Chapter
2: "Too Late"
_~*~_
Ring.
The
phone's ring was insistent—and so was the person on the other line. No, no one
ever called Tyler Connell a quitter.
Val
stared numbly at the phone, at the Caller ID blank that was filled in by
digitally written numbers: T CONNELL. She had never had this much trouble not
answering the phone before. Sure, when it was he she often sat back, watched it
ring, and then sobbed her eyes out afterwards. But it was harder now, actually
having spoke to him the other day. She involuntarily reached for it and picked
it up.
Put
it down, she ordered herself. But still she held on, dying to just hear his
voice again, even if it meant insomnia that night, replaying a scene from five
years ago.
"Is
this goodbye?" she asked, eyes questioning.
"No!"
Tyler was insistent—how was he supposed to lose Val over something that hadn't
even been meant that way?
"Thanks
for ending it now—it's better than later, when I actually might have died of
heartbreak." Val's throat forced out the words. No, she didn't want to have it
now than later! She wanted to enjoy it while she could.
"But,
Val, I don't want to…"
"Guess
that it's too late, huh?"
Too
late.
The
words echoed in Val's brain cruelly, reminding her again and again of what had
happened.
"Hello,"
she said to the mouthpiece of the telephone. On the other line, Tyler sighed
with relief.
"Thanks
for picking up. Look, Val, we need to talk."
"Talk?"
Val screamed. "We ruddy well do need to talk! You better not be coming back to
grovel, because I ruddy well don't want to listen! You dumped me, remember?
Remember? I don't want to hear it, not after five years! Don't you dare say you
just realized your mistake! I don't care!"
"Val—I
still lo—"
But
she had hung up. Tyler looked forlornly at the cell phone and sighed. "I still
love you, Val. Even if you don't care." He pressed the End button. No, he could
not take the blank buzz saying that Val thought it was over.
"Except,"
Tyler told the phone, "even if she thinks it's over, I won't."
The
phone rang. Tyler stared as it as it rang again.
"Hello?"
he asked, hoping it was Val. Maybe I should make a cell phone with Caller
ID, he thought. Not a bad idea.
"Tyler!"
The voice was not Val's, but it sounded familiar. Exactly like one he had heard
the day before…
"Melissa?"
he asked, disbelieving.
"Exactly.
I tried calling your line a moment ago, but it was busy." Her voice was more
informal now than it had been at their first meeting.
"I
called Val," he said, depressed.
"I
see. Did she answer?" Melissa was amazed. Val never answered Tyler's calls. Well,
almost never, Melissa amended.
"Yeah."
Tyler sighed. "Then she said she didn't want me to grovel because she didn't
want to hear it and all."
"Ouch.
How many times did she use ruddy?"
"About
twice." Was that a good or bad thing?
"How
long was the conversation?" Melissa, after a year and half of being Val's
roommate in college, and another year or so of being a roommate in med school,
was an expert in reading Val—one of the best interpreters. Tyler had probably
been the best before, but Val-ese had changed since they broke up.
"About
a minute. Maybe less."
"Ouch,"
Melissa said again. "She must be mad."
"Well,
I guess she hasn't talked to me in, what, forever, so maybe she's releasing
emotion," Tyler said hopefully.
"Right."
Melissa sounded dubious as to whether it was that easy. Maybe he was right.
Maybe Val forgave him. But in case that hadn't happened, she had a backup plan.
"So, anyway, Tyler…"
"Yeah?"
He was suspicious. This girl was devious, and she played it to her favor.
"I
know how to get you to see Val again."
"You
do?" Okay, now he didn't care if she was devious, this was playing to his favor
as well.
"Yeah.
Do you mind sleeping on a fold-out sofa?" That question wasn't necessary,
Melissa knew, twisting the cord of the phone at Delta Kappa Delta, but it made
it more mysterious and enticing and just prolonged knowledge of the plan. She
was an expert in these matters, and she knew what his answer would be.
"Not
if I get to see Val," Tyler said. "Am I coming to your apartment?"
