Page 64 of Trick Play

“But love. Love is the total opposite. You never know when or where it will happen. It’s random. Then all of a sudden in one moment, it’s crystal clear. All that matters is that person and how you feel, and you don’t care about what comes next because you're happy now.” I lowered the camera and stepped back. “But the background is blurry because you never know where it’s going. You don’t know the end. Not for sure. You can hope for the best, or a long relationship, but it doesn’t always happen. You don’t see the end when you’re in the moment.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “You’re right.”

He didn’t say anything else as we continued down to the Clemente Bridge. At the first cluster of locks, I began taking pictures, making sure to only keep them in focus. But when I stood, I realized Ethan was almost to the other end.

He bent his knee, lowering himself to another grouping of locks, and took pictures with the digital camera.

Was this idea too simple? Could we convey what we were thinking enough for Professor Clements to understand? Would he think we took an easy out? Art was supposed to explain itself while allowing for interpretation. I had to hope we did our job well enough to get the As we both needed.

I waited for Ethan to finish and make his way back. “Lunch?”

He grinned. “Sure. Primanti Bros?”

“Yes, please!”

This was easy. Familiar.

I should have been fighting to put walls back up between us, but we said truce. We were just two classmates working on an assignment. If this was Dustin or Mya, would I have felt strange about making causal conversation and getting lunch together? Of course not.

So, I’d get over this as well.

“Hold on,” he blurted and disappeared into a store before I had a chance to ask what he was doing.

I stood on the sidewalk and checked my map app to make sure we were heading in the right direction. When I put my phone away, Ethan appeared again with his hand behind his back. He slowly brought it around with two cups stacked on top of each other.

“I know it’s not that long of a walk, but I figured you might need to warm up.”

I took the top cup from him and smelled the rich dark chocolate and peppermint. He remembered. Of course, he did.

“Thanks.” I offered a small grin before taking a test sip. It was a little too hot, so I took off the lid and held it under my nose to keep me warm while it cooled.

“I remembered how hard it was to find dark chocolate, but I saw the sign in the window”—he pointed behind him to the poster I’d completely missed— “and thought you’d appreciate it.”

“I do.” I didn’t want to. I didn’t want this to mean so much to me. It was a drink. Just a stupid detail he hadn’t forgotten. I remembered he liked white chocolate whenever it was available. “Did you get white?”

His grin widened. “Yes.”

See. I knew his order. No big deal.

“Does your mom still send you bags of the mix from that little shop on the corner of Franklin Avenue?”

I nearly dropped my cup. Okay, that was a step further. “Yeah, she shipped a few bags in November then gives me more when I go home for Christmas.”

He chuckled, and we continued walking along. I couldn’t believe that. That was a place I only ever went with my mom. We didn’t have memories there. I only mentioned her shipping me some once, back in freshman year. Right before things ended.

“Are you heading home for Thanksgiving?” I asked, needing to change the subject to safer ground.

“I didn’t want to, with practice and everything, but Haley wants to go and confront my parents, so I’m going for moral support.”

I cringed and looked up at him. “Are you ready for that?”

“Honestly? No. I’m perfectly fine ignoring it. At this point, Haley and I are adults with our own lives. What our parents do is their choice. They kept it together as much as they could while we were home, and that’s more than most people can say.”

“You’re not worried about their health?”

He took a sip and stared down the road. “If I thought anything Haley or I said would change their minds, then I’d do everything in my power to convince them, but I don’t think they’d listen. They’re so stubborn and selfish, and at this point, I’m pretty sure they’re trying to spite the other. I think they’d both be happier apart, but their marriage isn’t my business.”

Huh. That was a really mature attitude to have, but it made me mad. They were his parents. If they weren’t willing to fight for themselves, he should help them realize what they did have. He shouldn’t let his mom waste her life away, numbing herself with medication while his dad did who knew what, or who, while drinking himself to death.