Groomless - Part 1 (2 page)

Chapter 1

Five Years Earlier…

I was lying on the hood of Luke’s car, looking up at the night sky. Truly, he was my once-in-a-lifetime love. I knew it even then. They say you never know what you’ve got till it’s gone, but I knew. Young as I was, I
knew
.

I remember it so clearly, from the sweet aroma of honeysuckle wafting from the underbrush to the flaking blue paint on the hood of his car, which I had to brush off the back of my cut-offs when I got up. His class ring hung on a gold chain around my neck, its heaviness against my collarbone a constant and welcomed reminder that I was his and had been since we were kids.

Luke and I watched the glorious night sky intently as stars ascended and disappeared into the glow of daylight. I laid my head on his chest, and his arms encircled me. I closed my eyes and just listened to his heart, which seemed to pound just for me. I’d loved him right from the start, and that love only grew stronger with every passing day, with every beat of our hearts.

I couldn’t believe how fast the night flew as we talked about everything in our lives and in a future we hoped to share. Watching the sunrise was one of our favorite things to do. There wasn’t a lot to entertain us in such a small town as Indian Point, Missouri, but we both were quite captivated by all the beauty of nature. Stargazing, cuddling, and sleeping under the diamond-speckled velvet of night was number one on our list. We knew we didn’t have very many nights left, since Luke was heading off to Brooklyn Law School and I’d be hitting the Big Apple, to study photography at the New York Film Academy.

Still, for what it was worth and however long it would last, which I was sure would be forever, we shared a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love, the kind people only read about in Fabio-covered Harlequins or watch in sappy epic romance movies. Before I met that boy next door, my childhood sweetheart, I never would have fathomed that it was possible to love someone so much. Luke was my first love, and he’d stolen my heart. I wanted nothing more than to love him and hold him in my arms forever.

I pushed his dark, shaggy hair away from his blue eyes. “The world seems so perfect when you hold me in your arms.”

He softly kissed my lips. “You’re the one thing I’m most thankful for.”

Then, once again, we were exchanging deep, passionate, intense kisses, a dance of lips and mouths and tongues that seemed it would never end.

Suddenly, though, he pulled away, shocking me a bit. “JJ, I’ve been trying to tell you something all night, but I-I just haven’t been able to get the words out.”

“That’s silly, Luke. You know you can tell me anything, babe.”

“I know. It’s just so… It’s hard,” he said, closing his hand over mine and lacing our fingers together, a perfect fit. He sighed and blurted, “I think it’s time for Plan B.”

I snatched my hand away and looked at him suspiciously, arching my brow. “Plan B? What’s that?”

“Well, you know about my original plan, to go to college, then completely dominate the world, at least in the business realm.”

I smiled. “Yes, you almighty world-conqueror you. I am aware of your plot to take over the universe. Why?”

“Well, I think it’s about to, uh…fast track. See, my Uncle John—”

“Wait,” I said, holding up my hand to stop him. “You mean the distant uncle with the drinking problem?”

“No,” he answered, shaking his head. “You’re thinking of George. John’s the gambler, but he’s really, really good at it. As it turns out, he has a connection who can get me a job in the Trump organization.”

“Trump? You mean…as in
The Apprentice
? As in the richest guy ever, Mr. Comb-Over himself?”

“Well, I admit my uncle’s not the richest guy ever, but he’s a very skilled, wise investor who can teach me a lot. It’s like karma just came by and gave me a major boost.”

“So you’re moving to New York City? That’s great! I’ll be there too. But, uh…are you skipping out on college?”

“No. I’m gonna go, only on an alternate schedule. With some on-the-job training, I’ll earn independent study credits.”

“Hmm. Where does this leave us? You said something about fast-tracking. What now? I mean, we were going to get a place together after school and, uh…”

“Get married? I know. I’m not about to give that up, no matter what. I just have to put everything on hold so I can get my career in order. This will make things better for us down the road.”

I had tears in my eyes, tears he failed to see. Things between Luke and me didn’t end then, not officially, but for me, it was the last moment I held out any hope. “Wh-why, Luke? Why are you going this route?” I asked. “I mean, I understand about the opportunity, and I know plans can change, but why now?”

His lips pressed into a grim line. “I didn’t get accepted into law school, so New York’s not an option for me. I’m sorry, but I have to go to a different college.”

His words felt like a punch in the gut. “But the interview went so well, and the lady said you were practically accepted.”

“I know, but the official letter tells a different story. I even called to make sure it wasn’t a mistake. It wasn’t.”

“Well, then I won’t go to New York City either.”

“You’ve got a paid scholarship, and I don’t expect you to give that up. I won’t let you, not for me. It’s your dream, and you have to go. If you don’t, you’ll never forgive yourself, and you’ll only grow to resent me for it. Neither of us wants to stay in this small town. How many times have we talked about breaking free? We both want bigger and better things, more than this place will ever have to offer.” 

“So where is this on-the-job training?” I asked, trying to find some positive in the situation.

“They’re sending me to Hong Kong next week.”

“What!? Hong Kong? With no training?” I asked, staring at him in disbelief and trying to make sense of it all.

“Uncle John says it’s like a trial run, to see if I’m worth investing in. If I do well, they’ll send me to college for free. They want to make sure I have drive and passion, that I’ll be a worthwhile candidate, a good fit for a future position. I really want this, for both of us, and I’m gonna work hard and prove I’m the man for the job. I’ll be in Hong Kong for about three months, helping them with a major merger.”

