Missing Pieces - Chapter 24
Tyler
Tuesday
I pulled my phone out of my pocket. There were a dozen missed phone calls and two voicemails. I clicked on the first one.
"Mr. Stevens, this is Officer Daugherty from the NYPD. We haven't heard back from you regarding our case. We will be issuing a warrant for your arrest if you don't return to New York for..."
I pulled the phone away from my ear and pressed the delete button. Apparently blocking one number from the NYPD didn't block all of them. I blocked this number too. I wasn't going back to New York. Nothing could make me go back there.
I leaned against the brick wall of the repair shop and stared out at the barren street ahead of me as I pressed on the other voicemail.
"Sweetie, it's your mother. I just...I wanted to apologize about the other night." She cleared her throat. "Would you please give me a call? I love you."
The voicemail beeped, signaling the end of the message. I pressed on my mom's name in my phone and put it back to my ear. It only rang once before she answered.
"Hi, sweetie. How is your road trip going?"
The fake optimism in her voice didn't fool me at all. But I was going to let her pretend that everything was okay. I didn't need to second guess my decision. It was too late for that anyway. "It's good. I stopped at Josh's."
"In Texas? You're making good progress."
"Mhm."
"How is he doing? I haven't seen him since you two graduated."
"He's doing great. His business really took off." He offered me a job that I would have accepted in a heartbeat a few days ago.
"So, just a few more days now?"
I looked down at my shoes. "Yeah, Mom."
"You know, I was wondering, are you going to be able to call me during basic training?"
"I really don't know."
"Okay."
"I'll call you whenever I can, though. Don't worry about that."
"I know, sweetie." There was an awkward silence. "Are you driving safely?" She always asked me that whenever I went anywhere. Even if it was only a few miles away. And I wasn't about to tell her I had gotten in an accident yesterday. She'd freak out.
"Of course."
"Good. I worry about you, you know."
I nodded, as if she could see me. She was the only person in the world who worried about me. She was all I had. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too." There was another awkward pause. "I'm sorry, but are you sure this is what you want? It just seems like you made this decision without really even thinking it through. It's not like you. I thought you loved your job. I thought..."
"Mom, we've already talked about this. It's done." There was a lump forming in my throat.
"But..."
"It's only for three years."
"Three years is a long time."
I knew that better than anyone. "I'm going to be okay."
"Just be careful. Promise me you'll be careful?"
I looked back out at the nothingness in front of me.
Someone cleared their throat from beside me. I turned to see the owner of the repair shop holding up a clipboard, trying to get my attention.
"I have to go. I'll call you again soon, okay?"
"Promise me, Tyler."
Instead of responding, I pulled the phone away from my ear and pressed the call end button. I wasn't going to make a promise I couldn't keep.
"We're all set," the man said. He looked down at the clipboard. "It took a little longer than we expected. It's going to be $750 for the repairs and labor."
"That's fine." I followed him back into the building. I wasn't going to haggle with him over a price. The only thing that mattered was that Hailey and I were both okay.
***
The voices I had heard when I opened the front door were suddenly hushed. I walked into the kitchen where I had originally heard them talking. Hailey and Josh both looked over at me. I'd have to be an idiot to think they hadn't just been talking about me.
"What's up, guys?" I said.
"Just telling Hailey your life story," Josh said with a smile.
I laughed it off. I wasn't that interesting. "You all set, Hailey?"
"Yeah." She didn't make eye contact with me at all. "Let me just go grab my stuff." She excused herself from the kitchen.
"Seriously, what were you two talking about?" I said and sat down next to Josh.
"She was asking why you were still hung up on Penny."
I found that interesting. I thought she wanted nothing to do with me. But now she was asking questions about me? "What did you tell her?"
"I said you liked Penny because she was unavailable and you just needed a distraction when you met her."
"That wasn't why." Fuck, was that why?
"Whatever you say, man." Josh placed his coffee cup down on the counter. "I think you two still have a lot to talk about."
"I don't think she's really that interested in talking to me anymore."
"Don't worry, I handled it."
I laughed. "Handled it? What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means I created a mystery for her. Now she's dying to talk to you again."
"What mystery?"
"I dropped the bomb about your accident. And how much you lost."
I shook my head. "That's not exactly a story that fixes the fact that she hates me. I doubt she cares anyway."
"Oh no, she definitely took the bait. You owe me one."
"I don't want her pity." Josh had always been good at playing the game. But I didn't want to play Hailey. Really, I just needed to keep it in my pants and drop her off in Pasadena and forget. Trying to make it more than that was just going to hurt both of us.
"Take what you can get, man," he said and clapped me on the back. "Anything else you need before you head out?"
"No, I'm good. Thanks for letting us crash here."
"Well, there is one thing you can do for me."
I laughed. "I didn't say I owed you one."
"But I say you do. I just fixed your relationship with Hailey plus I didn't let you sleep on the street last night. And I didn't get upset about you banging Melissa."
"Yeah, maybe I do owe you one. Or a few."
Josh smiled. "Then come work for me when you get out. It'll be just like old times."
"I might just take you up on that."
"Take him up on what?" Hailey said as she walked into the room.
"I was just offering your friend a job," Josh said.
"Oh?" She glanced at me and then immediately looked away.
"Well, thanks for letting us stay here, Josh.
I really appreciate it." She gave him what I thought was a pretty awkward hug.
Maybe she was regretting being all over him last night at dinner.
Thinking about it again made me feel sick to my stomach.
"Don't mention it," Josh said. "It was great meeting you."
"You too." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You ready?" she said to me without really looking at me.
"Yeah. It was great seeing you, Josh." I gave him a much less awkward hug.
"How about you don't wait over a year to talk to me next time?" he said as we all walked toward the door.
"I won't. Maybe I'll come visit you again soon too," I said. And I meant it. Out of everyone I know, Josh lived closest to the base.
"I'm holding you to that!" he yelled after me.
Hailey and I were both silent as we got into the car.
I was pretty sure that's how it was going to be the rest of the way to Pasadena.
As long as I didn't look at her. Because whenever I did that, I just wanted to rip all her clothes off again.
I started the ignition and waved goodbye to Josh.
In three years, I probably would take him up on his offer. Hopefully I'd make it till then.
"I'm sorry about last night," Hailey said as soon as I pulled onto the road.
I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. "You don't have anything to apologize for."
"No, I do."
What the hell had Josh actually said to her? She seemed so calm and understanding today. I was the one that owed her an apology, not the other way around.
"I overreacted. You guys were just talking. And honestly, you're right. We are just friends."
Just friends. I shook my head. "Friends don't usually sleep together."
"Yeah, well, friends with benefits. Whatever you want to call it." She waved her arm dismissively. "And I'm sorry I flirted with Josh. I wanted to make you jealous and I don't know...I regret it is what I'm trying to say. I'm sorry."
"It's not a big deal. I get it. I shouldn't have talked about you like that. Especially when it's not even true."
She laughed. "You don't think I'm good in bed?"
"Oh no, I meant that." I smiled.
She laughed again.
"It was more than just physical for me, is what I meant."