Dear Ethan: A Second Chance Romance

Chapter 25: Football Revelation

*Ethan*

I looked around at all the glum faces in the silent locker room. The only noise was the sound of lockers closing and shutting. I hated losing. But as the captain, it was part of my job to lift everyone's spirits and keep everyone in check.

Coach Karlson looked over at me briefly after making his speech. 

There was always next year. But we had come close a few times over the years and this was the first time we made it back to the finals after winning three years ago. I had really felt like it was our year. That we would get our second win. 

The word disappointment didn't come close to what I was feeling inside right now.

Tyler smacked me against the shoulder, looking sorry. He was heartbroken about it too, especially since we all knew we shouldn't have lost. We were the better team. But the Bisons managed to squeak out a win at the very end.

I grimaced before getting dressed. 

Talking to the media after losing was something I hated but it was just part of the job.

When it's finally done and over with, I walked back into the empty house, throwing my keys into an old dish plate before peeling off my clothes.

My phone pinged with a news notification. It was a sports forum questioning when the Kings will finally win another championship ring. The long-awaited comeback. My brows furrowed as I read the article. It was frustrating knowing how close we came. And it didn't help that the whole country was analyzing it too.

I got into the shower, letting the water run down through me. My body was throbbing. Worn out from the season but there was no way I was going to let another championship slip by like that again. I made a note on my phone to go through the tapes tomorrow. 

I wanted to study every play, every pass until I could know what went wrong. So we could be better next time. It was time to get into hustle mode.

I turned on the jets in the shower to remove some of the ache in my shoulders.

My phone buzzed when I stepped out of the steam. And for the first time since losing, my heart felt lighter. It was a message from Jodie. I wondered if she saw the game.

Jodie: We saved this for you.

I opened the image attachment and smiled, feeling my dark thoughts leave me. Half a dozen red velvet cupcakes with my name on a post-it note in a box. It was nice to hear from someone who didn't mention our devastating loss. And it was especially nice hearing from her.

The season was done for the year and Jodie would be flying out for filming next month. 

I wondered how busy she was right now. If she would be willing to do something together aside from making cake deliveries. Maybe dinner. Someplace quiet where we could talk. My throat tightened at the image I drew in my head. Her eyes lit up across the table. It made me forget about all the frustrations of the day.

It made my whole week.

Ethan: Thanks for making my day. When can I come to pick it up?

-

*Jodie*

"So what's going on between you two?" asked Sam as she added the finishing touches to a heart-shaped cake for a couple celebrating their 5 year anniversary. They had sent photos of them traveling to different countries over the years and wanted it screen printed on the cake.

"Nothing," I shrugged, going over some emails on my laptop.

"Seems like a situationship," said Sam, glancing over at me before directing her gaze to the cake in front of her.

Not a friendship. An ambiguous relationship where there was potential for more or nothing at all.

"Does it seem like that?"

Sam sighed. I knew her long enough to know that she wasn't trying to pass judgment. She was just concerned. Neither of us wanted a repeat of the past.

"The problem is you both have avoidant personalities."

"I thought I was an aggressor?"

"You're an aggressive avoidant," She said bluntly. Her comment made me laugh out loud even if my chest felt a bit hollow.

I don't know how we ended up like this but we did. It was easy to fall back into our old ways instead of acknowledging the elephant in the room.

But there was no time to think about what we were or what we weren't. It wasn't like we ever dated or were in a relationship. Saying it out loud seemed silly.

Hey, remember when you didn't have feelings for me and then we just never spoke again?

It was embarrassing to bring it up. And I knew he felt the same way cause he never tried to talk about it either.

Plus I had other things on my plate. The orders this month have been crazy. Maybe it was time to move into a bigger space and hire more staff. I made a note on my phone to set up a call with our accountant to go over our finances.

Landon's name flashed on my phone. I pick it up and head to the pantry for some privacy.

"Hey Jo, how's it going?" His familiar voice fills my ear and I hear the sound of traffic in the background while we caught up over the last few months. 

He had been traveling for a bit before getting a mechanic job in Detroit. I wrinkled my nose. He was always going from place to place. I wished he would just settle down so we could be in the same place at the same time. But he was just like that. 

Just like dad, I thought about feeling all those old feelings come up all over again. But at least Landon cared enough to call.

"Did you get the last letter I sent you?" I shook my head. "Where did you send it too?" He gave me the address of the bakery and I opened the top drawer of the pantry where we kept all the unread mail. I ripped it open. It was a postcard along with a picture of Landon with a friend of his. They were standing in front of some monument with their arms around each other. He looked skinny but happy. And healthier than before.

"You look well," I said, tracing my fingers over his face. A part of me would always see him as seventeen. Frozen in time. Diving into the water before coming up like a dolphin. The sun turning his hair golden.

"Have you spoken to mom?" I shook my head. We hadn't spoken in years and there was no way I would reach out to her again. Time did nothing but make me more angry at the way she treated me. He went silent on the phone for a bit.

"She called me the other day. Said she's been in rehab for a few months and it's really helping her."

"That's great," I said icily. It was good that she was finally getting help but that didn't change things.

"You should really see her," He said softly. "I was thinking we could go there next month and visit."

"Why?" I would fight this until the end. I didn't want to revisit that chapter of my life. Not now. Not ever. There was no way I was going back to Jolene. Not when she was still there. I felt the anger rise as the memories came back to me.

"I don't want you to have regrets."

"Regret what exactly?" I countered, gripping the phone tighter than necessary. Regret being disappointed over and over again by someone who would never change? This wasn't the first time rehab was brought up and I was sure it wouldn't be the last.

"Look Landon, I don't believe her. Maybe you think she's changed but I don't. If you want to visit that's fine with me but don't expect me to be there." 

I hung up before he could answer.