Surviving Us (32 page)

Kayden is waiting for me in the front of the restaurant and his face lights up as he sees me enter. He looks handsome as always, dressed in gray slacks and a light blue button down shirt, untucked and with the sleeves rolled up to just under his elbows. Classy, but casual.

“Baby girl, you look beautiful,” he exclaims, pulling me in for a tight hug. “I’m so happy to see you again.”

“Me too,” I reply with a genuine smile. “What in the world brings you to Oklahoma? Did you have work here this week?”

He shakes his head, keeping his arm loosely draped around my waist. “No, no work.”

“Excuse me,” the hostess interrupts. “Your table is ready. Please follow me.”

Doing as she asks, we trail behind her to a cozy table tucked away along one of the side walls, the entire way my mind wandering on why he’s here if it isn’t job-related. Only having been inside the restaurant a few times when Alyvia’s dad has come to visit, it’s one of Norman’s finer dining establishments with its sleek, modern design and high-priced dishes. We slide into opposite sides of the booth as she sets menus down in front of each of us before leaving us alone.

“You were saying?” I follow up as soon as she’s out of earshot. “I still can’t believe you’re here!”

He smirks and shakes his head slowly from side to side. “Christmas was too far away, Bristol, so I thought I’d surprise you and come to
Hicksville.
I sure hope you’re still offering wild frat parties and a case of Natty Ice after dinner.”

I throw my head back with laughter, remembering our first conversation in St. Lucia. “I’m sure I can find us some bitter beer, but I highly doubt you want to go to any college parties. That kind of debauchery and self-indulgence is usually frowned upon by anyone over the age of twenty-five.”

“As long as I get to hang out with you, I’m down for anything.” His eyes twinkle with hope and my stomach flips over. “Though I wish it would’ve been different on the retreat, I understand why we didn’t hang out, spend time together. I hope you now understand why I was worried about you.”

My gaze falls from his to the table, not wanting to have this conversation. “I don’t want to talk about it, Kay,” I murmur softly. “I was stupid.”

Reaching across the table, he grabs my hand in his and squeezes softly. “Hey, look at me,” he commands firmly. When I do, he continues, “Don’t ever call yourself stupid. You were having fun, experiencing life, like young people should . . . shit, like everyone should. I get it. It doesn’t mean I wish the trip would’ve played out differently, but I understand.”

“I really thought it was something special. He made me feel like I’ve never even dreamed, and since then, I haven’t had one of my morning episodes. Our connection was strong . . .” My voice trails off as the server approaches the table.

Kayden orders a bottle of wine and a few appetizers, and thankfully, the guy doesn’t even bother to ask me for my ID.

“Bristol, it was a vacation romance—nothing more, nothing less,” he states matter-of-factly. “That doesn’t mean you guys didn’t have a connection or what you felt wasn’t real. It just means when you each go home, it’s over. You’ve got to move on with real life.”

The smile he offers is empty. He doesn’t understand what I felt when I was with Davis. I know it was only a couple of weeks, but I fell in love with him, and moving on is hard. People say it like you just flip a switch in your head and it magically happens.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Please,” I beg, “I’m happy you came to visit, but I’d rather we talk about the game, or what’s going on with you in New York or something.”

“Fair enough,” he replies, giving my hand one last squeeze, “but I’m still interested in witnessing this shameless depravity you claim happens at these college parties. Remember, I’m an old guy; it’s been a long time since I’ve had that kind of fun.”

The awkwardness lifts, and the rest of the meal is quite enjoyable. We spend the majority of the time talking about the game, the horrible injury, and what that means for the team going forward. Kayden and I’ve always enjoyed talking sports. He claims I know more than his guy friends and has used my knowledge to win his fantasy football league the last two years.

Since we both drove ourselves, we say our goodbye in the parking lot with a plan to meet up tomorrow for the annual Labor Day BBQ at the SigmaEp house. I’m hoping since it’s more of an afternoon gathering, it won’t be too completely out of control, but on this campus, you never really know what to expect.

WHEN I BLEW OUT
the candles on my birthday cake last week and wished for an opportunity to have a life that involves the two things I want most in this world, Bristol and playing football, I honestly didn’t want the starting OU quarterback to go down in the first game with a torn ACL and to be out for the rest of the season. I was thinking more along the lines of a chance to walk on and compete for the job, if not this season, then perhaps for next year, since I still have all four years of my eligibility remaining.

