11. Leyland

Leyland

Minor accidents become big deals in my circle after the coma.

I was fine; my hand was fine but nobody listened and when I woke this morning my parents and god sister were in my home—uninvited, but here.

“There’s barely any food in this place, Ley,” Ophelia said as she opened and closed every cabinet her five foot two stature could reach.

Pick an even number between two and ten.

“I’ve been working,” I mumbled, watching the thought bubbles move as Clementine typed her response.

“Working so much that you barely have food at home is the reason you keep ending up in the hospital,” my mother chimed in, earning a hum from my father that said he agreed.

I get the feeling you know which number I’ll pick.

I smiled.

She was right, but I decided late last night after a bout of inspiration struck, and I painted into the wee hours of the morning that I would pretend I knew nothing for this first date.

Let’s pretend I don’t. Number please, tiny.

Her response was quick.

Six

Just as I expected.

For her the number six symbolized the age tragedy struck, the number of full-ride academic scholarships she earned for undergrad and medical school, the number of schools that offered them, and her line number during initiation into one of the divine nine.

There were a few other instances where the number six was attached to the worst time of her life, like the year of her sister’s passing. But Clementine embraced the good and bad. To her, it signified she was living, and I admired that.

“I’ll do better,” I said, giving Ophelia and my parents the attention they desired now that I had what I needed from Clementine. “But when inspiration hits, I have to embrace it. No matter what happened before.”

The gala was two and a half weeks away, and I barely finished two pieces. I had my mind set on four, even though it wasn’t required.

“If Duke hadn’t called…”

I frowned, gaze pinned on Ophelia, who had immediately stopped speaking.

“Duke called you about this?” I lifted my wrapped hand. “The same Duke wearing a splint?”

Ophelia shifted uncomfortably under my gaze. “He was worried about you, Ley. We all are.”

What he wanted was a reason to talk to her, but she wouldn’t cop to that. Nor to the fact that she’d come all the way from California to see him, not me.

“I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. Really. The stitches are nothing like before.”

My father, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. “Son, we know your art is important to you. But your health and well-being come first. Maybe it’s time to consider hiring an assistant, someone to help manage things, so you’re not stretched so thin.”

I considered my father’s suggestion. It wasn’t a bad idea, especially with the upcoming gala and other projects Duke was working on for me.

“You might be right,” I conceded. “I’ll talk to Duke about putting out some feelers for one.”

My mother’s face brightened. “See how easy that was? It would give us all peace of mind knowing you have some help. Now…” she clapped. “Let’s order you some groceries and I’ll make us a late breakfast.”

I shook my head, ready to decline, but got distracted by a new text.

What are you planning? And how many outfits do I need?

Don’t worry about it. As for your fits, wear something comfortable in the morning and sneakers. In the afternoon, casual is cool. But for dinner, dress up. I wouldn’t mind seeing you in a pair of heels.

If not anything else, Clementine Warren could rock a pair of heels. She already had legs for days, but in heels? They were miles long.

“Who are you texting that has you smiling like that?” Ophelia asked, a knowing glint in her eye.

I shook my head.

“Just finalizing some plans.”

My mother perked up at that. “Oh? What kind of plans?”

“Nothing major,” I said, deflecting. “Just some inspiration for new pieces.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie. Everything about Clementine inspired me, but especially lately.

I ignored their stares and opened my local grocery store’s app to make the order, deciding a late breakfast wouldn’t hurt.

“Anything specific I should add to the cart?” I asked before closing out immediately after seeing the wait time. “Never mind. I’ll go pick them up.”

I stood and tucked my phone into the pocket of my sweats.

“Send me a list through text.”

“I’ll drive you,” Ophelia suggested, a look in her eyes telling me she wanted to have a private conversation.

I agreed, and we set off, choosing her rental car instead of my truck. She couldn’t handle the big body Audi, even though she tried whenever in town.

“I’ve been thinking about moving back home,” she said a few minutes into the drive.

“For yourself or Duke?” I asked with little thought.

She scoffed but didn’t correct me.

“For myself…”

“And?” I prodded.

“Duke and I have been talking since your accident,” she admitted. “At first, he was keeping me up to date with your status and then… I don’t know, Ley.”

I cut my eyes at the girl, now woman, I’d grown up with. We had pictures together in diapers; I knew Ophelia well, and we had never looked to one another for approval when it came to relationships.

