24
DORNAN
Everything is falling apart.
Elias's mom is in a coma. Celine is reeling from the circulation of a video she didn't even know existed, and Travis has been dragged out of the country by a toxic ex. I'm the only one currently not dealing with a crisis, but I feel frustratingly helpless as a result.
I battle through a boring class, knowing that Celine and Elias are at the police station, reporting their separate issues together. Celine decided that she should leave Marie out of it for now.
It's hard to concentrate because my brain wants to anticipate every possible outcome. I'm just thankful that I haven't seen Eddie yet. The rage I feel towards that fleck of dick cheese is unlike anything I've ever felt before. Watching Celine with him on the video destroyed me, not because I'm jealous but because he never deserved to touch a hair on her head, let alone take pleasure in her body.
I text Travis to let him know what's happening. Halfway through, Professor Letterman asks me a question and I have no idea what he's talking about. I really need to keep my mind on my work, but with so much drama circulating, it's hard to care about things that won't matter in a year.
When I finally escape into the fresh air, I continue the message to Travis, then decide to call him while I walk back to my room. He answers on the second ring.
"Dornan. How are you, man?"
"How are you, more importantly?"
He huffs out a long breath, rasping like static in my ear. "Fucked, Dornan. I'm fucked."
"What's going on?"
"Lina's a complete nightmare. She's vomiting all the time and then raging at how this baby is ruining her life…and then she blames me for ruining her life because, of course, I got her pregnant on purpose."
"Fuck, Trav, that's hardcore."
"Tell me about it. I met a few friends from my old company last night just to get out of the house."
"Doesn't she still work there?"
"Yeah. Andrea, who works for her, tried convincing me to return to the US."
"How come?"
"She said she overheard Lina telling someone that the baby's father doesn't want to have anything to do with her."
"When was this?"
"The day before she came to tell me about the pregnancy."
"Fuck." I shake my head, narrowly avoiding a girl holding a stack of books and running in the opposite direction. "So, that can't have been you?"
"I guess she might have said I didn't want anything to do with her."
"Did she say it that way, or did she say it as though he knew about the baby?"
He pauses, thinking. "She said she thought he knew about the baby."
"Travis. What the fuck are you still doing there? She's using you, man. She got dumped by the father of the child, and now she's using you as a stand-in. Just come back."
"I can't," he says, his voice turning quiet.
"What's the name of the guy she cheated with?"
"Why?"
"You can try to find him. That way, you'll know for sure. If Lina told him first, he must be the father, and you'll be free to come home."
"Maybe." He sounds defeated. "How's Celine?"
Travis doesn't know about Eddie and the video. We've kept it from him so far, but maybe now's the time to let him know. Celine's distress could be enough to tip the balance.
"She's been better, Trav." I explain to him what happened and he's furious with Eddie. "We were in the hospital yesterday with Elias's…his mom is sick…and I think that has taken her focus off what Eddie did."
"She's sick?"
"It's bigger than that, but it's Elias's story."
Travis makes an understanding grunt. "I feel terrible being here when there is so much shit going down."
"Don't worry about it. Celine just wants you to come back. We all do."
Travis is silent for a few seconds, which feels much longer as the rasp of the international line fills the silence. The wind whips around me, tugging at the hood of my sweatshirt and rustling the trees so that they sway in heaving arcs.
"I'll try to find him," Travis says eventually. "It's the only way I'm going to feel okay to leave." He clears his throat. "Well, I'll still be thinking about the kid. I mean, whether it's mine or not, Lina is so fucked up. That baby deserves better."
"It does," I agree, "but it isn't something you'll have any power to do anything about other than maybe suggesting the actual father takes his responsibilities seriously."
"Yeah. Good idea."
"Let me know how it goes."
"And you will let me know how Celine and Elias are?"
"I will."
We hang up just as Ellie appears through the doors to the building I'm passing. "Dornan." She sounds out of breath.
I hug her as I always do, feeling a deep sense of relief to be in her presence. We've been friends for so long, she's become part of me.
"How's Celine? She hasn't returned any of my calls."
"She's with Elias reporting what Eddie did. She's going to call when she's done."
Ellie swipes her hair back from her face. Her cheeks are pink from rushing, and she has something white on the shoulder of her jacket that she probably doesn't know about—toddler mess! "Thank goodness. I was worried she might refuse. I know she likes to handle her own shit."
"Yeah, well, there's no way of handling this that doesn't involve the law or violence. I wasn't about to let her do anything that would jeopardize her future."
"I've been hoping to run into that filthy jizz sock all day so I can give him a piece of my mind."
"Jesus," I laugh, "If you do, you should definitely call him that."
"I will." Ellie grins and rummages around in her purse, pulling out a water bottle. She downs what's left in three big glugs.
"Hey…slow down."
She smiles as she stuffs the empty bottle back. "I still find it weird to be by myself and not have Noah needing me every second. I'm used to doing everything super-fast before he has a chance to demand my attention again."
"Time to slow down. I need to get around to see that little guy."
"Not so little anymore," she smiles, pulling out her phone to show me the latest cute toddler pic.
"So, I just spoke to Travis. I think there's a chance he might come back. I really hope he does."
"You do?" Her eyebrow quirks high and she peers at me with her dark eyes that always make me feel like I have to tell her everything. It's her superpower.
"I do."
"Does that mean there's something serious going on between you guys? I mean, when Celine came up with her revenge games idea, I thought it was doomed to end in disaster."
"Your relationship started with seven minutes in heaven. That's a game"
"It did. So is it heaven for you guys?"
I raise my eyes skyward, finding soft white clouds passing overhead. It's hard to know what to say when I haven't processed the idea myself. "It's good," I admit. "Better than I imagined, and not just because I have a thing for Celine."
"You've always had a thing for Celine," she corrects. We haven't discussed it, but her woman's intuition identified it anyway.
Shrugging, I continue. "It's having friends who care for the same woman, knowing that we're a group against the world, not just a couple. There's something really supportive about it."
"And you have that with Elias?"
"Yeah, and Travis."
"Travis, I can see. He's easygoing, but Elias is a hot head."
"He really isn't. I used to think the same, but now… he's a decent guy. A solid person. He's good for Celine, and he's loyal to the rest of us in a way I don't think he expected of himself."
"I always thought of Elias as a lone wolf."
"I think he always thought of himself that way. Funny how circumstances can throw everything up in the air so it falls differently."
"And what about the rest of them? Do you think they feel the same way?"
"I don't know," I admit. "Maybe it seems too crazy for them."
"Well, they know us, and they know Gab. Does it look that crazy from the outside?"
"Surprisingly not."
"Then maybe there's a chance?"
I shift my feet, allowing myself to imagine a time when I could call Celine my girl and keep Travis and Elias in our lives.
"Maybe," I say. "If the universe gives us all a moment between the drama, it keeps tossing in our direction."
She crosses her fingers and holds them high. "Tell Celine I told her to call me when she can and come over soon. The boys would love to see you."
We hug again and I watch my friend disappear into the crowd. She's found her place in the world. I'm still working on finding mine.
Am I close? Only time will tell, I guess.
Or maybe now's the time to put everything on the line.