But an hour after the game ends, when my phone rings and Eli’s name pops up on my caller ID, I can’t help but hope he’s calling with good news. I look back and forth between my parents, who are at the dining room table with me, and take a deep breath. My stomach rolls in a fit of nerves as I answer.

“Hey, Eli. What’s up?”

“It’s all up to you now, kid. They want to see you as soon as possible,” he replies, the excitement in his voice apparent.

I jump up and let out a whoop, followed by my parents doing the same.

“Are you serious? When? What did they say? Did they watch the tapes?” I pepper questions at him as my brain goes on overload.

“Calm down, calm down.” He chuckles through the phone. “Coach Elsik called about ten minutes ago and said they’ve reviewed all of the footage we sent and he wants to get you up there as soon as possible, preferably tonight or first thing in the morning for a live workout. No decision has been made yet, but their backup is a true freshman and they’re pretty desperate.”

“Right.” I’m now pacing around the house like a caged animal, still in shock this is actually happening. “Okay, I’ll book the first flight I can and let you know the details.”

“Sounds good. I’m so proud of you, kid.”

We hang up and I turn to my parents, who obviously know what’s going on from my end of the conversation, but still want to hear everything themselves. I quickly relay the information Eli just told me, then grab my iPad and book a red eye out of San Antonio at ten o’clock tonight. My mom is crying happy tears while my dad pats me on the back and tells me how proud he is, and I can’t wipe the goofy grin off my face to save my life.

Once I’ve called Eli back with the travel details, he lets me know the coach will pick me up at the airport, and I’ll be staying at his place tonight before an early morning workout with the team. I rush upstairs to pack a suitcase, not knowing how long my trip will be or what will happen next. All I know is after wasting the last two years of my life doing absolutely nothing, I’m ready to live again, and I’m not going to let this opportunity pass me by.

It’s a little after midnight when my plane lands, and throughout the entire flight, I’ve played out possible scenarios of what it’ll be like when I see Bristol again. To say I’ve missed her doesn’t do the depth of my feelings justice. She’s on my mind constantly, and until she’s mine for good, I won’t be satisfied. Everything I’ve worked so hard for in the last six weeks has been for me, but it’s also been for her . . . for us.

Coach Elsik is waiting for me in the luggage claim area with a smile that fails to hide the stress in his eyes. As soon as he spots me, he strides over to greet me. “McKay! You made it!” He shakes my hand firmly and pats me on the back.

I smile proudly and return the gesture. “I’m only two years late, but better late than never. Right, sir?”

He laughs hard as he leads me over to the conveyer belt to wait for my bag. “No sense in rehashing the past now, son. No one can judge another man’s decisions until they’ve been in his shoes, so while there was disappointment here, there are no lingering hard feelings. We can only hope you’ve still got some of that magic you had back then. After everything that happened this afternoon, we’re sure as hell gonna need it.”

“Like riding a bike, Coach. I promise I won’t let you down this time.”

Once I’ve retrieved my suitcase, we make our way to his car in the parking garage, discussing the schedule for the next couple of days. In the morning, there’s a mandatory team meeting where he’s going to introduce me, followed by a full workout for everyone. He doesn’t think I’ll be ready to start for the next week or two, but hopes by the time we begin playing formidable opponents, I’ll have the offensive playbook memorized. I know it’s going to be a lot of work, but I welcome the challenge.

The other issue he’s working on is getting me readmitted to the university. Using every bit of pull he has with the president and admissions department, he’s confident we’ll be able to use my original acceptance and test scores, claiming some sort of special circumstance. If surviving a plane crash isn’t one, I’m not sure what is.

We arrive at his large family home nearly an hour later, and after showing me the guest room, we both get ready for bed, knowing tomorrow is going to be a long day. As I lie there in the strange bed, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling, I’m tempted to email Bristol and let her know I’m here, mere miles away from her, but I don’t want to jinx anything. As soon as I know for sure what’s going on, I’m going to seek her out and claim her as mine, once and for all.

By the time Coach Elsik knocks on my door to wake me up, I’ve been up for over an hour, unable to sleep much with the adrenaline pumping through me. Today is the first day of a new chapter of my life.