Irresistible Refrain

41

I squinted at my cell. It lay like a cobra on the beige couch beside me, ready to strike. I needed to make the call, but imagining the reception I was likely to receive had me recoiling.

I’d been putting this off for weeks. He would probably hang up on me. And if he didn’t there was likely to be some yelling. It wasn’t going to be easy to atone for past mistakes with him.

A big sigh.

Past time to get it over with.

I selected his number and hit send.

He picked up on the first ring. “Lacey?” His voice was as smooth as it’d ever been but there was a hard edge to it that he’d never used with me before.

Well, at least he wasn’t shouting. Not yet. “How are you?” I swallowed nervously.

“I’m fuckin’ great” A loud sigh on his end. “What do you want?”

Ok, not yelling, but close. I’d better get right to it. “I want to apologize, War. I really messed up with us, with you, and with Bryan.” I stumbled on his name. I never said it out loud anymore. Ever. I pulled on my running shoes and went jogging whenever I found myself even starting to think about him.

What was he doing? Who was he doing it with?

I ran a lot.

War didn’t respond. I could hear him breathing through the phone.

“I’m sorry. That’s all I called to say really. Except for one other thing.” I bit my lip. “Warren, you and Bryan are best friends. You need him. He needs you. You need each other.”

“He put you up to this?”

“No.” My chest burned. “I haven’t seen or heard from him in five weeks.” A short pause. I couldn’t stop myself from asking. “Have you?” My voice squeaked desperately.

“No.” A pause on his side. I could hear music in the background, and a female voice speaking in Spanish.

“Where are you?”

“I gotta go, Lacey.”

Dead air in my ear.

I didn’t miss that he hadn’t accepted my apology.

My cell rang at two in the morning. It quit before I could locate it. I stumbled back to the bedroom and crawled back under the covers.

Just as it started again.

Shit. Shit.

I found it this time, between the cushions of the couch. It must have fallen in there earlier after I’d called War. I redialed the missed call.

“Hello.” I recognized the musical voice right away.

“Bridget? Is everything ok?”

“Everything’s fine.”

Very few things are fine at two a.m. “What’s going on?”

“Listen Lace,” Bridget sniffed. “Could…would it be ok if Carter and I come and stay with you for a little bit?” I remembered Carter was her five year old son.

“Sure,” I told her without hesitation. “But I’m in Canada now. Do you have a passport?”

“Yes.” Another sniff.

I heard a boy’s voice. “Mommy, why are you crying?”

“I need to go now. I’ll call you back when I have the flight information. And Lace?”

“Yeah?”

Thanks. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“No problem. That’s what best friends are for.”