“Jer!”
“What?!” he croaks in tandem with pulling up to a stoplight not far from the airport. “You’re the one that’s just up and ghosting the dude.”
“I’m not just ghosting him!”
“Oh, so then why isn’thedriving you to the airport?”
“I…um…” Unfortunate familiar cravings cross my tongue forcing me to mess with my hair instead. “He…” My fingers begin combing up the back of it to create a high pony. “It’s too early.”
“Did he say that?”
A long lull passes before I meekly reply, “No.”
“Did you offer him thechanceto decide that?”
Uncomfortable silence yet again appears first. “No.”
“Did you even give him a chance to figure outwhenhe can see you again?”
Combing becomes frantic. Chaotic. “No.”
“Ifhe can see you again?”
“No.”
“And the refs say…” he cups his ear as if listening to an actual third person, “it’s a personal foul.Ghosting.”
“That’s not a real foul.”
“It is in our personal lives.”
“Why are you giving me so much shit for this?”
“Why do you pick work over everything else?”
“Why do you?!” I defensively squawk and turn my frame to better face him. “Why is it only a problem when I do it?!”
“It’s a problem when I do it too!”
His admission successfully silences me.
“Unlike you, Nae, I haven’t found a reason to change it.” He takes the right towards the drop off area. “Hell, I haven’t even found a reason tothinkabout changing it.” His hoodie bearing shoulders innocently bounce. “Yeah, ball comes before everything elseexceptyou, but one day Iwantthat shit to change. Iwannahave a life outside of the court.” Creeping up to the curb allows him to finally find my stare again. “You’ve had all these opportunities and maybe they weren’t worth it, but I think this one is.” Jer shifts into park. “And I think you think this one is. And maybe that scares you more than you can admit which is theunderlyingreason why you ghosted him.”
“Maybe it does and maybe it is,” escapes just above a whisper. “Butthisis my dream gig, Jer. I have to go after it.”
“I’m not saying don’t. I’m just saying…maybe learn to have room for both the dream gigandthe dream dude in your life.”
A small nod of acknowledgement is followed by me leaning over to hug him.
“Although, you already have the dream brother,” he mirthfully adds. “Maybe you don’t need anything else.”
Warm laughs are attached to a kiss goodbye on the cheek. “I’ll text you when I land.”
“And you’ll text J.T. when…?”
Instead of answering, I simply grab my suitcase from the back, wave goodbye, and shuffle off to make my flight.
Post fast passing through security – benefit of traveling all around the globe for work – I swing by Mocha Loca Casabloca for a cup of coffee, the absurdly long line the perfect opportunity to take out my phone to text J.T.
