, I have moved on and so should you. You can’t just come here and wreck my life again. Don’t call or text me anymore. If you really do still care for me like you say you do, then just do me the favor of leaving me alone and move on.”
He opens his mouth to speak but then closes it again before nodding. I push my chair in and grab my cup before heading out the door in hopes I can fix this thing with Cole. I have to fix it. I don’t have any feelings left for Patrick because they have all been for one person and one person only, and that person now hates me.