Ooh,
he was intelligent. "Exactly."
"But
Val will kick me out."
Okay,
so maybe he still is good at reading Val, Melissa said to herself. But
that's just a step in the right direction.
"We
have a policy, Val and I," Melissa told Tyler, "and she can't kick out any
guest I invite and I can't kick out any guest she invites. So, like, if I want
my sister to come over but Val doesn't, then I can invite her anyway, as long
as she doesn't, you know, interfere with Val's personal space."
"But
Val will say I'm interfering with her personal space even if I'm not," Tyler
pointed out. "And I don't want Val any madder than she already is."
Melissa
hadn't considered that point of view in depth, but she had glanced over it a
couple of times.
"Well,
then we can work that out later. And don't you want to see Val?"
Kick
in the stomach. "Of course I do!"
"Good.
You have to pay for your own airfare, though. Pick you up on Friday morning,
see you then."
And
she hung up. Tyler looked at his phone.
"Why
do they always do that?" he asked.
*
Val
was watching TV on her couch, sniffing. Her cold wasn't quite gone, and she was
left with a stuffy and runny nose, though she had no idea how she had both at
once. Her head hurt and she just wanted to watch TV all day. Which I have,
considering it's three o' clock, thought Val.
She blew her nose and
sighed, hoping her professors hadn't given pop quizzes today or the past two
days she had been sick. She had called in and asked them to give homework to
Roger Lin to give it to her, but they probably thought she had a hangover and
was calling in sick to skip school.
Val realized she was lucky
her professors even knew her in the class of 500 or so, but she was at the top
of the class and all teachers knew the top students. Not personally, but they
at least remembered her last name, which counted in her favor.
She was just reaching for
another tissue when Melissa opened the door. Well, judged from the amount of
footsteps, there was someone besides Melissa, but that was probably her sister
Rachel.
"Hey, Melissa," Val greeted
her, getting up off the couch and walking around the wall separating the living
room from the foyer. Well, mini-foyer. "What in the world did you say to—"
Val was cut off by shock as
she saw Melissa standing next to the man that had haunted her every thought for
five years.
"Tyler," Val gasped.
*
Val
had changed, Tyler noticed, but seemingly for the better. Her blond hair was
pulled into a high ponytail and her nose was red from her cold, but she looked
gorgeous to him all the same.
"Tyler,"
she said, sounding short of breath. Which she was.
"Val."
She
had no idea it would hurt this much just to look into Tyler's eyes. He was
unprepared, and unguarded, and so emotions that Val had never thought she'd see
again were obvious in his blue eyes. Once again she wanted to cry and tell him
she had never stopping loving him and that her heart was still broken…
But
that was impossible, because then she would let him know she had been helpless
for five years and she did not want him to know that. Val Lanier had a sense of
pride, and that was what was governing her will at this moment, and her will
was strong enough to stop her from falling into his arms.
"How
on earth could you, Melissa?" Val asked, feeling betrayed. "How on
earth?"
She
slowly backed away, shaking her head. Tyler watched her disappear into her
room.
I
should have gone after her, he said, angry at himself as the door shut. I
should have gone.
Save me from the silent ocean
Drown me in the raging sea
I don't quite care where I'm taken
Long as you come back to me
Tyler
dropped his bag onto the carpet and crossed to Val's room in long strides. Too
late, he sighed as he knocked on the door. I'm too late.
"Go
away, Tyler," came the choked sob. "Go away."
Fine,
Val, I'll go. But I won't leave. I'll never leave—I'll always be right here,
ready to hold you. Is that okay? Will you hate me forever for that?
Miserable thoughts ran through Tyler's mind, but at least they were miserable
thoughts that made a vow, strong and silent.
Fly me high as you can
And no matter what you do
Always come back again
Come back to me
Fly me high as you can
And then come back again
Fly me high, high
Into the blue sky
Fly me high as you can
Free in the sweet air
Tell me you'll always be there
Fly high, high again
