Page 33 of Harvest Moon (Riverbend 3)

Gavin had been true to his word, calling every day and texting in between. He seemed to have settled in on campus, and between football and classes, he had a heavy load. Still, he made time for her. Maybe she’d been wrong about them. Maybe they had what it took to survive these four years apart.

As the second weekend approached she anticipated his visit. She couldn’t wait to show him around campus and take him to the football game on Saturday night. She wanted to introduce her handful of friends to him—she was so proud of him.

But when he called the Wednesday night before his visit, she heard a foreboding tone in his voice. Maybe he’d gotten a poor grade on his English paper or had a setback on the team. “Is something wrong? You seem upset.”

“Football hasn’t been going very well. The coach isn’t too happy with us.”

She sagged against the pillows at her headboard. “Well, it’s a bye week, right? You have all next week to prepare for your next game.”

“That’s just it. Coach doesn’t think it’s enough.” The silence weighted the air. “He called for practice over the weekend, Laurel.”

Her stomach sank like an anchor. “But... you can’t come to see me?”

“I’m sorry. I’m disappointed too. I’ve been looking forward to this.”

Her eyes stung with tears. The expectation of seeing him again was all that had gotten her through these two weeks. She’d been clinging to it like a life preserver. But maybe there was another way...

“What if I came there?” She really shouldn’t spend her money on gas. Her part-time job on campus only paid minimum wage, and textbooks were expensive. “I could leave at four tomorrow, after my last class.”

“Hon... I have a seven-o’clock study group that goes till ten, and I need it to get through my English exam. Then I have practice all day Saturday, and we’re watching game tape on Sunday. We’d hardly get to spend any time together.”

Study group? Did he really need that? Or was there something else behind his reluctance? Maybe he didn’t miss her as badly as she missed him. Maybe he didn’t love her as much as she loved him. The thought made her chest feel hollow and achy.

Not only would she not get to see him this weekend, but his next bye week was months away. She swallowed against the knot in her throat.

“Laurel? You there?”

“I’m here.” She worked hard to keep the devastation from her voice.

“I’m really sorry, baby. We’ll just have to plan something else.”

“Your next break isn’t until Thanksgiving.”

“I don’t know what to say. We’ll just have to make do with FaceTime and phone calls. Time will go by fast, you’ll see. I’m sure you’re as busy as I am.”

It sounded as if he was perfectly content to wait until Thanksgiving. The thought tugged at the knot in her throat. “Of course. Time will fly by.”

Time did not fly by.

August dragged into September, and the deeper they got into the school year, the less Laurel heard from Gavin. At first it was just a missed call here and there when their schedules conflicted. Soon the calls came every other day, and the texts were fewer and further between. She knew football and classwork kept him busy but couldn’t knock the feeling that he wasn’t pining away for her. Laurel poured herself into her schoolwork. She asked for extra hours at her campus job.

By the time October rolled around, the calls were coming only a couple of times a week and they were growing shorter. He sounded rushed and happy and always off to something else.

Though Gavin rarely got on social media, Laurel saw pictures in which he was tagged. He smiled from group shots when hewas eating out or messing around on campus. He was obviously popular and well liked.

She couldn’t deny her fears any longer. He’d already begun moving on without her. Sure, he still finished each phone call with “love you,” but he said it so casually. Habitually. He was on his own for the first time. He was changing. And his feelings were probably changing too. They were growing apart, just as she’d feared.

These feelings swirled around for the better part of a month. She didn’t talk about them with anyone. Her mom, who’d begun dating someone early in the summer, had somehow put aside her distrust of men and seemed optimistic about a relationship for the first time in Laurel’s entire life. But even so, Laurel was sure if she confided in her, she’d hear the usual negative comments—and those were already filling her brain.

Mallory had her own struggles. Shortly after graduation her mom had moved to Chicago, leaving her to figure out her own housing. She moved into an apartment in Riverbend and worked her way up to assistant manager at the Iron Skillet. She was overwhelmed with real-life problems.

And Laurel knew better than to whine to Sarah about her relationship. Her roommate thought high school relationships were a waste of time. She was all about being free as a bird in college—and Laurel was starting to understand why. Her worry over Gavin was distracting her from schoolwork, and waiting for the other shoe to drop was making her miserable.

When Gavin FaceTimed her on a random Thursday in early November, Laurel had a bad feeling. He knew her schedule, of course, but they always arranged video calls in advance. As it happened she was in her dorm, studying alone. The sight of his name on the screen made her heart flutter with nerves.

She sat up on the bed, accepted the call, and tried for a smile as she propped the phone on a pillow. “Hey. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you.”

He was sitting at the desk in his dorm, his Braves poster visible right over his shoulder. “What are you up to?”

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