Page 172 of XOXO
“Are you guys close? I’m an only child of two athletic people, we’re all pretty independent. Not exactly close, my family.” There was a twinge of sadness in her voice, and no matter how long it’d been, she’d never been able to get rid of it.
“This seems to be a heavy topic for our afterglow, baby. But yeah, we’re close. Two English nerds, one science nerd, and a football player. Family dinners can be quite loud.”
“Sounds lovely, truly.” She pressed a kiss to his collarbone. “But you’re right. Pretty heavy, let’s just sleep.”
“Only for a bit. I know you gotta eat.” She chuckled and burrowed deeper into his hold.
Sunday morning should have been lazy for both of them but dual ringtones blared out in his kitchen and there were hasty goodbye’s and promises to see each other again. Ara went off to his parent’s place to help with something she’d not heard and June raced back to campus.
“Joey, what happened?” She unlocked her office with her phone braced on her shoulder. On the other end of the line was her assistant coach who was at the hospital waiting to hear about their goalie. “Car accident? Parents been notified? Okay, I’ll grab what I need from here and then I’ll meet you there.”
In a rush, she grabbed the file for Cara, their goalie, and her tablet. In her car she hooked her phone to the console and dialed Cara’s mom. “Mrs. Palencheck, I’ve just been updated… will you be flying out… I can get you a hotel room close to the hospital if I need to… yes, I will… okay. I’ll call you back as soon as I know for sure… you too, bye for now.”
With that taken care of, she made her way to the hospital, worried for a scared nineteen year old. Those girls were her number one priority and she had to give her all her attention. So when a text from Ara came through, she ignored it.
In the parking deck, she grabbed her tablet, her phone and the file, shoved it all in a leather bag her dad had sent her, and went to find her player.
“How is she?” she asked Joey the second she saw him.
“Broken leg, two cracked ribs, concussion,” Joey listed off. “She’s getting her cast now, and she’ll be here at least two more days so they can watch her.”
“Did you find out what happened?” As they talked, she sent a text to the team group just to make them aware that one of theirs was hurt.
“Guy sideswiped her. She was only a block off campus, on the housing side. Cops took care of everything on the scene, so I called her parents and notified them.”
“Yeah, I talked to them. I’m gonna get them a room at the Marriott across the road. They already had their tickets.” She made the reservation for the room and sent the confirmation to Cara’s mom. With all that done, all she could do was wait and that was hell.
June checked the test from Ara and shot one back to him, telling him she’d be unavailable for a while. She wasn’t going to ghost him but her player took precedence. As did the others, who had just started bombarding the group text for answers.
June stayed at the hospital until Cara’s parents arrived. It was for the best considering it didn't take long for the poor staff to be overrun by concerned hockey players. She left the Palenchecks with a promise to be there for whatever they needed, and she made it home before she crashed.
A buzzing woke her up. Slapping her hand out she blearily searched for her phone to shut off her alarm, only to find that it wasn’t her phone at all but someone at her door.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she called out. She yanked open her door to find a delivery person holding a bag out.
“June Smith?”
“Yes. I didn’t order anything though.”
“I believe there is a note in the bag. I’m just the delivery person, have a good day, ma’am.” The delivery person left her feeling stupid. She shook it off and kicked the door close behind her while she searched for a note in the bag.
A little snack to keep you going - Ara
A hand flew to her mouth. Regret filled her. She’d all but ghosted him the day before, his texts going unanswered when she was dealing with the majority of her team and a pair of upset parents.
She left the note on her counter and pulled out three boxes. Each box was pink but otherwise unmarked, it tugged on her innate curiosity so she lined them up side by side before popping the lid on each box.
Donuts.
Danishes,
Madeleines.
She trailed her fingers over the perfect French pastry. It was hard to believe that he’d caught such a small mention and not only remembered it, but found a bakery that made them. Madeleines had been her favorite since she was a kid. June’s mom had received a gift coaching gig in France and the family had moved there for a year. It was still one of her favorite times.
With a smile on her face, she bit into a madeleine. The familiar taste sent a rush of memories through her but she didn’t wallow in them. Instead, she grabbed her phone and sent Ara a text demanding that they see each other soon.
His only reply was a smiling face emoji.
