Learn to Fly (53 page)

“
I
love you, you know.”

“
I
know.”

She hung up the
phone, her heart heavier than when she started out that day. Words
of love could only mean so much spilling from the lips of a drunk.
She hoped he would call her tomorrow but knew the chances that he
would even remember their conversation was unlikely.

She put her phone
back in her pocket and rejoined her group. Ben had noticed her tense
phone conversation and came to sit beside her on the vacant stool.

“
You
wanna talk about it?” he asked.

“
No,”
Lenny smiled at him apologetically. “Sorry, I just wouldn’t
know what to say I guess.” She pushed her beer away, suddenly
disgusted by the taste.

“
Let
me know if I can help in any way.” Ben said sincerely.

“
I
will.” Lenny smiled and flagged the bartender down. She
ordered some club soda and eased her way back into the conversation
around the bar. She tried to not be distracted by her recent phone
call. She had wanted him to call so badly. But she hadn’t
wanted him to call while he was drunk. She tried to push the memory
of the girlish giggles in the background far from thoughts. They
weren’t together, he was allowed to do whatever he wanted.

***

Luke got home late
that night. He didn’t really know how he’d gotten home,
he just knew he was there now. Trying to get his key to go into the
lock. He staggered and fell down in the hallway. He looked up at
the door knob and frowned. His eyes couldn’t quite focus and
he blinked hard to clear the fog. He pushed himself back into a
standing position and tried again.

Suddenly the door
opened and Sway hauled him inside.

“
What
the hell?” Sway was angry, Luke could tell and it cracked him
up. He laughed loudly at Sway's cranky expression.

“
Where
have you been?” Sway demanded as Luke stumbled and then fell
in the living room.

“
I
went out,” Luke slurred and tried to stand up again.

***

Sway stared at him,
in complete shock. Luke hadn’t gotten drunk in years. This
was so unlike him. This was the old Luke. The Luke none of them
could stand.

“
You
smell like the perfume counter at Macy’s,” Sway accused.

“
Yeah,”
Luke laughed as he found a seat on the couch, “Girls like me.”

“
You’re
joking, right?” Sway was beyond disappointed. Luke looked
like hell. His clothes were all a mess and his shirt was barely
buttoned. Sway had had enough.

“
You’re
an asshole!” He shouted at Luke. Luke winced but didn’t
say anything. “You’re in love with Lenny! What have you
done?!”

Luke
stood up angrily. “She left me, Sway!
She
left me!
”
Luke shouted back.

“
So
that makes it okay to screw some nobody!” Sway was shaking
with fury.

“
No!”
Luke was shaking his head in protest, confused by his own foggy
memories and his overwhelming grief. “I just bought some
drinks. I didn’t…” His voice faltered, too drunk
to think clearly. “I didn’t want to be alone…”
He collapsed back onto the sofa and hung his head.

“
It’s
just as well she left,” Sway said sharply, “You never
deserved her.” He slammed the door to his bedroom, leaving
Luke alone in the dark.

Blake had gone down
to the corner store to get a few things. Nothing crucial; fresh
produce and some milk. He carried his basket to the counter and
waited patiently in line. His eyes casually browsed the tabloid
covers, just like anyone else would. He paused on one in particular.
He blinked his eyes hard and squinted, thinking he was seeing things.
He grabbed the magazine off the rack and stuck it in his basket. He
kept his face stoic as he paid for his items and left.

In the elevator ride
up to his loft, Blake pulled the magazine out and studied the cover
again. He hadn’t been seeing things. It was a picture of Luke
making out with some chick. The headline read: LUKE CASEY CAUGHT
CHEATING! LENNA HUMILIATED AND IN HIDING!

Blake stepped out of
the elevator and quickly opened the door to his loft. He set his
purchases down on the counter and opened the cheaply printed
multicolored pages. Normally, he would never even look at these
types of stories. They were always false and misleading, designed to
cause trouble. But the sickening feeling in Blake’s stomach
forced him to look at the rest of the photos.

The magazine had a
full spread on Luke’s indiscretions. He was pictured sitting in
a bar with an unknown girl on his lap. His shirt was unbuttoned and
her hands were all over his chest. The article quoted eye witnesses
as describing Luke to be “very drunk” and “making
out and dancing with several women all night long.”

Blake ground his
teeth together. This was a local, overnight publication, meaning
that the events had happened within the past twenty-four hours and
usually within the city limits. But it would go national in a few
days. Lenny would see it eventually. That was it. Blake knew, Luke
had lost her forever.

***

Luke climbed out of
unconsciousness in the spare room of Sway’s apartment, his head
throbbing. He sat up slowly and winced at the added pain from the
minimal effort. He rested his head in his hands as he swung his legs
to the floor, trying to clear the fog that had built up in his mind.
He couldn’t remember anything from last night but he knew he
felt terrible.

His stomach felt
like he had swallowed pure acid and he wasn’t sure if he was
going to throw up or not. He hadn’t been this hung over in a
very long time. He looked down at the clothes he was still wearing
from the night before and flashes of memory fired through his brain
but he couldn't tell what was real and what had been a dream.

