Discovering Us (14 page)

His parents had rented a car when they got to Albuquerque and planned to follow him as they drove the almost twelve hours to Los Angeles, all of them planning to stay in a hotel when they got there. He didn’t have anything big to move, so they hadn’t needed a truck. He’d been staying in a small, furnished apartment during his stay in Albuquerque, so all he had to move were his clothes, toiletries and a few other smaller items.

He sent pictures all during the day, some of him driving, some of him at convenience stores filling up his car or (and this is so telling of what a
guy
he was) going to the bathroom. Not that he actually sent pictures of himself peeing. I think I would’ve turned my phone off at that point if that were the case. No, he just sent several pictures of bathroom doors, which made me laugh and roll my eyes.

Just after midnight that night, my phone rang, waking me.

“’Lo?” I answered sleepily.

“Baby. I love how your voice sounds so husky and throaty when you’ve been asleep.”

“Jag…” I whispered.

“I miss you.”

“Miss you too. Wish I could’ve gone with you,” I said with a yawn.

“Me too. You awake now?”

“Yeah,” I said, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

“Just calling to let you know we made it to the hotel in LA. We’re gonna stay here a couple days until I can find a place. Then Mom and Dad will be taking off. Mom’s dying to go up to Napa Valley to go on some six-hour wine tasting tour thing. Dad’s thrilled, as you can imagine.”

I chuckled. Mrs. Jensen was a huge wine enthusiast, but Mr. Jensen hated it and let everyone know. He was strictly a bourbon man. “I’m sure he’ll have fun.”

“Don’t count on it. Tomorrow we’re gonna hit up a realtor and look around at some places. I’ll send pics.”

“As long as they’re not of the bathroom, I’m good,” I said, laughing.

“Aw, babe, you take all the fun out of it.” He laughed with me.

I giggled at his silliness. “God, I miss you so much.”

“Same. But I’ll find us a place and you’ll be out here end of December. Then it’ll all be good. How about that?”

“Sounds perfect. I can’t wait.”

“Me either. Well, I’m beat. Gotta get some sleep. That drive is a killer. Love you. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Love you too.”

We hung up and when I woke up the next morning, I was all smiles from the awesome dream I’d had of Jag and me living together in LA.

Jag came home over Thanksgiving and we spent the entire week together. It was great having uninterrupted time to just be with each other. He’d found a gorgeous condo (he’d sent lots of pics) to rent in Santa Monica that was practically on the beach, and I couldn’t wait to go out and see it.

“El, it’s so cool. I bought a surfboard and one of the guys on the team said he’d teach me how to surf.”

We sat on the sofa at my apartment talking. I’d made dinner and now we were just hanging out.

“You’re gonna turn into a beach bum, I can already tell.”

He grinned at that. “Maybe. If it means I get to see you in a bikini all the time, then hell yeah, that’s what I’ll become.”

How he could still make me blush amazed me, but my face turned a deep red, which made him laugh as he leaned in to touch his lips to mine.

“So what are the other tenants around you like?”

He shrugged. “Just your usual California people, I guess. There’s an old man, probably in his seventies across the hall from me. Mr. Ashton. I’ve helped him get his groceries in a couple times. I’ve also met the couple that lives across and down the hall from me, the Lenoxes. They’re in their fifties and really nice, but they pretty much keep to themselves.”

“Nice and quiet, huh?”

“Yeah. But I love sitting out on the patio at night. If there’s a concert going on at the Pier, I can hear it. And the smell of the ocean is awesome. It just makes you feel so, I don’t know, alive or something.”

“It sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to see it.”

“I can’t wait for you to be there with me either. I’ll feel a lot better once you’re there.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged again then squeezed my thigh. “Nothing. I just miss you.”

I’d had my bags packed two weeks before Christmas, right after my last semester final, so excited to go to LA with Jag. I’d talked to my parents about transferring and going to live with him before the semester had even begun, and to my complete and utter shock, they’d supported the idea from the start. I guess since Jag and I’d been a couple for going on five years, not including all the years we’d been together when we were little, they finally accepted that we were
together-together
and were willing to let me go. Mom had cried, saying that her little girl was now a woman (yeesh), and Dad had just looked at me as if he knew every sordid sexual thing Jag and I had done together (double yeesh).

