She was a ballerina, wound as tight as the corset in her costumes. He was a hockey player determined to make a friend out of someone who didn't want any. She was willing to entertain the idea. But only because he wiggled his way past her defenses to...
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I called Annabel the next day to arrange for me to go out to visit her for Christmas. I figured I shouldn't turn into a liar so I followed through on what I told Loren I'd do. However, what Annabel told me nearly made me hole up in my apartment and pretend I went to Seattle.
"You sure you want to come out? Mom and Dad will get here on the 22nd."
I winced at the thought of seeing my parents but knew this was my chance to start making adult decisions. I had begun to miss my own mom after seeing all the healthy maternal relationships around me as of late, anyway.
"Yeah, I'm sure." I confirmed, booking the cheapest ticket I could find. "I just got one so I'll get there Christmas Eve and I leave the 26th. I'm back at work the 28th so I'm really pushing it as late as I can."
"Amazing, Eleanor! I'm so excited! Joe will be excited, too! You'll have to tell him all about the games he's missed!"
"I don't know anything about the games he's missed." I muttered, still a little sore about the hockey subject, even if it was a bit of a leap to associate the sport solely with Loren.
"Yeah, but you'll be the first person he sees in real life that can tell him what he's missed. Just make up some information."
"Okay." I said awkwardly, tossing my credit card back onto my coffee table. I folded my arms and leaned back on the sofa, feeling a bit depressed. Annabel must've sensed something in my voice.
"Are you alright? You sound...weird."
"I'm good." I tried to sound mildly upbeat. "Just tired. It's been a long season." And even longer emotional ride.
"Hmm. I'm not buying it. I'll get you to admit whatever's going on once I've got you in person." I could hear her mulling over what it could possibly be and I was somewhat happy she didn't consider the fact that I was having boy troubles. I wasn't quite ready to talk about Loren to anyone, let alone my sister who often told me what to do. I didn't even know what to say about Loren since we were clearly in a weird state of limbo. Had his saying he wasn't in a good head space meant he would be soon and we could start dating? Was it an excuse? I didn't know and Annabel wasn't likely to have the answers.
"Hey, I've got work soon so I've got to get going." I looked for a way out of the conversation I knew would get uncomfortable if she started guessing what my dilemma was.
"Sounds good. I'll see you in a few days. I'm so excited!"
"Me too!" I gushed, but it sounded phony, probably because it was.
When we hung up, I decided class would be a great way to clear my head. I changed into a leotard and headed over to an afternoon class I knew some other girls took and used the time to think about anything but Loren and my impending trip to see my parents. Flowers. Rainbows. Andrea, who was currently staring daggers into the back of my head for stepping in on her class. Even Andrea was a pleasant break from the issues at hand.
