My first port of call was the soccer pitch where I know they usually trained, but there was no sign of him.
Thankfully, I saw Miller doing his runs and beckoned on him. “Hey, Miller!”
“Hi… Licia, right?” He asked, panting with a smile when he reached where I stood.
I smiled back, “Yeah. Uh, do you know where I might find Kevin? His line is down.”
He looked at me like I had just asked him a ridiculous question. “Kevin?”
“Your teammate.” I explained, just in case he had forgotten which Kevin I was asking about.
“I am aware; just surprised that you are asking about him in school. By my calculations, he should be in Dubai at the moment. Didn't he tell you?”
Miller’s words were ringing in my ears, but I tried keeping it together. Kevin might have traveled for a function of some sort. He was definitely coming back soon.
“When will he be back?” I asked, totally ignoring his question. “Any idea?”
Wasn’t it as clear as day to Miller that I was in the dark about the whole situation? Why else would I be asking if I knew that Kevin had traveled?
He chuckled, but soon sobered up when he saw my obvious confusion. “Kevin and Spencer got signed to a professional club in Dubai. As such, they will be gone for a very long time.”
This had to be some kind of prank. Why would Kevin just leave and not say a word?
“Alright… thank you.” I managed to say, despite the turbulent thoughts in my mind.
“You don't look too well, though. Are you good?”
It was a dumb question, but he was being sincere about it, completely oblivious of how devastated I felt.
“I just feel a little queasy, but I will be fine.”
“Very well then, I still have a few laps to run.”
I nodded absentmindedly as Miller ran off.
I needed answers, but who could I ask? It didn't make sense that Kevin would just bail, without as much as a goodbye.
I was supposed to be happy for him, but I felt like I had just been punched in the stomach. Then it clicked—his family would know better.
***
Present day
I kept tossing and turning in bed, trying so hard not to remember how abandoned and hurt I had felt when I realized Kevin was not coming back…
But it seems the more I tried to shove it down like it didn’t matter anymore, the more vivid the memory became, reigniting my anger all the more. Seeing him practically every day wasn’t helping my vexation either.
Kevin had called early in the morning—he needed my help with something at home, so I quickly freshened up and got set to go do my obligation.
I got to his home about three hours after his call, ready for another day of pretending I was unaffected by his presence.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Brown,” I acknowledged Phoebe as I stepped into their living room. She was poised elegantly in the recliner, perusing a fashion magazine.
She looked up. “A beautiful one to you, my darling.” She sounded very pleased. Not that it was any of my business, but I could tell there was more to her excitement, and I wondered what the reason for her excitement was.
“Is Kevin upstairs?”
Opting to address him by his first name didn’t mean anything had changed between us. I just didn’t have the mental strength to argue about it anymore.
