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“We sure do.” I felt almost giddy at the prospect.
Christy made her way back to the group as my mom walked over to the younger boys and spoke to them. They were standing beside my dad, Uncle Chase, and Aunt Teagan. My family said their goodbyes and filtered out in small groups until finally, it was just Christy and me left standing beside the now empty table which was littered with plates and glasses.
“At last, it’s just you and me,” she said in a breathy voice. “How do you want to celebrate tonight? I asked my roommate to stay out of the apartment so you could come over.”
I stiffened involuntarily. It wouldn’t be the first time that she’d asked her roommate to vanish so we could be alone, and I felt suddenly guilty, but I had to get this out. I didn’t want to break up with her standing in the middle of a public restaurant, but before the following week was over, it had to be done.
“I can’t tonight.”
The hand that she’d placed on my arm fell to her side as disappointment filled her pretty face. “Why not?”
“Because my family is in town, and I haven’t seen them. Not really; not since Christmas break.”
I felt several pairs of eyes on us, but I needed to get this settled before we went outside. “But this is the last few days together. Unless you’re going to ask me to come with you to Kansas City?”
I felt agitated and impatient. Remi was waiting and I had dreaded this conversation for the past couple of months. The truth was I should have told her long before this, but maybe I hadn’t been sure. I knew that I’d be consumed with training after graduation and that was enough reason not to have her tag along and maybe she could have persuaded me, but the decision was cemented tonight when we walked into this place.
When I saw Remi standing there waiting by the table all that I wanted was for things to go back to the way they used to be between us. Well, maybe I wanted more than our friendship, but Remi would be a thousand miles away, too.
The MLS season had begun in April, and I would be joining the Kansas City Team to practice with them. So, in effect, it wasn’t really “training camp” but it was for me because Chase would be there for National Team practices, which I’d also join. The USMNT training camp didn’t begin until January, but I was determined I’d be playing games long before next season and I had to earn it.
“Look, Christy, we can talk about that later, but right now, I need to go. I gotta hang with the fam.”
“Why can’t I come along?”
I should have felt like a major prick by the lie I was about to tell, but I didn’t. “I promised my eleven-year-old cousins I’d take them swimming in the hotel pool.”
“I can come. I have a new bikini you haven’t seen,” she purred suggestively, inching closer and looking up into my face imploringly. “Then maybe later…” she began suggestively.
“I have to actually play with the girls. I told them that I’d play Xbox on the pay gaming thing in their suite. I already promised Ben and Marin they could have a date night.” I lifted my shoulders in a shrug and twisted my face to fill with distaste. “I mean, why should you suffer, too?” I knew she found kids distasteful and using the twins as an excuse was my best shot at extricating myself for the evening.
“Why can’t you get one of those other girls to babysit?” Christy’s tone became whiney. “Or what about your little brother?”
“Because the twins have seen all of them, and they asked for me. I’ll meet you for breakfast so we can talk about stuff.” I wasn’t thinking straight and could have kicked myself for my hasty words. I promised the twins, but maybe I’d have to skip breakfast with the family. I needed to get this distasteful conversation behind me.
The sooner the better, I thought miserably, literally pulling her clinging arms off my shoulders and body and beginning to lead her from the restaurant. “I can’t get out of it, tonight.”
“Okay.” She finally agreed. “But you know I don’t eat breakfast, Dylan.”
“Coffee, then. Starbucks at 10 AM?”
I put my hand at the small of her back to hurry her out of the restaurant and to her car. She tried to slide her arms around me again, and her face rose for a kiss. I quickly bent and kissed her on the cheek. For some odd reason, I just didn’t want a public kiss. Not if there was a chance Remi was watching. Which, I told myself, was ridiculous as I bundled Christy hurriedly inside the vehicle.
I breathed a sigh of relief when Christy started her car and began backing out. I pretended to walk toward my car and then diverted to the White Nissan I saw parked on the far end. I could hear the music playing from inside the car and smiled. Remi loved a mixture of music, and she had on a playlist from the seventies and eighties. Aunt Marin loved that era and always had it playing because she had been introduced to it by her own Uncle Leonard when she was growing up.
I smiled remembering many happy times Remi and I spent as we mucked out stalls with music blasting; its echo wafting through the rafters of the stables on the dude ranch as we sang duets at the top of our lungs. We listened to every decade of music, one summer at a time, and it had become a thing for us. Those were some of the greatest memories of my life.
I bent to look inside, and Remi was singing away, her head bobbing to the music from an old Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s duet with Stevie Nicks. A huge smile split my face and I was grinning from ear-to-ear as I bent a finger and tapped on the window with my knuckle.
She flushed and looked embarrassed but unlocked the passenger door. I opened it and started singing at the top of my lungs before I even got in. I closed my eyes and gave my best impression of the rock star. “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!”
Remi broke out in a serious fit of laughter, then joined in the chorus as loud as she could. The sun was just going down as we drove into the brilliant orange and purple horizon.
When the song ended, Remi reached out and turned down the volume on the sound system. Her iPhone was plugged into the dash and the playlist went on to the next song; a slow song from one of the cowboy movies of the era. I glanced at Remi’s perfect profile and wondered how in hell I let three years pass without setting eyes on her.
“Remember this song?” she asked.
I leaned back in my seat and turned toward her. “Of course. We watched the movie the night before and had to get the soundtrack the next day.”
