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His eye roll was full of humor as he urged, “Don’t look at me like that, I know it doesn’t look like much, just read the first page.” Maybelle smirked then pulled the book out, fingering the edge of the soft worn pages. This book had been used, there was no doubt that each individual page was full of written words and when Maybelle opened to the first page, she had to choke down her startled gasp.
Dear Maybelle,
Hi, this is Trey. Your friend.
Hell, this is kind of awkward. I’ve never journaled before… but here I am. It’s been six weeks since the accident and I miss you. I miss Liam. What has helped a lot has been your journal. I know, I’m sorry. Please don’t kill me, I understand my trespass in reading your book but Maybelle, I want that journal. No, hell, I need that journal. I want to be worthy ofbeing the recipient of such a prize and I plan to be. While you sleep, however long it may be, I will wait by your side.
Until you wake up, I thought I’d start my own… Book of Trey for you. I’m not calling it a journal or a diary, blame my male pride, I just can’t. So welcome to the Book of Trey. I hope you like it.
Maybelle was trembling as she settled the book on her lap, her eyes watering as she peered up at Trey who just watched patiently. This man. This amazing, sweet, kind, thoughtful man.
“Trey,” Maybelle breathed her hand going up to cover her mouth, “You wrote me a journal?”
Trey sniggered halfheartedly, as he corrected, “No, I wrote you aBook of Trey. Not a journal.”
Maybelle simpered, swatting him on the arm, “You know what I mean.”
Trey stepped off his stool, standing behind her, he wrapped her up in his arms, his breath warm on the back of her neck. Maybelle melted into the bare skin of his chest, and he squeezed her in tighter, “You read while I clean up breakfast and call everyone to let them know you’re alright. Ok?”
The kiss he pressed just under her ear made Maybelle want to pounce on him but the book in her hands was too precious not to immediately drink up every bit of its contents. She nodded, already skimming the next page while Trey’s warmth left, and he went to work in the kitchen.
Maybelle dropped from her stool and collapsed into the couch, the same couch Trey had woken up that distant morning to her singing, and her crush on him had deepened into something more.Once she was comfortable, Maybelle began reading.
Dear Maybelle,
I guess I should start by telling you a bit about me.My name is Trey Turner, my mom named me Trey, it was my mom’s dad’s name. I never met him but from the stories I hear I’m honored to be named that. Some background knowledge, I am an only child, I am nineteen years old, my birthday is July seventeenth. I am in college now, I play football. My hobbies are sports, sports, and sports.
I love to spend time with my brothers on the team, and my mom. My favorite colors are blue and green, and my greatest wish is for you to love me as much as I love you.
Love,
Trey
Maybelle was drowning, blubbering through the alligator tears pouring down her face. The way his introduction had mirrored the one she wrote out as a fourteen-year-old girl for her future husband made Maybelle’s heart flutter because he wrote these words for her and her alone. It wasn’t ominously addressed to an unknown character in his story but to her, by name. Maybelle swiped at a few escaped tears as she turned to the next page.
Dear Maybelle,
I want to tell you about the first time we met. I don’t know if you remember, but I do. Not to risk sounding cheesy as hell but my whole world changed the day I laid eyes on you, Mayhem.
The first moment I saw you was when you dropped off Liam for the first day of football camp that summer you and your family had moved in.
God, you stole the air from my lungs, I thought my heart would combust and I wasn’t the only one. Every guy there stopped in their tracks when you pulled up. I don’t know how you didn’t notice the team of football players gawking after you like you were their ticket to Heaven or better yet, theNFL. It was honestly a spectacle, but you seemed oblivious to it as you messed with that busted stereo in your mom’s car and waved goodbye to Liam.
I decided right then I would be meeting you when you came to pick Liam up at the end of the week. What I didn’t plan for was to become best friends with your twin brother. He became my rock that week of training. Believe it or not, I had been a real shy kid, lacked a lot of confidence in myself until Liam.
I had been picked on a bit by a few of the older guys. They made fun of me for the dumbest shit. Number one being that I was really into Legos. Honestly, I still am. I guess while everyone grew out of it, I still thought they were sick as hell. So, while everyone else had their friends to sit with at lunch, I happily sat alone remaking my Star Wars battleship Lego set over and over again.
The other thing was my name… and I can admit, mom did me dirty with this one. My middle name is Tory. Trey Tory Turner. Named after my great uncle something Tory that fought in some war. I don’t understand why his unfortunate name had to be given to me but here we are. Coach called my full name out for roll call my first year during tryouts and that’s all it took. It was a joke I thought the guys would never forget until Liam.
We were assigned seats next to one another on the bus and he had caught on quick to the taunts of the other kids. He told me that one day those guys wouldn’t be laughing when he and I were kicking ass in the NFL while they were all home watching us on the TV from their recliners. Liam also gave me the nickname “Triple Threat”, turning what the kids used to make fun of me into a name people could scream as we dominated on the football field together.
I will always admire Liam for that, his ability to beconfident and know exactly what to say to build me up. I don’t know what I would have done without him in high school. I definitely wouldn’t have had half as much fun, that’s for sure.
But back to us. I followed through with my plan to meet you that last day you came to pick up Liam. I helped him load his stuff into the trunk and you were crazy beautiful. Your hair was in a frizzy bun on top of your head, you wore a blue tee and light denim shorts with converse.
God, I remember having to choke down the burning admission that I thought you were the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen so I didn’t freak you out right off the bat. I settled for telling you I thought you were pretty. I remember I was shaking like it was below freezing outside and not the dead of summer as I stepped in front of you and introduced myself. For a moment, as I took your hand in mine, it was just you and me staring at one another and I thought for sure you felt the same way I did. That is until you dropped your eyes and seemed to avoid me at all costs anytime we ran into one another after that.
You would speed away at every drop off and pick up after practices and when school started, and we had every class together that first year it seemed to get worse haha. They could have turned you avoiding me into an Olympic sport because honestly it was impressive.
