Valerie

"Valerie?" I call, but the only place she could be is the bathroom and I see it's open a bit, and dark.

Maybe she went out for coffee, I assume. Not surprising she didn't leave a note. I'm a little pissed off but whatever.

We have to go downstairs for brunch soon. Every one will be there. I wonder how I'll be able to stare her father in her eye, laugh with Tom, knowing what I did to their daughter and sister the night before.

An hour passes. Valerie doesn't come back. I do what I didn't want to do in the first place: I text Tom.

"You hear from Valerie?"

"Yeah," is his annoyingly succinct reply.

"Know where she is?"

"Back in LA. Or in flight. Dunno."

I sit down on the bed. I don't even have her fucking number. "What's her #?"

Ten agonizing minutes later he answers me. "Between you two. Not getting involved. See you at brunch."

I don't bother shaving. I shuffle downstairs, looking like shit, and make a beeline for Tom.

"It's important," I say, ignoring Theresa's glare.

"She made me promise not to give it to you." Tom sighs and looks at Theresa, who is making some pretty interesting expressions. "Look, it's the day after my wedding. I can't worry about your drama anymore."

And then he lets Theresa drag him off to say hello to all her aunts and uncles again and I'm lost.

Valerie has fucked me, and fucked me over. She's gotten her revenge. I can't begrudge her too much; I deserved it.

I leave the brunch early, pick up a bottle of rum on my way home and get obliterated as soon as I open the door to my apartment.

*****************

Two weeks later I'm sicker than I've ever been in my entire life. The flu like I've never seen it has ravaged my town and I am the latest victim. I rest in bed, texting my friends and even my mom to complain. Truthfully the illness is a respite from having my heart stomped on.

Then I call in sick to school, but they want me to call the substitute teacher myself. Such pains in the asses, I think to myself, but I scroll through my address book on my iPhone. Mandy, her name is, I think.

But before I get there my eyes catch on something. I scroll upwards.

"Never Same Woman Twice" is a new entry for sure, and I know who it is even before I press "call". She was always big on serendipity, on destiny. I can imagine her now, the morning after we had sex, staring at me sleeping and as unsure about it all as I was. So she relied on fate.

"If he finds me, it's meant to be," she probably told herself.

I'm irritated, but more than that I'm fucking elated.

She answers almost immediately. She's groggy though and I remember she's still on the west coast and three hours behind.

"Valerie," I breathe.

"Took you long enough, jeesh. Do you have a cold?"

"The flu," I mutter distractedly. "What if I never found this, you crazy girl?"

"Our paths would have crossed again some day."

I roll my eyes and rest my head against the pillow. Pain in the ass.

"So what girl are you today?"

She is silent for a while and I would wonder if she is still there if I couldn't hear her breathing.

"The kind of girl who packs up all she owns to move back to NY and start all over. With everything and everyone."

"With me?"

"We'll see," she says, a smile in her voice.

"'We'll see' means no," I laugh.

I'm laughing but I'm really dying inside because all I want is to touch her.

"Bye, Michael. Rest up."

"When are you coming back?" I manage to ask before she hangs up.

"A month, maybe. Could be two."

"Call me? I want to get to know you again. Please."

"You must be on some really awesome flu medicine."

"Valerie."

"I'll call you," she promises and then I hear nothing.

***********

We don't really speak again. Tom is off in la-la-land and he meant it when he said he didn't want to be in the middle.

I've sent her a few texts. Her answers are curt and discouraging.

Her last simply said, "Will call you when I'm town."

I didn't expect hearts and flowers but I thought we were on a path to something great again.

I've just left school one spring afternoon and I hear my phone go off. I connect with bluetooth and say "Hello?" just as I come up to a red light.

Silence for a moment. Then, "Michael? It's me. I'm in town."

I take a deep breath. "Valerie."

The light turns green.