The Things No One Else Sees

LUCY: Saw the news. That sucks. I'm sorry. When you’re back in town, I still owe you lunch. Saturday at noon?

She sent the text at seven thirty on Tuesday morning, but he didn’t get it until almost three hours later. They had lost the conference quarter finals to the Bruins in overtime of game seven. He had gone back to the hotel frustrated and depressed and glad he didn't have to listen to a constantly babbling Destiny. Tuesday morning felt like he had a hangover, but he hadn't had a drink in days. It was just the adrenaline crash of the playoffs. He loved Toronto, but he was looking forward to getting out of town this summer. He missed the breeze coming off the Pacific Ocean, hitting the balcony of his Newport Beach house.

Joff wasn't sure how Lucy had got his number. He'd lifted hers from Jacob's phone, but had never used it. He texted her back as they were on the bus to the airport. To return back to the Toronto in shame.

JOFF: Leaving on Sunday, but don't feel like going out to a restaurant on Saturday.

He wanted to see her, but not if it meant showing his face in public to a city he had just let down. She answered him back an hour later.

LUCY: How about my kitchen at noon on Saturday?

He smiled and texted her back that he'd be there. The rest of the week was spent wrapping up loose ends and packing the things he wanted to bring with him. He’d met up with a couple teammates before they left town. He planned on going home for a couple weeks to visit with friends and family. Then it was straight to Newport Beach where he could spend his days training and his nights relaxing.

And he’d promised himself no girls. He’d had enough of the revolving door. It was tiresome.

On Saturday morning after a run on the treadmill, he showered and threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. The sky was overcast, but the clouds seemed to be holding the warm air in since it was almost seventy-five when he pulled into Lucy’s driveway. This was the last item on his to-do list before leaving Toronto for the summer. And it was the one he’d been looking forward to the most. Lucy’s ambivalence to hockey was one of the reasons for that. Everyone else he knew loved the game and wanted to talk about it. Joff knew Lucy probably wouldn’t even bring it up unless he did.

“Hey,” he said when she opened the door. Her hair was pinned up and her ever-present glasses looked cute on her pale face. She was in a pair of capris and an old, worn Radiohead T-shirt. She wasn’t even trying to impress him and that was driving him crazy. Why? Didn’t she like him? Girls always tried to impress guys, right?

“I hope you like tomato basil bisque and sandwiches. Because if you don’t, then you’ll have to eat freezer pizza.” She shut the door behind him and then they were alone in her house. The sheer curtains were drawn over the open windows, leaving them fluttering when a breeze blew through.

She had music on--loud enough to hear, but not so loud it would overwhelm a conversation. As he followed her into the kitchen, he realized she was listening to one of his favorite bands--Arcade Fire.

“You’re my musical soul mate,” he said, turning the corner. He really hadn’t meant much by it besides expressing his appreciation of her taste in music. She gave him a strange look, though. It was a combination of surprise and discomfort.

“Don’t be weird, Lupul,” she said, putting a tray of sandwiches on the table. They were all cut in half diagonally and held in place with toothpicks. It looked perfect--like she’d spent time preparing everything just so even if she didn’t want him to think she had. Maybe he made her nervous like she made him nervous.

After he sat down, she scooted a bowl of soup in front of him. It smelled delicious.

“How’s school been?” he asked once she had sat down across from him.

“Okay. We’re diagramming sentences and learning about cloud formations.”

“Sounds... fun.”

Lucy laughed and picked up half a sandwich. “Don’t lie. You’re bored out of your mind at the mention of it.”

“Okay, fine. I am. I’d be a horrible teacher.”

She swallowed the food in her mouth before saying, “You’d probably do fine at teaching something you know.”

“All I know is hockey.”

Nodding, Lucy said, “So, you’d be a great hockey teacher. Imagine all those little boys who desperately want to grow up and be just like you.” She paused and then shook her head. “What a frightening thought--you as a role model.”

He grinned and dug into his soup. “It is a frightening thought.”

They ate in silence, listening to the music coming out of the speakers in her living room. It was nice to sit in the same place with someone and not have to deal with mindless chatter that clouded up his brain. The music was good and so was the company, even if they weren’t talking. Even if she didn’t really like him all that much.

After a couple more Arcade Fire songs played, her playlist switched to Portishead. “Wow, blast from the past,” he said, pushing his empty soup bowl away. There were bread crumbs all over the table because he’d had one too many sandwiches.

“I know,” Lucy agree. “Ever since that Esthero show, I’ve been going through all my old trip-hop from the nineties. Portishead was always the gold standard. No one can really touch them in my book.”

“What’s your favorite song?”

“Oh, god. I can’t pick.” She adjusted her glasses and put her elbow on the tabletop so she could prop her chin up in the palm of her hand. Lucy’s dark eyes were watching him, and he couldn’t help but shift under her gaze. “Probably Glory Box. I know it’s a little overplayed. Everyone loves it, but it really is a stellar track. The guitar, the strings, the beat, her voice. All of it is just... perfect.”

“Dummy is a perfect album all over,” he agreed.

“Ugh, it’s a classic,” she said. “I feel like twenty years from now people will still be listening to it and wondering why it sounds so timeless.” Lucy tilted her head to the side. “So, what are your summer plans?”

Joff just shrugged. “Leaving tomorrow morning to visit my family back home. Spend maybe three weeks there. Then to Newport Beach. I’ve got a house there where I like to spend the summers. Kinda get away from it all while I’m off-season training.”

“Where’s Newport Beach?”

“It’s just south of Anaheim. When I was playing with the Ducks, I kinda fell in love with the area. I bought the house and kept it when I was traded to the Toronto.”