Jag’s parents were way onboard with the idea, wanting someone, in the words of Mrs. Jensen, to “keep Jag grounded in case he got the ‘big head’ from being a professional athlete.” Well, that and she said at least he’d have someone to make sure that he kept his toilet cleaned. Seriously, what was with his family and bathrooms?

I’d been accepted into USC’s Physical Therapy Program since several of my professors had contacted the school on my behalf, letting them know that I was a good candidate. I’d busted my ass over the past two years to get early acceptance into Northwestern’s Physical Therapy Program, and USC had taken all my credits, thank God, so things would pretty much be set if my interview went well.

Jag had come home for Christmas and things couldn’t have been any more perfect. I’d aced my semester finals, he’d been doing great in his workouts with his trainer, and we’d be driving out two days after the holiday and would be spending New Year’s in LA. To say I was stoked was putting it mildly.

Christmas day, all my brothers came home for lunch, Mike and Jake with their wives and Robbie with his girlfriend. They all lived and worked in the Chicago area, so it wasn’t like we hadn’t seen each other in years, but it was great that we could all get together. Jag came over too, and my brothers were all excited for him to be playing in the pros telling him they thought it was awesome. We had lunch and opened presents, and when we’d finished digging into our gifts like we were still kids, I got a little teary-eyed when Mom announced through her own tears to everyone that I’d be leaving for California in two days.

“It’s not like I’ll be gone forever,” I whispered, trying not to choke up. Jag sat beside me on the couch and threw his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side, and kissed the side of my head.

“Always knew you’d make it big,” Jake said as he got up to get another mug of eggnog, punching Jag in the arm playfully as he walked by.

“Thanks, man,” Jag said with a grin.

“Same here,” Mike added from where he sat in the loveseat with his wife. “But, damn, the least you could’ve done is held out for the Cubs or another more reputable team.”

Jag barked out a laugh at that. “Hey, gotta go where the money is, I guess,” he replied.

“We’ll be watching you,” Robbie threw in from where he and his girlfriend sat on the floor in front of the fireplace. He and I were the closest, I guess because we were closest in age, and that had always made him the most protective of me. “Better keep El happy.” I thought he’d been teasing, but the look on his face said differently.

“Robbie,” I scolded when I felt Jag tense a little beside me.

“I’ll do my best,” Jag promised, leaning down to kiss the side of my head again.

My parents and I had Christmas dinner at Jag’s parents’ house and we were also joined by his sister and her husband. The evening was great and I was glad we’d gotten to spend the day with all our relatives.

When we were back at my apartment, Jag and I exchanged gifts. I’d gotten him some sex wax for his surfboard, which made him laugh, and I’d framed the sports page from the local paper that had announced that he’d been drafted. I was a poor college student and couldn’t afford a whole lot, but he loved it just the same.

He’d gotten me a Beauty and the Beast figurine that made my heart melt. His other gift was a Tiffany’s necklace with a heart locket that had inscribed on the back “Forever and a day.” I’d burst out in tears after I’d opened it to see a picture of us when we were little, holding hands and laughing as we looked at each other, and one of us from the past Thanksgiving when we’d been outside watching some of the neighbor kids playing football and we were practically in the same pose. His mom had taken care of getting the pictures put in the locket, but overall I had to say he’d done excellent in the gift department.

We hung out with Rebecca and Ross all the next day. She was keeping the apartment, and I’d planned on having my dad come and move my stuff out, but she’d thrown a fit, begging me to leave it so that in case I ever came back to visit, I could sleep in my room again. I didn’t want to argue with her, and Mom and Dad would’ve had to sell it all anyway, so I just left it where it was. That evening when the guys were in the living room playing some video game Rebecca had gotten Ross for Christmas, she and I were in my bedroom sitting on my bed and having a good cry.

“Remember, El, I’m keeping the apartment, so if things don’t work out…”

I blew air out of my mouth in a “Pffttt” kind of way. “Bec, Jag and I were meant to be. They say long-distance relationships don’t work, but by God, we’ve lasted this long, so I know nothing’s gonna happen. Besides, we’re getting married someday anyway, so you can just keep the stuff and if you ever want a roommate, she’ll be all set up. Or I’ll use it whenever I’m back in town to visit.”

