Part 2: In-Between

Chapter 19

January 2010

Amy had just pulled pizza rolls out of the microwave and was heading to her desk to attempt to write an outline for the paper she should have started a week ago when her phone chimed. Nibbling a corner of pizza roll crust, she checked the screen.

Ty: Is it a good time to call?

Amy smiled and hit the call button herself, settling on her bed. They always texted each other before calling, even before their weekly Thursday night conversations. It wasn't Thursday, but occasionally Ty would call with a question about the horses, and right now Amy welcomed the break—and the chance to talk to Ty.

She'd accepted that a part of herself would always love Ty, but she didn't think she was in love with him anymore. Or maybe it was just easier when she was away at college. Amy guessed she would find out when she went home for spring break. Regardless, she was so grateful for his friendship.

Just as Ty answered the phone with a "Hey," she swallowed a scalding bit of pizza roll. "Hey! You have perfect timing, as always."

Ty laughed, though it sounded a little hollow, and worry pinged in her chest. "What assignment am I helping you procrastinate on this time?" he asked.

"Well, I did just fine procrastinating on this one myself considering it's due tomorrow and I'm just now starting the outline. It's just a short reflection on a story we read in my American lit class." Amy took another bite of her pizza roll. "I'm going to be so glad when I'm done with gen ed classes," she said around her mouthful of suddenly lukewarm crust, sauce, and cheese. "Don't get me wrong; I've learned some interesting stuff in them. But I'm so ready to just focus on my vet classes."

"Mmm, yeah, I can imagine."

Ty took an audible breath, and Amy felt her worry expand and press against her ribs as she tucked her legs beneath her. "So what's up?"

"Look, I wanted to let you know—Heather and I broke up today."

Amy's heart stuttered, and she looked out the window at the gray sheets of rain illuminated in the glow of a street lamp. Hope flared in her chest. He's single again. She pursed her lips at herself. Really? That's what you're thinking about right now? "Oh, Ty, I'm so sorry."

"Thanks."

Amy imagined him shrugging, trying to keep his feelings in check. She set aside the now-cold pizza rolls and clutched a pillow instead. "What happened? If you want to talk about it, I mean."

"Yeah, it's fine. There's not really much to talk about. Heather got accepted to grad school in Colorado, and we felt like the distance would be too much."

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Colorado—wow. That's . . . really far." So much farther than Virginia Tech.

"Yeah."

Trying and failing to think of something to say, Amy fiddled with a corner of her pillow and let the silence stretch awkwardly between them. The barely-concealed pain in Ty's tone let her know the breakup had been messier than that, but his reticence let her know he wasn't ready to talk about it—or maybe he didn't want to talk about it with her. She felt a stab of sadness but told herself, That's fair.

On the other end of the phone, Ty cleared his throat, and when he spoke again, he'd gotten his voice under control. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know right away, like I should've done when Heather and I started dating in the first place."

Amy sat up. "Ty! You already apologized for that, like, months ago. It's okay."

"I guess." Ty huffed a laugh.

Amy still thought about it sometimes, but more out of puzzlement than out of irritation. Should I ask him why he did that? No, now's not the time.

Instead, she then added, soft and genuine, "Thank you for telling me." She could figure out what to do with the information—and the way it was still making a tiny part of her brain go, He's single! He's single! He's single!—later, but she was truly grateful he'd called her.

"Thank you for listening." There was a genuine smile in his tone, and it lifted a little of the heaviness Amy felt. "Hey, I should go. You need to work on that paper."

She smiled regretfully. "I guess I do. Take care of yourself, Ty."

"I will. You too."

Amy tossed her phone onto her nightstand and leaned back against her headboard, letting her eyes fall shut. She was taken aback by how vulnerable Ty had been this entire conversation. He was really hurting. She knew she should focus on that, but instead her brain jumped back to the track it had been circling.

So, Ty's single again. But he's single because he can't do long distance. And yeah, Virginia Tech is way closer than Colorado, but we broke up because Virginia Tech was still too far. She sighed through her nose and, sticking a disgustingly cold pizza roll into her mouth, moved to her desk. And it's not like he called me to say, "Hey, Heather and I broke up. Wanna get back together?" Shaking her head at herself, she grabbed a notebook and a pencil. And, most importantly, I still have five more years of college left.

That thought steadied her. She bent her head to the paper and started to write.