CHAPTER FIVE LUCY
CHAPTER FIVE
LUCY
“You did great today, Lucy,” Tucker says, smiling brightly at me as he tucks his hands into the front pockets of his slacks. “I know it’s a lot to take in and remember, but you’ll get the hang of it.”
I smile back at him, nodding. “Thanks! It’s a lot, but these will help,” I say, giving the folder in my hand a little shake.
I’ve been here since eight o’clock this morning and I am dog-tired. The exhaustion I’ve been feeling on a regular basis lately has already been kicking my ass and today has been a whirlwind introduction to the athletic training department for the Hillford Ice Hawks.
Tucker’s been stuffing notes and cheat sheets he’s made into this blue folder all day long. I feel like I’m back in school again, needing to head back to my place for an intense study session. I know I’ll get a better hang of things once I get some hands-on experience.
“Don’t worry, Lucy. You’ll still be training for at least a month, and we won’t leave you to handle anything alone until you feel completely comfortable.”
His words ease the worry that was trembling inside. I’ve always enjoyed new adventures and new chapters in life, although this one is a bit intimidating.
I may have spent the last few years learning how to be an athletic trainer, but finally applying the information I’ve crammed into my brain? Yeah, it’s a bit different.
Tucker heads into his separate office and I head over to my cubby along the far wall to grab my things.
I slip the folder into my bag and sling it over my shoulder when a note flutters through the air and onto the floor.
My eyebrows knit together as I pick it up, seeing familiar handwriting scratched into the blue sticky note.
Meet me at Diane’s when you’re done.
I’ll be in our booth.
-Theo
A smile lifts the corners of my lips. There’s a small drawing of a goose with a flower hanging out of its beak. Theo and I’ve been passing notes since we were kids. He accidentally called me Goosey one day and then started drawing the little doodle on all the notes he left me.
I’ll never forget the day he gave me my first note.
I chuckle at the memory of where it all started, when our third-grade teacher was sick of our shit and tried to keep us apart.
Theo and I were so excited to be in the same class, we couldn’t keep our mouths shut.
First, she separated us and put us at different tables.
That worked for one lesson and then Theo was whisper-yelling across the room to me. Mrs. Whitmore put us both on opposite sides of the room, as far apart as she could have us without putting us in different classes.
That’s when Theo started with little notes. He started to leave them in my cubby and eventually we progressed to passing them from one side of the room to the other. Ever since, he’s had a habit of leaving notes in places for me to find.
I slide the note into my folder for safekeeping, so I can put it in the shoebox in the bottom of my closet when I get home.
I pop my head into Tucker’s office and bid him farewell before heading out to the parking lot for my car.
The players cleared out an hour or two ago and most of the staff have already gone home for the evening.
I climb into my sedan, toss my bag into the passenger seat and make my way out of the gated lot and down the street toward the diner.
It’s only a few blocks away and takes me less than five minutes to drive there. Theo’s car is parked out front with empty spots on either side of it. I pull into the one to the left and put it in park, killing the engine and fishing my wallet from my bag before heading inside.
The smell of hamburgers and French fries wraps around me like a cloak of nostalgia as I step through the doors.
There’s no one at the register to seat me, but that’s okay because I know exactly where I’m going.
Past the vintage jukebox and the dining counter with plastic covered stools, on the very opposite side of the space, in the booth farthest from the door, I know that’s where he’ll be.
Theo and I have been coming here since we could drive.
It was the place we would meet when neither of us wanted to be home.
I’ve cried into plenty of milkshakes over boys I had crushes on who didn’t like me back and Theo consumed massive amounts of French fries to sober up when we were too young to be drinking.
Theo’s head is bowed, his dark hair hidden beneath a backwards baseball cap and he doesn’t see me as I quietly walk in his direction. His left forearm rests against the table, caging in his sketchpad and his right hand moves in sweeping motions, sketching something onto the paper with a pencil.
My footsteps slow as I get closer and I’m two feet away when he lifts his head. It’s as if he senses me near him. His brows lift, his eyes softening when they meet mine.
“Luce,” he says my name like a sigh of relief. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I smile and slide into the booth across from him. “What are you working on?”
He gives me a sheepish grin and shrugs. “You know, some space shit.” He slides the sketchbook over to me to see.
My eyes roam over the drawing. He’s always been fascinated with outer space, but this is different. It’s a sketch of the moon with someone tumbling from one of the craters, falling through space.
My eyebrows knit together. I’m not sure what it means, but the message I get from it sends a shiver down my spine. The person doesn’t look frightened… just helpless.
My gaze lifts to his. “Are you okay? This one’s kind of dark.”
Theo’s an emotionally intelligent guy, although he has a habit of burying things inside at times.
