Meet Me Half Way

Chapter 30

Why is being alive just a challenge within itself? Why do we have to make decisions in life? Why do we have to act a certain way around certain people? Life is like a game. A game where it may seem like we have control over our choices, but in the end, it's just a game of luck.

I woke up the following day to Lindsey blow-drying her hair.

"Lindsey, can you turn that off? I am trying to sleep."

She ignored me. She was now dancing around the room while she dried her hair. God, this girl was so annoying.

"Lindsey, come on," I said.

She turned to me, wide-eyed. "What? I have to look good for Luke, remember?"

Oh god, she can't be serious.

"Lindsey, you're a little too young for him."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "No, I am not. I am seventeen."

"That's still underage. Luke is twenty-one."

She scoffed, clearly not happy with my response. "Well, whatever."

Gabe came bouncing into the room, jumping right on top of me. "Hey, Harley."

Gabe has grown a lot since I last saw him. He just turned twelve.

"Where is Dawson?" I asked.

"Mom came and picked him up. He wanted to go see Colin at the hospital."

"Where is dad?"

"He's at work. He told me to tell you to go back to school and not to worry about us. Lindsey has to watch me anyway."

Lindsey mumbled something in response before going back to the bathroom.

"Is Luke still sleeping on the couch?" I asked.

Gabe smiled, "No, dad woke him up when he left for work. I think Luke is outside."

I jumped up, leaving Gabe in my bed. I stopped at the back door. Luke was busy planting sunflowers in the backyard.

I watched as he carefully planted each one. It brought a smile to my face.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked.

He glanced up, smiling. "Yeah, I'll be ready in five minutes."

After Luke was all washed up, we made our way out to his car. Gabe was clinging to his arm, telling him he could live with them. Lindsey was standing on the porch, gawking at every move Luke made.

I hugged Gabe goodbye and waved goodbye to Lindsey.

We got back around dinner time. I streamed Spencer's game on my laptop. The camera focused on Ben on the pitcher's mound. He just walked a batter, and you could tell he was getting worked up. Ben looked back to Spencer and shot him a smile. I could tell they were wordlessly speaking to each other, trying to calm each other down.

I felt at peace watching the game. It gave me something to focus on, something to be happy about. For those three hours, it seemed like all my problems melted away, and it was just me and baseball.

After getting situated in bed, I heard a light knock on my door. Naturally, I was hesitant, especially since no one usually visits me.

I tried to hide my surprise when I opened the door to see Mason. It looked like he had just got off a shift at work. His clothes were stained with marks, and his face looked tired.

I opened the door, silently allowing him in.

"I'm sorry to hear what happened with your brother, I wanted to call, but I figured I'd stop by."

I was tempted to run into him; I wanted a hug. I wanted someone to be there for me.

I sat on the floor, and he did the same. But, of course, there was a lot more space now that Hannah was gone.

"It's okay. He's going to be okay; I'm going to make sure of it."

"You never fail to surprise me, Harley."

"What do you mean?"

"You continue to battle through your life even if certain events aren't going your way. I admire that about you."

I laughed and wished I had met Mason at a different time. Maybe then we would have worked out.

I decided to change the topic, not wanting to bring myself even further down.

"I'm sorry I haven't reached out recently. I didn't mean to leave you high and dry like that." I said.

"No, believe me, Harley, it's okay. I understand you have your own life too."

"How's Hayden, or better yet, how is Hannah? She texted me yesterday and said you wanted to be a part of the baby's life."

"Yeah, I did. I want my child more than anything, and if Hannah and I somehow found a way to work it out, it would be awesome."

I fiddled with the bracelet on my wrist, thinking how much I missed Hannah.

"How do you feel about her?" I asked.

"I'm not sure yet, I mean, we were just a one-night type of thing, but maybe in a couple of years, if our feelings grow, then maybe we could give it a shot."

"I think Hannah is a good match for you. You both have similar interests in life."

I caught Mason smiling as he tilted his head down. He agreed with me. "You know she originally thought the baby was Calebs, not mine. That's why she didn't tell me right away. I mean, we hooked up in early January. It's April now. I started talking to you in February, and I swear if I knew about the baby Harley, I wouldn't have shown my interest in you. I mean, not to make it seem like I didn't like you because I did, but if I knew then, I wouldn't have made your life more complicated by involving you in the situation. Does that make sense? I'm sorry."

I couldn't help but laugh at the situation. It was kind of funny to me, like, what the hell. How does this happen? I mean, I had no business knowing Hannah's personal life like that, but how does she ironically hook up with a guy I kind of had feelings for a month later?

"Listen, I understand, Mason. I do. No hard feelings."

"I'm sorry, Harley; I didn't want to bring you into drama."

"Do you think you could spend the night, Mason? Obviously, on the couch, but I, I don't think I want to be alone."

His eyes spoke for him. I could see the sympathy pooling out of his stormy eyes and a sense of fatherhood. He felt the need to protect me, I could tell.

"Of course I will. I'd do anything to help you out."

I tossed him a blanket and a pillow and waited until he settled on the couch before turning off the light.

He broke the silence a couple of seconds later. "Do you like Spencer?"

"Yeah, of course. He is my boyfriend, after all."

"Harley, I can sense you're lying."

What am I supposed to tell him? Tell him how I am in love with another guy. That would make me seem like such a bitch. I mean, I know I am one, but still.

"Mason, you're one of my closest friends. What I am about to tell you right now, you can't tell anyone else. Understand?"

He shifted on the couch, obviously uncomfortable. "Yes, I promise."

"I like Luke."

He started laughing, "I knew it."

"Wait, what?

"It's so obvious, Harley. I could tell you were head over heels for him."

I threw a pillow at Mason's head, a reaction to the embarrassment I was feeling.

He laughed as he threw the pillow back. "God, Harley, I was expecting you to tell me you married him. That definitely would have been more surprising."