He stood up and made
his way to the bathroom for a hot shower. As the the steam swirled
around him, he tried to focus his thoughts, deciphering reality from
nightmare. He had gone to a bar. He kind of remembered Sway being
pissed at him when he came home.

He got out of the
shower and dried himself off, no better than when he had woken up.
He was getting dressed when Sway started yelling at him to come out
into the living room.

“
What’s
up man?” Luke wasn’t sure if this was just a
continuation of their fight from last night or if this was something
new. He really wished he could remember more.

Sway threw a cheap
magazine on the table and Luke was even more confused than he had
been a moment ago.

“
You
can’t stay here.” Sway said calmly, his jaw working
under his skin. “Not if you’re gonna live like this.”

Luke frowned and
walked over to the tabloid, squinting at the cover. His eyes widened
and he flipped to the inside. His stomach lurched and bile rose in
his esophagus as he was confronted with the decisions he’d made
the night before. The memories came back in a blurry rush and he
staggered to the sofa to sit down, unable to speak.

“
Does
this mean you don’t want Lenny anymore?” Sway asked, his
face flat and emotionless.

Luke looked around,
trying to get his bearings. That’s not what he had wanted at
all. He just wanted to feel differently than how he’d been
feeling. He looked back at the photos with sudden realization, he
didn’t want her to see these.

He quickly pulled
out his phone and checked his call history. He had called her last
night. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate but he couldn’t
remember what they had talked about. He looked up at Sway with
desperation.

“
No,”
his voice cracked, “She’s the only one I want.”

Sway shook his head
and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.

“
Did
you sleep with any of those girls?“ Sway asked, his face cold
and dispassionate.

The memories were
muddy but he could almost put them in order now.

“
No.
I came straight home from the bar, alone.” Luke was positive
of that. It didn’t matter how drunk he had gotten, his goal
hadn’t been to get laid.

Sway sighed and
paced across the living room a few times. “I don’t know
how you’re gonna fix it. You know she’s gonna see this
eventually.”

Luke thought he had
reached the lowest point in his emotional fortitude the day before.
But this was a whole new level of loss. How was he ever going to get
her back now? She was so much better than his behavior dictated.
She deserved better than him, no wonder she had left.

Why had he been so
determined to prove that he didn't need her? At this point, when he
realized what a life without her actually looked like, he knew what
kind of a moron he really was. The worst kind.

He'd regressed to
old habits to ease his pain and in doing so may have destroyed any
opportunity to get back the one woman that mattered to him.

“
Maybe…”
Sway began and Luke looked up at him, hope making a tentative step
back into his heart. “I might have an idea…” Sway
grimaced at him. “But let's be clear about something, I am
not
pleased with your actions. You've really messed up this time.”
Luke nodded in agreement. “But you've bailed all of us out at
one time or another, the least we can do is help you pull your head
out of your ass.” He sighed with disappointment and ran his
hand through his hair, “We have to have a family meeting.”

***

Lenny
awoke with a smile. The skies were clear and powder was waiting.
She dressed quickly and quietly in the early morning, careful not to
wake Shelby Lynn who had gone to bed far too late.
All
that flirting with Travis Jenkins
,
Lenny snickered to herself.

She practically ran
to the Lodge for breakfast. She yanked open the door and was greeted
with the smell of pancakes and bacon, her stomach growled in happy
anticipation.

Ben and Serge waved
to her from a table near the back and she joined them. Taking off
her coat and hanging it on the back of her chair, she sat down across
from Serge and next to Ben.

“
Good
morning!” She greeted as she poured herself a steaming cup of
coffee from the pot on the table.

“
You’re
in a good mood this morning,” Ben noticed out loud.

“
Uh,
duh. I’m in freaking Alaska,” Lenny deadpanned. Serge
chuckled softly at her.

“
Here,
fill up.” Ben passed her a platter of food and she gladly dug
in.

“
Nick
is gonna take us out for a test run first,” Serge said. “Then
we’ll meet up with the others at their chosen location.”

Lenny circled the
table with her finger, “Just us?”

Serge nodded but
didn't pause in eating.

“
You
think you can hang with the big dogs?” Ben teased from next to
her.

“
Do
you?” Lenny countered with one eyebrow up, taking another bite
of pancakes. She really enjoyed how being at a higher altitude meant
you could eat more calories.

“
Smitty
is teaching the kids how to build a jump out of nothing,” Ben
added.

“
Nice.
I hope they give me a crack at it. I haven’t gotten a chance to
run one of Smitty’s kickers in a long time,” Lenny said
thoughtfully.

“
Remember
when Duke wrecked last time you were here?” Serge mentioned
with a smirk.

“
Gosh,
yes! I thought he was gonna kill himself that trip.” Lenny
shook her head at the memory.

“
I
woulda done it too had I known that you were playing nurse that
weekend.” Ben laughed and winked at Lenny.