Overtime

Maybe he does.

Letting her head fall forward, she looked at her reflection, and she shook her head. As she took in her flushed face, her eyes that were full of bewilderment, she decided she had no clue who or what Jordie Thomas was. She had not the slightest idea, and that meant she really needed to go to bed and eat her ice cream. At least she understood Ben & Jerry’s.

But before she could step away from the door, the strum of a guitar stopped her. It was faint, so of course, being the nosy one she was, she got closer. Her nose pressed to the door as the music fought to reach her, causing her heart to race. It was as if the music was getting louder and she worried that he would open the door, but he didn’t.

When Jordie’s low, rough voice started the lyrics to “Draw Me a Map” by Dierks Bentley, she closed her eyes, leaning her head against the door as his voice burst through the wood and washed over her. Each word of the song hit her square in the chest, and it gutted her. The words could be applied to them easily, but she wouldn’t read into it. She loved this song, he knew she loved this song, and he was singing it to her. Hoping she heard it. But she couldn’t tell him she had.

She had to let this go. Jordie wasn’t the man she wanted. He didn’t love her the way she loved him. She had to just walk away. But her feet wouldn’t move. And as the tears streamed down her face, she had no clue what she was going to do.





Leaning against the wall outside of the massage room, Jordie played on his phone while he waited for his turn. He probably didn’t need a rubdown, but if it meant Kacey touching him, he was there. She had been doing everything to avoid him; she wouldn’t even look at him while they worked out each day. When they were at the house, she acted as if he wasn’t there. He still picked at her every chance he got, just for her to acknowledge him, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more. It had been three days since he’d walked out of the shower in his birthday suit, and she still hadn’t looked him in the eye.

He didn’t know if he should chalk that up as a good thing or bad.

She wasn’t usually this quiet. She told him what she thought at all times and didn’t hold back. He was unsure what that meant and didn’t know how to proceed with her. Was she really happy with Liam? He honestly didn’t believe so. Especially with Lacey chirping in his ear that Liam was no competition. A part of him wanted to leave her be, let her be happy with someone else, but the selfish part of him wanted her with only him. Forever. He could be the one to make her happy, he believed that now. He just needed the chance.

He had spoken of her at his AA meeting the night before, and everyone urged him to wait it out if he really believed she was the one. The problem he was having was that he never did share well with others. Kacey was his. He just needed her to remember that and leave Liam in her dust. He also didn’t understand why she hadn’t asked him what he wanted to talk about. Anytime he brought it up, she’d basically run. It was really weird and out of character for her. It was as if they both had changed from the shitty breakup, and he wanted nothing more than to know the girl he’d hurt. To mend the wounds he’d caused and love her more than she could ever imagine.

He just needed the chance.

Toni Aleo's books