Page 37 of Playing the Neutral Zone

I’d forgotten just how close they were, and just how much they shared with one another.So it somewhat shocked me to hear that she hadn’t even spoken to him in the past few days.

Levi: Why didn’t you tell me Duncan died?

Scottie: I didn’t feel it was important information.

Levi: Not important information?

Scottie: Correct, how did you find out?

Levi: Scarlett told me, after I made an ass out of myself.When I went to apologize to her, she also told me she had never been in love with him.Did you know that?

There was no response.The phone went silent.The three little dots weren’t bouncing, but I never took my eyes off the screen, because his silence only meant one thing.

Levi: did you know she was still in love with me, probably never fell out of love with me?

Scottie: Bro…

Levi: Don’t hide it, did you know?

Scottie: I tried to tell you.

Levi: No, you didn’t.You told me I should try to get her back.

Scottie: That’s right and when I called you the night she got engaged, I was going to tell you she was still in love with you, but…

Levi: but I told you I didn’t want to hear her name again.

Scottie: Precisely.

As I stared at my phone screen, the same feelings from the other night flooded me.Shock, confusion, and then anger.It was then Mia stirred.A crying child was something I really didn’t need right at this moment, so I placed my hand on her back, letting her know I was here.

Scottie: Are you okay?

Levi: I’ve got to go, Mia is stirring.

Scottie: If you need to talk message, okay?

Levi: I think right now I just need to be alone.

I put my phone back down on the nightstand and then scooted down beside Mia, pulling her against me, hoping to comfort her enough that she would fall back to sleep.

An hour later,Mia sat in the cart playing a game on my phone while I wandered the grocery store, filling the cart with things for this week.I just rounded a corner and banged right into another cart.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, looking up to see Scarlett standing in front of me, looking disgruntled, until her eyes met mine.

“No, I’m sorry.I wasn’t paying attention,” she murmured, then averted her eyes from mine, bending over and grabbing a bag of cookies.

I glanced down at the few things she had in her cart and back at her.“Grocery shopping?”I questioned.

“Dinner,” she muttered.

I glanced back at the items that lay on the bottom of her cart.She had a bag of popcorn, a bottle of soda, some cut-up mango, and now a bag of cookies.

“Dinner?Please tell me you’re going to eat more than that?”

She looked at me and shrugged her shoulders.“I’m not all that hungry.”

It was then Mia looked over her shoulder at Scarlett and smiled.“Hi,” she said, grinning from ear to ear.

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