“Sometimes . . . she regrets it, too.” She clears her throat and looks away. I nearly fall out of my chair. Did she just admit she misses me?
“Mr. Ellis, thank you for the candid honesty.” She moves on. “I have one last question before we end.” Laney tucks some hair behind her ear. I want to reach out and touch her, but I don’t. I keep my distance, my heart fluttering from her confession.
I nod her on.
“Where do you see yourself in five years?”
I smile. I know exactly where I see myself. “Playing for the NFL with a Super Bowl ring on my finger.”
Laney chuckles. “I have no doubt, Mr. Ellis, that one day that will become a reality.”
With that, Laney ends the interview.
“Please don’t forget to sign the football and give it to Josh.” Laney gathers her notebook and pen and places them into her book bag.
“I’ll drop it off right after I leave.”
“Thanks.” She slings her backpack over her shoulder. “Good interview. You’re a pro.” She teases me, but I’m not in a very playful mood.
“You weren’t so bad yourself.” I grab her hand as she walks by.
There’s regret on her face, but she doesn’t pull away. “Whatever it is you think you need to say, you don’t. It’s in the past. We’ve both moved on.”
I stare, wondering if she really believes that. I sure as hell don’t. She feels as real today as she did three and a half years ago.
“I really am sorry,” I profess, rubbing my thumb over her hand.
“Don’t be.” She pulls it away and touches my face; my skin nearly catches fire.
I’ll always be sorry.
“I gotta go. See you next week, All-Star.”
My chest tightens from the term of endearment. She hasn’t called me that in years.
“Same time, same place,” I assure her wistfully.
Laney throws me a sweet smile over her shoulder right before she leaves. I don’t follow. Instead, I sit back down and spin the football mindlessly on the table. Some strange sense of hope tingling inside me.
“I lost someone I loved once, and I will always regret that.”
“Sometimes . . . she regrets it, too.”
