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Chapter Eight
Isla clutched her drink nervously in one hand and her phone in the other. The overstuffed armchair was of little comfort to her as she checked the time again: 1:07 p.m. His tardiness caused her great unease, as her efforts to conceal this outing had been so large. Kate was curious about all of the secret things Isla had seemed to be doing lately and she knew it wouldn’t be long before she’d be forced to respond. As she took a sip of her hot chocolate, her small cell phone began to vibrate. One ring, two rings, finally she picked up. Isla didn’t want to appear too anxious. “Hello?”
“I’m running into Starbucks now, I’m sorry.” Kevin sounded winded but in good spirits.
“If today’s no good for you, we can reschedule?” She hated feeling like a bother and didn’t want to inconvenience him. “I don’t want to keep you from something more important.”
He laughed and she heard him give his order to the cashier. “More important than this? Never.” He received his drink warmly and walked over to an open table. Kevin had brought a few books and his computer with him on the off chance she hadn’t answered his call. “I just had to get a few things done at the house.”
Isla took a sip and smiled. “And I had you pegged for punctuality.”
“Well then you are sadly mistaken. I’m always running late, but I hate when other people are late. It’s ironic.” She sat for a moment, not sure what to say. Crossing her legs one way, then the other, she wiggled around awkwardly, glad that he couldn’t see her. “So how are you?”
“Fine.” Her response was a little too quick and realized it sounded unconvincing. “Not much has changed, so I don’t have much to report over here. What about you?”
Kevin went on to explain the way the rest of their tour had gone and what he’d been doing since arriving back in New Jersey. For the most part they were busy planning another tour and taking it easy whenever possible.
As he talked, Isla stared out the window at the looming rain clouds. It had been so humid in Chicago, it was sure to rain anytime soon. She loved the feeling of the rainwater hitting her skin, and was almost tempted to step outside onto a nearby bench. “That sounds fun,” Isla retorted when he’d finished.
“You’re not mad that I looked you up, are you?”
This caught her off guard. “No.” She hadn’t presented her friendliest self upon their first meeting, but she had genuinely enjoyed spending time with the boys. “I’m glad actually. I was wondering how you all were doing.”
“Really?” Kevin had a difficult time believing this, but accepted it nonetheless. “You know, you never really saw our concert. I’d be interested to know what you think of it.”
“I heard a song or two, it was good.” Isla couldn’t remember much about the music, but she had nodded her head along with the beats. “You’ll just have to trust me that concerts aren’t really my thing.”
He was interested. “Why’s that? You more of a book person or something?”
Isla switched the ear her phone was resting against and slouched down deeper into the chair. The rain was really starting to pour. “I like music just fine, it’s just the live aspect.” Tears were welling in her eyes and Isla tried to blink them away, desperate for her voice to sound calm and collected. “It’s silly.”
“Well, I am feeling a little hurt that you left.” She could practically hear him smiling on the other end of the phone. “Maybe you could make it up to me?”
She chuckled. “And how do you propose I do this?” Isla was not about to bring herself to another concert, she’d basically just told him that. Tucking a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, she tried to think of any possibilities; Isla was ridiculously good at arts and crafts. She could make him a card?
Kevin enjoyed the sound of her voice and the way she spoke. Isla always seemed to have such composure and was so sure of what to say. Her voice never faltered, and it was as if she’d put hours of thought behind each conversation. “Come visit?”
“That’s complicated, you see. Because we barely know each other.”
“We’re getting to know each other more and more by the second,” he argued. “But I understand if you have other plans.”
Isla admittedly had no plans. Other than her daily run and her walks through the park with Bentley, she mostly sat listlessly out on her patio, sipping lemonade and watching the clouds float by. It sounded like an enjoyable routine, but it didn’t provide much excitement. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea.” She knew nothing about him, his situation, or New Jersey for that matter. If something were to happen while she was there, she’d be rendered defenseless. “If there’s anything else I could do, I’d consider it.”
Kevin hadn’t plotted up any alternatives, and blushed at his own apparent foolishness. Of course she wouldn’t come to New Jersey; they’d only met twice, and not on the best of occasions. “Send me something?”
She laughed. “Materialistic much?” Though he did not specify what to send, Isla had a few ideas in mind. Her obsession with reading had provided her with endless good ideas for situations such as this. As he tried to defend himself from the materialistic accusation, she drifted over to the counter and ordered a ginger molasses cookie; her favorite. She nibbled at it while Kevin explained he just enjoyed surprises. “I’d be happy to send you something.” Jotting down his address, she looked at her watch. They’d been talking for nearly a half an hour. “Tell me about yourself,” Isla encouraged.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything,” she admitted.
