Page 153 of Colliding with Ten

“Okay.”

“Did the burglars take your food? Because there was nothing in there. I found a pickle, that’s it.”

Despite everything, I chuckled.

“I ordered food,” he continued. “It’s in the kitchen. It’s enough for a small village, because I didn’t know when you’d eaten last, knowing you.”

I hadn’t eaten since the plane—some nuts—and before that, I couldn’t remember. We’d spent years learning each other’s patterns. He knew I couldn’t eat when stressed, so the best thing he could do was bring food and wait until I was ready to talk.

We ate in comfortable silence and went through a fair share of the food that could feed an offensive line. Jace understood that I needed space more than I needed words.

“So,” he said, wiping his hands. “Ayla.”

“Yeah.”

“This is serious.”

It wasn’t a question. I’d left a football game for her. There was no level of seriousness beyond that.

We talked. I told him about the break-in and the phone call. I described watching three men in my house and being unable to stop it. I didn’t mention calling her “my girl” in front of Coach Reeves. Some things didn’t need explaining. Jace listened and understood.

“She’s tough,” he said when I finished.

“Yeah, but she’s traumatized too.”

“Have you talked to her since she went to her brother?”

“I’ve been calling. I get her voicemail every time.”

“She’s not picking up?”

“I think her phone is off. She told me the battery was dead when I dropped her off, but she’s been home for hours.” I stared at the coffee table. “She’s probably choosing not to answer. Or sleeping.”

Jace nodded, processing the information. He knew what I went through when Ayla shut me out before.

“Maybe she’s just in it with AJ right now. That conversation isn’t easy.”

“Maybe,” I said, my voice faraway.

But my mind churned through other possibilities. Some involved her pulling away again. Maybe the conversation with AJ went badly, and she was in no state to talk to anyone. Maybe she was out getting drunk. Then I thought, what if she found someone better, someone without this kind of life? I shared some of these concerns with Jace, and some I didn’t.

“She drove to see you in Buffalo, in the middle of the night. Don’t let the fear send you into a spiral.”

Jace left around midnight. At the door, he turned back. “She’ll call. She’s just dealing with AJ.”

“Yeah.”

“And if she doesn’t call, we’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah.”

He studied me. “Get some sleep.”

I locked the door behind him. With the security system checked and rechecked, I walked through every room in the house to confirm I was alone. Then I sat on the couch and tried Ayla again.

Voicemail. “It’s me. I’m home. Call me when you can. I just need to know you’re okay, baby.”

Then I sat there, staring at the screen until it went dark.