“Are you asking me if it’s okay to pursue something with my best friend?” I queried, doing the hard work for her.

She sighed or laughed, maybe both, and then said, “I guess I am. But maybe I’m not. He hasn’t exactly admitted to having feelings for me.”

Ah.

Now we were getting somewhere.

“To start, I don’t care if you and Duke decide to date. As long as he respects you and you’re happy, that’s all that matters. As for the rest, I don’t have much to give, Phi. That’s a conversation you have to broach with him.”

Ophelia nodded slowly, processing my words. “You’re right. I need to talk to him directly. It’s just... complicated, you know? We’ve all been friends for so long and I don’t want to mess up the friendship. And there’s the possibility he doesn’t feel the same at all.”

I understood her hesitation. The dynamics of our friend group could certainly shift if they started dating. But I also knew they both deserved happiness.

“Life’s too short to not go after what you want,” I told her, thinking of Clementine. “If there’s a chance for something real between you two, don’t let fear hold you back.”

She glanced at me, a small smile tugging at her lips, as we parked. “When did you get so wise, Ley?”

I chuckled.

“Let’s just say I’ve had some time to think about what’s really important lately.”

She hummed and left the conversation at that, which I appreciated.

We were inside the grocery store when I spoke again, stopping Ophelia in the produce section.

“It would be nice to have you back though, Phi,” I said. “I know this place hasn’t been home for a while, but the people here are, and we miss you.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but then looked past me and said, “Is that Olivia?”

I glanced over my shoulder and tensed a little.

Olivia spotted us and began walking over, a bright smile on her face. It had been years since I’d seen her, but she looked much the same - tall, thick in every place you could imagine, with short dark hair that stopped at her shoulders and brown eyes that never needed the sun’s assistance.

She was gorgeous, but I felt nothing, and that further confirmed my feelings for Clementine.

“Leyland? Ophelia? It’s so good to see you both!” she exclaimed, pulling us each into a quick hug. “Did Reggie tell you I ran into him recently?”

I nodded and returned the hug awkwardly, hyper-aware of Ophelia watching our interaction. “Hey Olivia. How are you?”

“I’m in a great place,” she said, eyes scrutinizing mine. “How have you been? I heard about your accident. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

I could sense her nervous energy.

“Thanks, I’m doing much better now,” I said with a polite smile. “Congratulations on the new job.”

She beamed.

“Thank you! It’s been a big change, but I’m loving being in Austin. So many memories here.”

I nodded slowly and glanced at Ophelia, hoping she’d join the conversation and help me out of it.

“We should get together,” Olivia went on, drawing my gaze back to her. “It’s been so long and I’d love to catch up.”

It was right then that Ophelia spoke.

“I would love to hang!” she said excitedly. “Maybe we could all get together as a group sometime - you, me, Leyland, Duke, and the rest of the guys? It’ll feel like college all over again.”

I shot Ophelia a grateful look as Olivia’s smile faltered slightly.

“Oh, of course,” she said, recovering quickly. “A group hangout sounds great. Just let me know when and where.”

“Will do,” I replied, eager to end the conversation. “It was good seeing you, Olivia. We should probably finish up our shopping, though.”

She nodded.

“Don’t let me keep you. Take care, both of you.”

As Olivia walked away, Ophelia turned to me with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, that was awkward,” she said. “She’s clearly still interested.”

“Yeah, I picked up on that. Thanks for the save.”

“No problem...” she pushed our basket forward. “But you know, if you’re not interested, you should probably make that clear before she tries again. Unless you want to see what’s up with her.”

I shook my head.

“To be honest, I got somebody else on the brain and my history with Olivia won’t be able to change that. Some people are meant to stay in the past.”

Except Clementine.

She felt like a piece of my past, had somehow become part of my present, and I really hoped after our date we could try for a future together.

And as if she knew my mind had drifted to her, Clementine texted and everything about it left me smiling like the fool only she turned me into.

Sorry for the late reply. I’m double shifting it again today.

Heels. Noted.

Is triple texting weird? I have so much to say.

Right when I was about to reply, another text populated.

I want to know as much about you as you know about me.

“Oh, I see now,” Ophelia mused, bumping my arm with her shoulder. “You found the one .”

With time, you’ll know it all. My deepest, darkest secrets belong to you.

I looked up to find Ophelia watching me.

“She’s more than that,” I said. “She’s the only one .”