Page 21 of Crash and Burn

Something had changed in me over the course of those few weeks. It wasn’t that I hadn’t thought about Dev. I had; I just hadn’t been as depressed. Maybe because I spent my time making sure Amelia was okay. A sense of sadness hit me. I got out of bed and walked over to the dresser. A framed photo of Devina and I sat propped in the corner of it. I said, “Devina, I’m not forgetting you. I’m not sure how to describe it. It feels good to not be sad all the time, but it doesn’t mean I don’t miss you. I hope you aren’t upset with me. I’ve found a friend…I think anyway, as long as I haven’t completely scared her off. I wish you were here, Dev.” It was all I could say before getting lost in a memory.

*

“Hudson. You should go out tonight with the guys.”

“What for?”

“Because you need to spend time with your friends. I need a girl’s night out and all you do is work. You’ve earned it.”

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her neck. She laughed because my beard was tickling her again. “They’re my friends, yes. But why would I leave all this, for them?”

“I love you, Hudson.”

*

I needed to get out. It was now freezing outside being early November, and the snow that had melted the day before had refrozen and glazed the ground with a thin layer of ice. After my shower, I threw on a hoodie and my grey sweatpants. I stopped in the living room and leaned on the back of the couch. My birthday was in a week.Another birthday without Dev.I didn’t do anything the year before, and I didn’t think I would do anything again. I figured,maybe Amelia is working today,picked up my things and drove to Sharon’s to get a cup of Sheila’s insomnia inducing coffee. I planned to work for a while, but hoping more than anything, that Amelia would finally be there.

*

Stepping into the diner, I was greeted with the sound of the bells hanging from the door, the smell of maple pancakes coming from the kitchen, and a full house of chattering customers. Almost every booth was full. I scanned the room, trying to figure out where I was going to sit, when I saw that every booth was full except mine.How is that even possible?I looked to my left to see Sheila walking my way.

“Hey, Sheila! You guys are so busy.”

“We sure are, honey. Have a seat and one of us will be with ya in a second.” She nods to “my” booth.

When I went to sit down, I noticed a book on the table and thought someone must have been sitting there already. Then I notice the card on top of the book with my name on it. Pulling it open I read:

Hudson – Sometimes, I’m an asshole. Yes, women can be assholes. Thank you for the books. You don’t know how much that meant to me. Sorry to tell you, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark isn’t enough, although it did make me laugh. “Blooooody fingers” has always been my favorite. Hope you enjoy this book. You said Anne Rice was “sexy”, so what better book for you to read than one of my all-time favorites, “The Witching Hour.” I hope you enjoy.

-Am

P.S. I’m back. I’ll make your coffee. I can’t have you getting heart palpitations. It’s a good heart.

Damn. Did she really save this booth for me? How long has she been doing this? I haven’t been here in almost a month.I set my bag in the booth and slid in. Then I saw her, Amelia, heading toward me with coffee in hand. She stopped at my table, smiled, and set the coffee down. I just looked up at her for a few seconds. She looked different. Good different.

“Hey,” she said with a smile.

“Hey.” I smiled back.

“Thank you for my books, Hudson. That’s the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a really long time.” She looked like she was going to cry.

“It was nothing, I—”

She cut me off, looking at her feet then back to me. “No...it was everything.” She was serious. “Thank you.”

I nodded and with a smile said, “Well, talk about books. This book is a beast.” I laughed while shaking the huge book she bought me in the air by its thick spine.

She laughed again. “Oh my goodness, it’s the best book, though. You’ll love it!” She was so excited.

“You didn’t pull any punches for my first read since I was twelve.”

“Ha! Bloody Fingers does NOT count.”

“What? Of course, it does. It introduced me to scary…also funny…but it was a good book.” We laughed.

“No, honestly, I’m looking forward to reading it. Might take me the rest of the year, but it seems like the perfect thing to get started on for my birthday.”

“IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY?” She slapped her hand over her mouth and looked around to see if anyone was paying attention.

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