“I still can’t believe you’re going,” she said with a sniffle.

“I know. Is it okay to tell you I’m scared shitless? I’ve never been out of Illinois except for vacations and ballgames. What if I hate it? What if he’s never home? What if the baseball wives don’t like me? Am I gonna be okay?” I asked, my voice going up an octave as more questions I hadn’t even thought of before flooded my mind. I had to admit, this shit was scary.

She laughed through her tears. “You’ll be fine, babe. Everyone will love you. And he’s bound to be gone for games, of course, but you’ll be fine. Think of all that study time you’ll have.”  Then she waggled her eyebrows. “Think of how it’ll be when he gets back home.”

I blushed. “Yeah.”

“I’ll miss you so damn much, El. We’ve been best friends since third grade.” She started crying harder which made me cry harder. “What am I gonna do without my bestie?”

I hugged her, and cried along with her. “I’m just a phone call away, Bec.”

I didn’t know then that
I’d
be the one calling on my bestie in a year to help me get out of the worst mess of my life.

Jag and I left for LA the next day, planning to make stops for the night in Omaha, Denver, and finally Vegas before reaching our final destination, Santa Monica. Jag had flown home for Christmas, so we were driving my Jetta, which was cram-packed with my clothes and other things, such as books for classes, toiletries and random stuff I thought I might need. Jag had told me we’d get whatever else I needed when we arrived, so I was okay with what I’d packed, only having a minor freak out as I triple checked to make sure I had everything.

Rebecca and I had a tearful goodbye, I hugged Ross, Jag hugged Rebecca, Jag shook Ross’s hand then they did one of those guy hugs and we left, heading to each of our parents’ houses. We stopped at Jag’s first. Mrs. Jensen, bless her heart, gave us one of those coffee carafes that had a pump, and much to my delight she’d filled it with white chocolate mocha from Starbucks. She’d also packed two mugs in a little basket along with, be still my freaking heart, pumpkin cream cheese muffins. She’d also put a can of whipped cream in the basket so we could put it on our drinks. Oh, how I loved her for all of that. We left their house, driving down the block to my house. I had another tearful goodbye with my mom, and Dad made Jag promise to have me call home every hour before he’d even let us out the door to leave. Jag told him he was on it. Hugs were given all around then we got in the car. As we took off, I hooked up my iPod, turning on some Soundgarden, pumped mocha into a mug for Jag, and before handing it to him, squirted some whipped cream on top of it, which got me a dirty response from him about all the things we could do with the whipped cream later, which made me giggle, fixed my own mug, then got out a muffin for each of us.

I was giddy but also a little sad when we got on the interstate, heading out of Chicago. Giddy to start a new life with Jag; sad to leave my family and friends behind. But when Jag grabbed my hand and squeezed while giving me a reassuring smile, I knew everything was going to be just fine.

“Favorite slasher movie.”

“Easy.
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
.” Jag looked at me smugly.

We’d been on the road for four hours and were really getting to know a different side of each other through the sophisticated game we were playing. That was sarcasm, of course. The Question Game wasn’t really that complicated. Jag was driving and we were swapping inquiries back and forth, but we really were finding out new things about each other.

“You’re kidding, right?” I cut my eyes suspiciously at him. That movie was crap.

“Babe.” He said that as if it were an explanation.

I now looked at him, eyebrows raised. He looked back at me as if I were supposed to know what he meant. “What?” I finally questioned.

“I was thirteen. Snuck into the theater with Tyler Callihan. Jennifer Love Hewitt in a tank top? One of my top five favorite movies of all time.”

I made a face. “So, basically, you’re telling me she was good jack-off fodder.”

He snorted. “Basically, yeah.”

“Guys.” I shook my head.

“I was thirteen, El. Her tits were spectacular in that movie.” I smacked his arm and he grabbed my wrist pulling me into him. Keeping an eye on the road but leaning down to me, he said, “That is until I got a glimpse of yours.” He kissed me quickly then let me go.