Page 41 of What Comes After

We didn’t see each other every day. We didn’t even talk every week.

He might have communicated over the phone with me every few months, but it had been a very long time since he’d come home.

When it came to Mary, I just didn’t think she understood the dynamics of his life right now. Her son was a young guy, living the life he did, and he likely had a bevy of women at his disposal. She thought he didn’t have any companionship, but he probably had more than he knew what to do with.

And since I loved Mary, no matter how hard it was for me to talk about it, I couldn’t just ignore her. So, I did my best to ease her concerns.

“Did you just see that picture I showed you that he sent to me?” I asked her. When she nodded, I continued, “He’s happy, Mary. He’s got friends. And even if he’s not seriously dating anyone, I don’t think he’s starved for affection.”

She cocked an eyebrow and sent a look my way that indicated she wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of her son having random hookups. It pained me just as much, but we both had to be realistic.

“I know it’s probably not what you want to hear. I get it. But he’s a young guy, living a glamorous life, and he’s surrounded by beautiful women.”

“That’s just all the stuff on the surface,” she retorted. “None of that matters when it all boils down.”

I knew that. Of course, I did.

But I wasn’t the one she needed to convince of that.

And if I was being honest, I couldn’t say I thought Theo felt that way, either. Unfortunately, it was just as I told her. He was living the life. A life that neither of us would ever truly understand or comprehend.

Wanting to ease her worries about her son’s mindset, I thought it was best to give her all the good I could muster up.

“If and when he’s ready for something meaningful with someone, I’m sure he’ll easily be able to make it happen,” I assured her. “He’s handsome and kind and talented and so very wonderful. You raised an exceptional man, Mary. When the time comes that he’s ready, I have no doubt he’ll have his pick of the litter.”

Her eyes got wet before she rasped, “I just hope he picks the right one.”

Thankfully, I didn’t need to respond to that, because our server returned with our lunches. And at that point, we moved away from the subject of Theo’s love life. I was grateful for the reprieve, eager to discuss anything else.

Afterward, we went back to her house and had cake.

And later that night, when I finally crawled into my bed, I pulled out my phone and sent a response to Theo.

Devyn

I hope it went well today. I can’t wait to see you in the next film.

Part of me wanted to be more honest than that and tell him I couldn’t wait to see him in person.

But I didn’t.

I’d been on a very unlucky streak, as it was. There was no need to make myself feel worse than I already did.

The next several years proved that I wasn’t done being unlucky. In fact, I’d yet to experience the worst of it.

NINE

Theo

Present Day

Heart racing. Gut twisting. Chest aching.

There wasn’t a single part of my body that hadn’t been affected. It had been a couple of hours since my mom called to tell me about Devyn, and I could confidently say I’d never felt so terrorized and traumatized in my entire life.

Every bone in my body was filled with dread. Fear.

And the words she’d said to me were on repeat in my mind.

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