We ride the rest of the way in silence. When we pull up to my building, Theo puts the car in park and turns to face me.
“Exhibition game is in two weeks,” he says, letting the subject drop. “Coach wants you on the roster if your knee keeps progressing.”
“It will.”
“Good. We need you out there.” He claps me on the shoulder. “Think about what I said, yeah? Don't be a stubborn asshole just because it's easier than admitting you might be wrong.”
“Thanks for the ride.”
“Anytime.”
I climb out of the SUV and head into the building. All I want is to collapse on my couch and not think about anything for the next twelve hours. I'm pulling my keys from my pocket when the other elevator dings.
The doors slide open, and Natalie steps out, arms full of grocery bags. She stops dead when she sees me.
We stand there in the hallway, five feet apart, neither of us speaking. Her eyes are red-rimmed like she's been crying, and there are dark circles underneath them that weren't there a week ago. She looks exhausted.
I did that. I made her look like that.
The realization twists in my gut, but I shove it down. She brought this on herself.
“Ethan.” Her voice is low like she’s not sure she wants to speak.
I give her a curt nod and turn away, jamming my key into the lock. I'm through the door before she can say anything else, shutting it firmly behind me.
My phone rings almost immediately. I pull it out and see Mom on the screen. Perfect timing. “Hey, Mom.”
“Ethan, your father has been pacing all afternoon, waiting to hear how training went. How was it? How's the knee? Tell me everything.”
“It was great. Knee held up perfectly. The guys are pumped for the season.”
“That's wonderful, sweetheart.” A pause. “You don't sound pumped. What's wrong? Is everything okay with Natalie?”
My hand tightens on the phone. “That's over.”
“What do you mean, it's over?”
“I mean, it's over. We're done, and I don't want to talk about it.”
“Oh, Ethan,” she says in a voice heavy with disappointment. “She's such a wonderful girl. What happened? Did you do something stupid?”
“Mom.”
“I'm serious. That woman flew across the country to be with you when your father was in the hospital. She fit right into this family like she'd always been here. If you let someone like that slip through your fingers because of your stubbornness?—”
“I said I don't want to talk about it,” I repeated through clenched teeth.
She sighs. “Fine. But think about what you're throwing away. Girls like Natalie don't come along every day.”
“I have to go, Mom. I'll call you later.”
I end the call and toss the phone onto the couch. The apartment is quiet, empty, and lonely. I sink onto the cushions and press the heels of my hands against my eyes.
Theo's words echo in my head.Don't lose someone special because you're judging her based on shit other people did to you.
Is that what I did? Had I been waiting for Natalie to make one mistake so I could push her away before she could hurt me worse?
I think about her character. Her warmth and patience during my darkest moments. The way she believed in me whenI couldn't believe in myself. She flew to Wisconsin without hesitation because she didn't want me to be alone.