“What school are they going to send you to?” I asked.

“Yale.”

“Yale!? My gosh! That’s amazing, Luke, but… Yale is in Connecticut.”

Ignoring my disappointment, his gorgeous eyes lit up as he dreamt of the wonderful prospect. “Uncle John says it’s the chance of a lifetime. I can’t turn this opportunity down.”

“But how will we ever see each other? We’ll be in separate states.”

He gripped my hands. “We’ll make it work. There’re Facetime, Skype, Facebook, emails, our cells. With all this technology, we can keep in touch every single day. Long-distance relationships are all the rage these days, with all the tech we have.”

“But we were supposed to get married this summer,” I said. “We were gonna buy a small house right outside New York City.”

“We will, as soon as we get our careers on track. It’s the same plan, just pushed back a few years. I love you, and I’m never going to let you go.”

“I love you too,” I said, frustrated. “but this changes everything. We’ve been planning it all out for such a long time. Your career might be fast-tracking, but it feels like you’re putting us on the back burner.”

He wiped away the tear running down my face. “It kills me to see you so sad, but we’re going to make this work. We’ll both land our dream jobs. You know as well as I do that I could never afford Yale on my own, no matter how many loans my parents could take out. Heck, I couldn’t have even swung the tuition at Brooklyn Law School if I was accepted. Mom and Dad don’t have two pennies to rub together. My father never even bought my mother a wedding ring, and I guess history is trying to repeat itself, because I can’t afford one either. I refuse to marry you without having a real ring to put on your finger. I’m going to be the one to break the cycle of poverty.”

“I don’t need a fancy ring to tell me that you love me. You know I don’t care about that. I’d be fine with a couple gold bands from a pawn shop. They’ve got more character anyway.”

He shook his head. “No. I won’t spend my life struggling the way my parents did. They’re still renting, but one of these days, I’m going to buy them their dream home.”

I smiled sweetly at him. “You are the sweetest guy I know.”

“I’m also gonna buy you the biggest diamond known to man, even bigger than that one the old chick threw in the ocean on
Titanic
. That’s a promise.”

I softly chuckled. “You know I don’t care about that.”

“Yes, I know, and that’s part of why I love you so much. You love me just for me.”

“As long as you’re by my side, I know we can accomplish anything,” assuring myself as much as I was trying to assure him.

He softly kissed my lips. “And I’ll never be anywhere else,” he said, “even if we’re miles apart.”

Chapter 2

I had to come to the sad realization that our time together had an expiration date, and the clock was ticking.

Two days before Luke was supposed to leave, he asked me to meet him at the end of my street. He said he’d be there in his car to pick me up and take me somewhere, but he didn’t tell me where. “There’s something I want us to do,” he said, sounding mysterious.

“Of course,” I said. “Anything.”

“Okay. I’ll see you there tonight, at ten thirty.”

I knew my parents wouldn’t approve of me sneaking out of the house at such a late hour, but I didn’t care. There was nothing they or anyone could’ve said, nothing they could’ve done that would’ve kept me home that night. Even still, I went all out for the ruse: I pretended to change into my pajamas and go to bed, then lay there till the time was right. I silently slipped out the first-story window and ran across the front lawn to the road.

As promised, I found Luke sitting there in his parked car, with the lights off. He grinned as I got in, and then he held my hand the entire way to the parking lot at Eagle Pond.

The walking trail that led down to the water was about a quarter-mile long. Normally, I would have been scared to be out in the dark woods like that, but with Luke beside me, I felt as though I could do anything. Even when a twig snapped to my left or some sort of bird, bat, or owl flew overhead, I did not feel afraid. Luke’s hand was warm and strong, encasing my own. With him, I felt safe and protected, no matter what came along. Besides that, the moon was almost full, so milky light spilled down from the sky and bathed everything in a luminous glow, illuminating our way.

I knew where we were going, because we’d been there on many different occasions, though never at such a late hour. We often visited the place in the winter, when we knew no one else would be there. This time, when the trail ended and we stepped into the clearing, my breath caught in my throat. The pond was as familiar to me as my own back yard, but now it was completely transformed; it was like a whole new place, one I was seeing for the very first time.

We took off our shoes, and I loved the feel of the cool sand squishing between my toes. There was no wind, so the pond was completely still and glassy, without even a ripple breaking its surface. Like a giant mirror, it reflected the magnificence above: the stars, the moon, and the deep, black velvet sky. I was so entranced by that spectacular display that I didn’t notice the blanket spread out near the water’s edge until I was almost standing on it. Around the blanket were little glass candle holders, and Luke whipped a long lighter out of his pocket and bent down to light them. The flames flickered gently, giving the place an even more wonderful orange glow.

“It’s so beautiful,” I said, including him in my compliment. Luke was my favorite part of the scenery in that romantic, dreamy, serene scenario. The light cast deep shadows across his face, softening the edges and making him look mysterious and gentle all at once. I sat down on the blanket and snuggled next to him as he draped his arm around my shoulders.

“I wanted tonight to be special,” he said.

“It is,” I said, sighing happily. Just being with him was all I needed, no matter where we were or what we were doing. At that moment, basking in the warmth of our togetherness, it didn’t matter that it would be our last night together. It didn’t matter that I might never see him again. When I was with him, I was really, truly in the moment, savoring every second and wanting them to stretch into eternities all their own.