Chapter Thirty-Three
Myles
Flynn leaves, and my world flips upside down.
The night of the accident, my best friend lost his parents. The drunken driver T-boned our car. Oli’s parents got the brunt of the impact. There was no way to avoid the accident. Watching your life flash before your eyes is an experience. When it happened, it was Flynn’s face I saw, our future together, marrying her, having kids… Then I blacked out.
There were moments when I thought I was dead, floating through some world between Earth and Heaven.
When Oli and I got over the initial shock that we had made it out alive, our relief was astronomical until we saw the horrid vision in front of us. I wouldn’t wish anything like that on my worst enemy. I didn’t think Oli would walk away from that a sane man. He needed his sister in that moment. Having Flynn with him in New York and taking care of her saved his life. He was doing the job his parents wanted him to do. I should have known the lie would backfire. I underestimated her ability to accept what happened. And she’s right—I felt fucking guilty for lying to her. It kept me awake at night. I stayed away from her, not knowing how to admit I had lied to her about something so important. She was my person, and after I lied to her face, I didn’t know how to live with that.
I lost the people who taught me about love and family. I couldn’t find my bearings. My head was so messed up, and I lived with the regret of that lie for seven years. But it wasn’t my lie to confess, I convinced myself. It was Oli who had to come clean. But I should have told her. I tried telling her the first night we made love. I told myself that whatever happened, she needed to know before we made love, but then she hushed me, and I suddenly didn’t want to taint our perfect night with the memory of sadness.
Now I may lose her forever. I just gained back her trust, her love. We weren’t strong enough to withstand this hardship.
I walk back into the house because I need to check on Oli. If he is drunk enough to confess such an important truth in public, it means he’s not in his right mind. I pass Jamie with a bunny on his arm. “Hey, man! Have you seen Oli?”
He points to the hall. “In the fucking bathroom. Man! Nils isn’t too happy about that shit.”
“Sorry. I hope he didn’t put a damper on your birthday.”
“Fuck no.” He grins down at the bunny on his arm.
“Take care of him. It’s his birthday.” I wink at her.
“Oh! I plan to,” she responds with a sultry voice and stars in her eyes.
I knock on the bathroom door and hear Oli’s muffled voice. “Go the fuck away.”
“Oli, it’s me,” I say, and I hear the lock turn. He opens the door on his knees and moves back to his spot hugging the toilet.
“I fucked up, Myles. I didn’t have the balls to tell her sober. I fucked up,” he keeps muttering.
“You did, my friend. I ain’t gonna lie. I hope you didn’t fuck things up for me, too, because she told me she needs space.” I don’t want to come down on him too much because this whole situation is sad, but fuck, I hope I didn’t lose the love of my life for a second time tonight.
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs. He looks like he’s about to pass out.
“Yeah,” I sigh. I know he didn’t mean to hurt either of us. Reality is, there’s no good way to reveal this secret. Not to Flynn, not after everything she’s been through.
I step outside the bathroom to see if one of the guys can help me lift Oli, since he’s passed out on the toilet seat. At least he didn’t make too much of a mess. I spot Dave. “Hey, man, can you help me get this guy to a room?”
Dave takes a peek into the bathroom and winces. Oli is only wearing a pair of wet boxer shorts. “Yeah, sure.” He sighs sympathetically. The team is made up of good people. That’s why I like playing with them. We have each other’s backs on and off the ice, which is nice, even though we aren’t close to everyone.
Dave and I carry Oli up the stairs. The big ogre is wet and damn heavy, but we make it to the first bedroom and drop him on the bed.
“Thanks, man.” I give Dave a fist bump.
“Sure thing, Cap,” he replies. He heads out of the room. I hang around a while longer to make sure Oli’s okay. I sit on a chair by the window and text Flynn.
It’s only two words, but they give me a spark of hope. I pray her response means something, because I can’t let her slip through my fingers again.