She smiled softly, an expression she’d never really shown him before. “Do you miss it?”

Joff nodded slowly. “I do. I can’t wait to watch sunsets on the Pacific and grill on the patio.”

“That sounds lovely,” Lucy replied. There was a beat or two of silence, both of them staring at each other. He felt tension in his chest, like he should do something, but he didn’t know what. Finally, she stood up and used a napkin to wipe the crumbs from the table into her hand. “Why don't you put those bowls in the sink?”

He did as he was told and then stood by the sink awkwardly while she wiped down the table with a damp cloth. Joff wasn’t really ready to leave. It was only fifteen ‘til one and he had all afternoon to waste. Jacob was working and quite a few of his teammates were either preparing to go home for the summer or already there. The guys who spent the summer in Toronto hadn’t arrived yet.

While she rinsed the cloth off, he stepped into the living room. My Morning Jacket was playing. It was one of his favorite songs from their first album. The sheer curtains fluttered into his arm as the breeze whipped through her house.

“Do you want to hang out and listen to music?”

Joff almost jumped when he heard her voice right behind him. She had her hands on her hips and the Radiohead shirt pulled tight against her chest. The couch looked inviting--a comfortable spot to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon with a kindred soul. Even if it had taken them both a long time to realize that they had more than a friend in common.

“Yeah, that’d be good,” he finally said, settling down on the sectional. She disappeared into the kitchen and brought back two glasses of iced tea. Lucy curled up at the end of the couch, at least two feet away from him. They listened to the rest of the song before it transitioned into Rilo Kiley. An older song of theirs that he wasn’t all that familiar with. It was simple--vocals, a guitar, a song to sing along to.

“Did you decide what you were doing this summer?”

“Vacation rental on the lake probably. Me, some tunes, and some books.”

Joff nodded and took a drink of the tea to give his hands something to do.

“Dennis showed up a couple nights ago. I called the cops when he said he was going to camp out on my lawn. If I get out of town for a couple weeks, maybe he’ll get the picture.”

He leaned forward. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s just... it’s old. I want him to go away so I can move on.”

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

Lucy laughed lightly. “No, Lupul. It’s fine. Jacob said he’d kick his ass if he showed up again. I don’t think he’s dangerous, just annoyingly persistent. And I’m really not worth all the angst in these phone calls and texts.”

Joff shrugged. “You must be if he’s going to all the trouble.”

“It’s his addictive personality. I’m the new addiction. And I don’t want to be.”

He felt for the guy. Spending Saturday afternoons with Lucy like this--that could probably get pretty addictive. It’d suck to lose it now that he had it. “Well, if you need me to help Jacob kick his ass, let me know.”

“Shit, Lupul. Don’t get all chivalrous on me. You’ll make me start to like you.”

*************************************

His trip home had been good, but he was glad to be back in Newport Beach. His house had an ocean view and he felt amazing as he sat on the balcony listening to the dull roar of the ocean. Temperatures rarely got above seventy-five in the summer and rarely dipped below fifty in the winter. He couldn’t think of a better place to practically live outside.

He was having a beer and listening to that damn Rilo Kiley song that had been playing at Lucy’s house almost a month ago. He hadn’t talked to her since he left, but he thought about calling her every day. It was ridiculous because they weren’t friends like that. They weren’t casual friends that just called each other up and talked about their days. She was more complicated. He always felt like he needed to be on his toes to talk with her because she’d call him on his bullshit.

The school year had finished a week ago. He wondered if she was already driving up to the lake to rent a place. If he tried to call her, would she have reception? Would she answer?

Maybe a text would be okay. Maybe he could ask her how her summer was going. Joff picked his phone up off the table by his chair and sent the text before he could second guess himself.

JOFF: How’s your summer going?

Ten minutes later his phone dinged. He scrambled to pick it up, hoping it would be a response from her.

LUCY: The usual. Thinking of getting away. How’s yours?

Her song was playing again. He considered it her song now. He’d never heard it before that day in her living room.

JOFF: Enjoying the view of the ocean from the balcony.

He swallowed and typed out another message. Couldn’t hurt to ask.

JOFF: Why don’t you come out for a week or two instead of going up to the lake? I’ve got an extra room and I’ll give you the free friend discount.

She didn’t answer right away. He waited while five minutes ticked by, then ten. His steak was done, so he pulled it off the grill and let it rest on a plate while he stared at his phone.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of waiting, she responded.

LUCY: I’m sure you don’t want me in your hair. I’m a judgmental bitch and you’re probably having fun.

Instead of texting her back, he dialed her number and pressed the phone to his ear. For a moment he thought she wasn’t going to answer.

“Texting isn’t enough?” she said when she picked up.

“I’m having fun, but not the kind you think I am. I’m listening to Rilo Kiley and grilling a steak. You’d have a good time if you came out here for a week.”

“I don’t know, Lupul. Why are you offering?”

He stood up and paced the balcony. Why was he offering? “Because you need a vacation and I need someone to go to a show with. The National is playing in a couple weeks. I bet you like them.”

“I do, asshole. Are you sure you want me to come rain on your parade? It’ll be hard to find Destiny 2.0 when I’m giving you the stink eye for being a douche.”

Joff cleared his throat. “I’m not looking. Off the market for now, actually. Come out and be my concert buddy.”

She was silent for several long seconds. “Oh, fine. I’ve never been to California before.”

“You’ll love it. Go book a flight and text me the details. I’ll pick you up at the airport.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Lucy asked, suspicion in her voice.

“Because I’m a nice guy. You just didn’t give me a chance.”

Notes