For the next hour the two chatted endlessly, exploring the past and dreams for the future. Isla was careful to keep parts of her life a secret, for she didn’t think that he’d understand her emotional baggage. In most situations it was easier to say nothing at all than to sit through apologies from sympathizing listeners. “I should be going,” Kevin confessed. It was nearing four in the afternoon and he had promised his parents he wouldn’t be gone long.
“I understand.” Isla collected her belongings and tossed out her trash. The battery on her phone was worn down and her face felt warm from its constant presence. “I’ll be sure to get something out to you in the mail,” she promised before hanging up the phone.
Walking the rainy route back to her apartment, Isla thought about everything they’d discussed. Kevin was roughly two months younger than she, but he’d graduated high school the year after her. She liked how fond he was of his siblings as Isla was close with her brothers as well. Speaking of which, she should probably call them. Ryan was four years older, while Weston was only two years her senior.
Growing up with brothers Isla had developed a tomboy attitude, and it took dating Andrew to bring out a girly side in her. If she wasn’t playing soccer or basketball, she was cheering in the stands at Ryan and Weston’s football games. Isla’s mother had always been disappointed that she wasn’t more “girly” and insisted that she attend piano and dance lessons as a child and well into her high school years. She was just thankful she’d never been forced into Girl Scouts.
Walking into the front room, Isla was surprised to find Kate home from work. “Are you sickie?”
“Yep,” Kate responded, her nose obviously clogged with all sorts of mucous. Covered in two blankets and with a bowl of soup in her lap, she sighed. “I choked while coughing and threw up all over my desk.”
Isla wrinkled her nose. “Gross.” She grabbed her cardstock, her computer, and a few blank CDs and sat down on the hardwood floor. Her roommate was watching a rerun of Home Improvement while Bentley rested at her feet.
“So, where have you been?”
“I went to Starbucks and then for a little walk.” Isla stopped. “I think I’m going home this weekend.”
Kate widened her eyes incredulously. “What?” This was hard for her to believe. “You have been ignoring your parents ever since we got back. I don’t know what to say.”
Isla shrugged her shoulders and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. “I think I miss my brothers. Maybe I’ll stay with Weston.”
“Your parents would kill you if you didn’t stay with them and you know it.” Kate was right. Making a reservation to leave early the next morning, Isla smiled at her decision. She wasn’t sure what had gotten into her, but for right now, ignoring her problems seemed wrong.
“I’m going to run to the grocery store. Need anything?”
“Drugs,” she replied pitifully. “Anything and everything that says decongestant.”
Isla offered a frown as she slung her purse over her shoulder and reached for her umbrella. “See you soon!”
Isla wandered down the isles of the grocery store, tossing a few necessities into her basket. As she walked, she jotted some thoughts down on her shopping list. Mostly they were songs she thought Kevin might like. Stopping abruptly in front of the disposable cameras, she grabbed the least expensive one and added it to her collection of goodies. “Isla?” The mention of her name averted her attention from the note she was scribbling down. Instantly she recognized her friend Brad and rushed over to him. Dropping her basket to the ground, the two enveloped each other into a hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever,” he replied honestly. “I thought you’d transferred or something.”
Brad and Isla had met sophomore year and we supposed to be enrolled in a women’s literature class together. “No, something just came up and I took the semester off.”
“Oh,” he murmured. “Well how’s the family? And Andrew?”
Isla flinched. “I’m actually going to visit the fam this weekend, so I’ll keep you posted.” She noticed he was still waiting for her to respond on her relationship. Brad was someone she had frequently turned to in the past for advice. “Andrew….” There was never a great way to say this. “Andrew passed away unexpectedly in late February.” She’d said it. It was almost surreal, the feeling of relief she felt wash over her. All this time she’d been avoiding telling people, keeping her thoughts and emotions bottled up inside and in the end it actually felt good to tell the truth.
Brad pulled her into a close hug. “God Isla, I’m so sorry.” Of course he was. Everyone was sorry. It’s all they could say in a moment like this.
“Thank you,” she replied with a weak smile. A familiar awkward silence hung in the air, neither one sure of what to say next. “Well I should really get going. I have packing to do before my trip tomorrow. It was great seeing you, call me sometime?” And she was off, without another look behind her.