Page 90 of Best Year Ever
“It’s okay, Landon, truly,” she says. ”I hate to bring this up, but it’s really bad timing. The gala, your season kickoff, the U.S. Open—this story could still be hanging around then.”
“Yeah,” I acknowledge, feeling sick in my gut. “It could.”
The line is quiet for a few seconds.
“I think we probably need to hit pause on the public announcement until this plays out. It’s not really anything to do with the Trinity situation specifically,” Rori says, her voice neutral again, like she’s trying to control her tone. “I just don’t want anything taking away from what we’re trying to accomplish the next few weeks career-wise.”
“What do you mean by that?” I ask. My knuckles turn white as I squeeze the arm of the chair I’m sitting in.
“I don’t even know exactly what I mean,” Rori admits with a weak laugh. “Let me talk to Taylor about it, once I’m in the right headspace.”
I shut my eyes. This sucks, but I understand.
“Okay,” I say, blowing out my breath, trying to relieve the tension in my chest.
“Landon, we’re still alright, really,” Rori says, like she’s waking up to my reaction to her words now that she’s said her piece. “This is just about whether or not we’re going public.”
The reassurance does help. “Okay,” I repeat, with a little more confidence.
“I’ll talk to Taylor. We’ll figure out a new plan if we need to.”
At least there’s a chance of a new plan, then. “I hate that you have to deal with this at all, Rori.”
“I know,” Rori says, a little warmth back in her voice.
Her tone further reassures me. Maybe we can move past this without dwelling on it too much. Fuck, I hope so. “Can I call you tonight after dinner? Maybe we can stream that movie you wanted to watch.”
“Yes, that would be good,” she says, her voice staying warmer.
We end up streaming the movie together, me from my hotel bed and her from her couch, FaceTiming together the whole time.
She hadn’t spoken to Taylor yet, except by text. They were going to talk the next day, after seeing how the story evolved in the press.
The next night, she reports that Taylor suggests a wait and see attitude.
“With everything coming up, she agrees that holding off on going public might be for the best. But we can see what happens.”
I don’t push back, not wanting to ask Rori to do something that she’s uncomfortable with.
Within seventy-two hours, my connection to Trinity has largely faded from the online stories about her pregnancy.
But when I have my short window to see Rori on Sunday fora few hours, she doesn’t bring up the topic of coming to the gala, of going public.
And neither do I. I’m scared to hear her answer. That it might be the opposite of what I want it to be.
Is going public off the table in her mind indefinitely? If so, how can we truly be together if we are stuck as a secret?
Even with those questions swirling around my head, I don’t want to ask her where her mind is at.
Where I was once fearful of opening my heart to someone, now I’m frightened of losing her. Pushing her faster than she is ready for could do just that.
So when I drive back to camp that night, our future is still in limbo. Unclear.
CHAPTER 32
Rori
THAT SUNDAY NIGHT
