Peu Importe la Distance | D. Mercer

CH 6

Dawson was gone early the next day, but it was alright. Liliane knew it was coming, but it didn't hurt any less. She spent part of the day lying lifelessly in bed and the other playing hockey. Neither of them seemed to fill the void in her heart.

Obviously, Dawson called her and she called him, but after seeing him in person, nothing seemed to be good enough. She wanted, needed, to be next to him, but she couldn't be. She had her priorities and he had his.

Seeing Dawson through the phone made her sadder every time they hung up. Liliane would feel the happiness in the air when he was in her presence, but it would go away with just one press of the red button. So, this time when she hung up the phone, someone else called her almost right after.

Liliane groaned as she rolled over to pick up the phone she previously discarded from her grasp. She had been in another mood (that being crying right after Dawson hung up) making for a bad time for someone else to call her. But yet, she answered anyway.

"Hello?" Liliane said. She hoped the person on the other line ignored the way her voice cracked. With just her luck, they didn't.

"Liliane, are you crying?" Jamie asked. On the other side of the phone, he was frowning. Liliane could practically hear it.

"I mean, yeah. I just got off the phone with someone I love so dearly but is across the nation from me." Liliane laughed painfully. Saying those words out loud suddenly made her realize how terrible her situation was. She wasn't going to see Dawson in person again until they played. But... that's in another few months.

"Okay, I'm sorry for asking." Jamie said with a neutral tone. Liliane knew she was being bitchy, but right now she really didn't care. Liliane didn't say anything back.

"Me and Trevor were wondering if you'd want to go out and get ice cream with us." Jamie spoke to clear the silence. Liliane sighed. She could really use a trip out of her house that's not hockey-related.

"Yeah, sure. Tell me where I need to go and I'll meet you there." Liliane sat up on her bed and looked around the room in search of her shoes.

...

Liliane ended up looking through the glass covering the ice cream flavors with Jamie and Trevor on each side of her. None of the complex flavors seemed to stick out to her, not even her favorites. Instead, the ice cream Liliane seemed to want the most was strawberry. Her emotions overwhelmed her when she remembered her and Dawson's first kiss. His tasted like strawberries.

"Hey, don't be upset. I didn't even say anything." Trevor jokingly frowned. Liliane rolls her eyes with a small smile on her face.

"It wasn't you. I was just thinking about something." Liliane said with a motion of her hand. Jamie eyed her before speaking.

"Let's order." Jamie spoke quickly. The two others nodded before stepping up to the register and forcing Trevor to pay.

...

"What made you upset?" Jamie asked right when Trevor walked away to buy more ice cream. Liliane sighed and dropped her eyes down to the half-melted ice cream in front of her.

"I was thinking about Dawson. Okay, don't laugh, but when me and Dawson had our first kiss he had drank a strawberry smoothie and it made him taste like strawberries." Liliane grins at the memory. Jamie's eyes also fall on Liliane's ice cream.

"That's why you got strawberry?" Jamie asked. Liliane nodded and Trevor reappeared at their table. Trevor seems to pick up on the changing mood of the table.

"Let's go on a walk or something. I'm bored and clearly someone needs a distraction from life." Trevor said as he patted Liliane's shoulder. She gets up and Jamie follows after her.

Trevor drove for about 30 minutes before pulling into a parking lot. He hopped out of the car and Jamie and Liliane followed after him. He leads the group to a hill with a beautiful view of the setting sun.

"Now we are going to play 21 questions." Trevor said as he sat down on the grass. Jamie rolls his eyes and Liliane sits down willingly.

"Who's asking who questions?" Liliane asked. Trevor points at himself before responding.

"I'm going to be asking everyone." Trevor said before clearing his throat and looking funnily at Jamie.

"Now, JD... who was your first celebrity crush?" Trevor asked with a grin. Jamie shrugs.

"I can't really remember." Jamie said. Since he didn't answer, the person to answer was Liliane. Her cheeks heat up and she sighs.

"Well... probably Crosby." Liliane looks to the ground out of embarrassment. Trevor lets out a laugh before taking a moment to regain his breath.

"Wow, was not expecting that. I was thinking more movie star, but that's even better!" Trevor smiled. Liliane laughed with the boy.

Liliane knew everything would be okay, whether she was in New Jersey or Anaheim. She just needed time.