Page 37 of Buzzer Beater

She had a point. “But we did. Run into each other. I feel like it happened for a reason.”

She cringed, just slightly. “You don’t think it’s coincidence?”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t.”

She stayed silent, so I started to eat. I noticed she only took a few bites. Maybe this was as hard on her as it was on me.

Luis appeared and removed our salads before returning with our entrees. We got two enchiladas with a yummy-smelling red sauce, topped with hard-boiled eggs. I couldn’t wait to dive in, but I looked up to see Lucy staring at her plate.

“Is something wrong?”

After a beat she finally met my eyes. “Yes.”

My stomach sank. Was she allergic to something and I forgot? I held up my hand to signal for Luis, but she stopped me with a raised hand.

“It’s not the food, Colin.”

I closed my eyes when she said my name. It was the first time she’d said it since we saw each other in the restaurant. It felt familiar. Like a link to the past. To us.

“What is it?” I asked.

She studied me, and I couldn’t help but feel like I wasn’t measuring up. “I can’t just sit here and pretend like we’re old friends catching up for old time’s sake.”

I nodded. I wanted to pretend like this was easy or normal, but it was hard for me too. What could I do?

“I’m sorry.” My throat tightened. I wish I could take back the past. I wish I could take away her pain.

Her brows pulled together. “For what?”

I let out a half chuckle. “Where do I start?”

Her eyes dropped to her plate, but she didn’t make a move to start eating.

“I’m sorry for not appreciating you when we were together. I’m sorry for leaving things the way they were before the Olympics.”

She cringed. Maybe this wasn’t the right route, but now that I was getting this off my chest I couldn’t stop.

“I wasn’t kind to you.” I shook my head. That was an understatement. I’d become an egotistical jerk once I started getting some publicity. It went straight to my head, but I was twenty. It was too much too soon, and I had no guidance on how to navigate my new reality. “I made so many mistakes back then. I should have brought you along with me.”

She looked away to the crashing waves. “That was your journey, Colin. Not mine.”

“It should have been ours.”

I watched her, waiting for her to turn back to me. When she did, her beautiful brown eyes were glistening.

“I’m so sorry.” It hurt to see that I was causing her pain once again.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked.

I wanted to reach out. To touch her.

“I want you to know that I recognize the mistakes I made,” I said. “If I could go back and change things, I would in a heartbeat.”

I’d been able to quash the regrets of that time for a while. I’d put it out of my mind and focused on my life and career that seemed to be going in fast forward. I went from playing in college to the Olympics to being drafted without a moment to catch my breath.

“I know I hurt you in ways I can’t imagine. I promised you so many things and broke every single one of them. You don’t need to forgive me, but I needed you to know.”

She stared at me, a new look of determination. “Why?”