All Chapters of The Captain's Friends-and-Family Seat Was Never Mine: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

The standoff between Keane and me lasted until the day he left for the championship.He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out without saying a word.Once his footsteps disappeared completely, I pulled two empty suitcases from the closet and began to pack.His clothes took up most of the closet. Mine occupied one small section.On the bookshelf sat the thick photo album I'd made for him, along with the game puck he'd given me after his team's first championship five years earlier. His handwriting across it read, "Sharing this victory with you."I stared at the words for a while before tossing the puck into the trash.The photo album went in after it.When I finished packing, I hadn't even filled a single suitcase.Five years, and this was all I had to show for my life in this home.That evening, my phone buzzed. A message from Keane. "Arrived."Just one word. No warmth. No explanation. But I knew him well enough to recognize it as a peace offering.It had always been this way.

Keane never came home that night.He walked through the door at dawn, carrying the faint scent of a woman's fruity floral perfume.He saw me on the couch, his expression cold. "Have you calmed down yet?"I was booking a ride on my phone without looking up.He scoffed. "Maeve, I'm honestly curious. I have plenty of female fans. Are you planning to get jealous of every single one of them?"I finally looked at him. "Keane, you still don't get it. Mia being your fan was never the problem.""Then what is?" he snapped. "Do you have any idea how hard she cried last night because of what you said? She's just a fan who likes me, Maeve, not your imaginary rival. Come with me and apologize.""I did nothing wrong. Why would I apologize?"He raked a hand through his hair and dropped onto the sofa. "I've got a magazine cover shoot today, but I'm off next week. Haven't you always wanted me to teach you hockey? If you apologize to Mia, I'll teach you. Sound fair?"I froze.Teach me hockey?Back when w

The moment the plane landed, unknown numbers started flooding my phone.I didn't need to guess who it was. Keane had started calling from different numbers. I declined every call and blocked each new number as it came in.At last, I had peace and quiet.Dragging my suitcase behind me, I checked into the hotel. I'd barely finished when my boss called. "Made it to the hotel?""Yeah. Just got here."After a brief pause, she said, "Keane's been looking everywhere for you. He tried asking your friends where you'd gone, but they all blocked him. When that didn't work, he came to the office looking for me. He waited outside until I showed up. He looked awful."I could picture it.The hockey captain everyone admired, the man who'd always been the center of attention, had finally lowered himself to chasing down anyone who might know where I was. He must have looked miserable.My boss continued, "He actually cried while begging me to tell him where you were. He kept saying he knows he was wrong

Warm light filled the gallery. Every photograph hanging on the walls was mine.I'd put together a solo exhibition. The theme was Rebirth."Ms. Callahan, your mountains seem almost alive.""That's rare," the French artist said with a smile. "Very few photographers can breathe life into a landscape the way you do.""Thank you." My voice was even. "I suppose five years of photographing people taught me how to find life in everything else."As I spoke, I felt a burning gaze lock onto me.I looked over. Keane stood a short distance away.He'd lost a frightening amount of weight. His cheeks were hollow, his cheekbones sharp, and there was a lifelessness about him that made him seem like a shadow of the man he'd once been.A bouquet of white orchids rested in his arms. The moment our eyes met, his own lit up. He immediately started toward me.I looked away, excused myself from the artist, and walked toward another section of the gallery.He stopped where he was. Holding the flowers, he looked