"You need to start dating," Marcus said one afternoon at practice. "Seriously. It's been three months since Lucy. You can't stay celibate forever."
"I'm not celibate. I'm just—not interested."
"Because you're still hung up on Lucy."
"So what if I am? I'm allowed to take time to get over a relationship."
"Three months isn't taking time. Three months is wallowing. Jake, she's not coming back. She made her choice. You need to accept that and move on."
"I am moving on."
"You're not. You still order six pork buns every Wednesday. You still sleep on one side of the bed. You still have that photo of her on your phone as your lock screen."
Jake pulled out his phone and looked at his lock screen—Lucy in Paris, smiling at him during his July visit. Happy. Beautiful. Gone.
"I'll change it," Jake said.
"When?"
"Soon."
"Jake—"
"Marcus, I'm fine. I'm coaching, the team is winning, I'm functioning. That's enough for now."
"It's really not."
But before Marcus could continue, Emma skated over. She was nine now, still obsessed with hockey, still asking about Miss Lucy every single week.
"Coach Jake! Can I show you something?"
"Of course, Em."
Emma demonstrated a new move she'd learned from YouTube—a quick spin followed by a backhand shot. It was impressive for a nine-year-old.
"That's great. But watch your weight distribution. You're leaning too far forward. Like this—" Jake demonstrated the proper form.
Emma tried again, this time nailing it perfectly.
"Did you see? Did you see?"
"I saw. You're getting really good, Em."
"Do you think Miss Lucy would be proud?"
Jake felt his chest tighten. "Yeah. I think she would be."
"Is she ever coming back?"
"I don't know, Emma. I don't think so."
"That's sad. She was nice. And she made really good pastries." Emma skated off, leaving Jake standing there feeling like he'd been punched.
That night, Jake finally did what he'd been putting off for months. He went home and packed up all of Lucy's things.
The clothes she'd left in his drawer. Her toothbrush in his bathroom. Her coffee mug on his counter. The book she'd been reading, still bookmarked on page 142. All the little pieces of her that had accumulated during those three months they'd been together.
Jake put everything in a box. Sealed it. Wrote "LUCY" on the side.