Theo works his jaw for a second, his eyes growing distant. “Yeah, yeah,” he says dismissively. “It’s just a drawing. I’m good.”
The smile on his lips isn’t enough to convince me. I don’t believe him. Something’s bothering him and it normally comes out in his art.
He doesn’t give me a chance to press harder. “I went ahead and ordered.” His eyes flick down to my stomach that’s hidden by the table before he looks up at me again. “I can get a menu if you want something different.”
Theo and I are creatures of habit. We always get the same thing. He gets a cheeseburger and fries, and I get a BLT with extra bacon and soup.
“No, that’s okay.” I think he means in case my eating habits have changed with being pregnant.
Warmth spreads through my chest as his words sink in.
Theo’s always so considerate and always so attentive to my needs.
A knot forms in the pit of my stomach, chasing the tenderness of the moment away as another realization hits me again.
I’m pregnant.
It’s been coming in waves. It’s like one moment I forget about it and the next, I’m spiraling because of it.
“If you change your mind, let me know,” he says after a beat, nodding his head, recovering from whatever was troubling him before I arrived. He relaxes back in his seat. “So, your first day. How was it?”
“It was good. I really enjoyed it. Tucker was super helpful and very nice.”
“Good.” He smiles. “He’s a good guy. I didn’t have any doubts, but wanted to make sure it went well.”
Our server interrupts, setting down two glasses of water, a glass of chocolate milk for Theo and then follows with our food. “Can I get either of you anything else?”
I look at Theo, smirking as I glance at his chocolate milk and then back to our server. “We’re great, thanks.”
She smiles, nods and heads to the next table. Theo pins me with his gaze, narrowing his eyes. “You got a problem with my chocolate milk, Freckles?”
“Nope.” I chuckle, plucking a fry from his plate. He doesn’t stop me. “You’re so ritualistic.”
“With some things.” He lifts the top bun off, squeezes a generous amount of ketchup onto the top of the patty and flips the bun back onto it. His green eyes shimmer under the fluorescent lighting above. “But I also just know what I like.”
Something about that simple sentence has the butterflies in my stomach fluttering. Whenever he looks at me like this, like I’m the only one in the room, it does things to me… things I can’t entertain. Theo and I promised we’d always be friends and nothing would ever change that or come between us.
I’m not his type, anyway. I’ve seen the photos of the women he goes out with. They’re always flawless, blonde bombshells. Everything I’m not.
“How have you been feeling today?” Theo asks, breaking through my thoughts after he chews and swallows a bite of his burger.
I reach for my water, taking a sip in an attempt to ignore the way my heart pounds a bit harder. “About the same. No matter how much sleep I get, I’m still so exhausted all the time.”
Concern washes over his face. “Is that normal? Have you had any other symptoms?”
“I think it’s normal.” I laugh softly. “And other than being an emotional wreck lately, I haven’t had anything else that I’ve noticed.”
“When do you see your doctor?”
My stomach immediately sinks. “I have an appointment this Friday.”
It’s something I’ve been trying to keep out of my mind. I can’t spiral or obsess over it. Seeing the doctor and getting the official confirmation will make this whole situation real.
“Do you have anyone to go with you?”
His question catches me off guard. “What?”
He shrugs, a small smile pulling on his lips. “I didn’t know if Elena or anyone was going with you so you’re not alone.”
Warmth spreads across my chest. Theo’s eyes are free of judgment as he stares back at me. “I didn’t ask her,” I admit.
I hadn’t asked anyone, mainly because no one knows but Elena and Theo. And the last thing I want to do is bother either of them with my problems.
“I have an early practice on Friday. I can go with you,” he says after a moment, his voice gentle. “If you want,” he adds with a sheepish grin.
“You don’t have to do that.”
The inside corners of his eyebrows draw inward. “I want to, Luce.” His expression relaxes and his eyes never leave mine. “I told you I’m not going to let you do this alone. If you want me there, I’m there.”
My heart flutters inside my chest and I smile back at my best friend. If there’s one person I know I can always count on, it’s him. The steady constant in my life, even when miles and time separated us, Theo Simmons has always been there for me.
He’s my person.
Relief and comfort wrap around me like a warm embrace. “I’d like that.”
“Good. I’ll come by after practice and take you.”
My muscles relax and the warmth lingers in my chest. “What would I do without you?”
A tender smile spreads across his lips and something undetectable shimmers in his eyes. “That’s something you’ll never have to worry about. I’ll always be here.”
My smile mirrors his. “So will I.”
The friendship we have—we promised we’d never let anything ruin that.
And I’d be lying if I said there are times I wish we wouldn’t have made that promise. Theo’s here for me, he always has been, but sometimes I wish we could have been more.
Sometimes I wish he would have wanted more.