Jennifer’s eyes bulge out of her head. “You’re not!? What the hell are you talking about?”
“We put the whole thing on. We were trying to put on a show for you two and teach you what would happen when a relationship goes downhill.”
Ryan’s jaw shakes. “What the fuck?!”
I continue. “Our plan was to act out a horrible divorce right in front of your face so that you’d see how bad your life could truly get if you married the wrong woman.”
“Sky, is this true?” Ryan asks. “You went along with this?”
“One hundred percent, unfortunately,” she says.
“Christ. I need to sit down.”
Ryan plops down on the grass.
“I didn’t want to lie to you,” I add. “But it’s just so clear you two aren’t right for each other, and I didn’t know how else to get that into your head.”
“So you faked a fucking marriage? Are you two insane?” Ryan says.
“Even I wouldn’t do something that sinister,” Jennifer adds.
I almost want to chuckle at Jennifer’s self-awareness. Maybe she’s having a moment of growth.
“Honestly…we might be,” I say. “A little. But those moments you’ve witnessed between us, they’re real. We didn’t expect to be so crazily attracted to each other. If we showed you an example of a truly great relationship, well, that’s real. Even if the vows weren’t.”
“But you had that ship Captain do your ceremony!” Ryan protests.
“True,” Sky says. “But he had his fingers crossed. We never signed anything.”
Sky takes off her ring and hands it back to me.
“What. The fuck. Is happening?” Jennifer seethes. “You bitches! My life is destroyed and it’s all built on a huge lie between you two?”
“Not a lie,” Skylar retorts.
“So you are in love then?” Jennifer says. The question is almost accusatory.
Me and Sky’s eyes sink into each other.
“It’s complicated,” Skylar says, and I nod in agreement.
“Quite complicated at this point,” I add.
Ryan has a look of disgust on his face when he looks at us now. “I don’t even know what to say about this. You two are so fucking weird. But I’m glad you’ve inspired me to break this off. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.” He turns to Jennifer. “By the way, I’d like my ring back, please.”
She scoffs. “No I will not give it back! That is a memento of this stupid freaking year!”
Just then, we see Ian approaching us with red cups in his hand. “Seriously you guys, what have I said about drinking cans of beers in the open. Will you just please use the red c….”
He reads the expressions on our faces, sees me holding Sky’s ring. He must see her ringless finger.
“What’s going on here? Why is everyone acting so weird?” Ian says.
“Everyone is broken up,” Sky says, and hearing her say this sends a shock to my system.
“Ah, oh. Well then…”
Sky’s words aren’t lost on me.
Everyone is broken up.
Whatever we were this term—we’re done now.
My little fantasy has come to an end. Operation Romper is over.
“I’m so fucking confused,” Ian says.
“Well, we better get to drinking,” I say. “We’ll explain it all.”
“Can you guys, please, please use the red cups?” Ian says. “We’re trying to stay off probation for next year.”
The night rolls on and we get drunker. There’s an odd sort of comradery that happens on this night. Sky and I don’t address the words said between us. How we both had a chance to float the L-word, but opted for it’s complicated instead.
I feel like every person on campus comes up to me and wants to know the full story of Operation Romper. Sky, Grant, Ryan, Janice, and I sit in one of my fraternity brother’s rooms on couches upstairs, drinking and chatting late into the night.
“Legendary. You two are legendary,” Grant says. “I bow to the master.”
Sky rolls her eyes. “Cut it out. And drink.”
Janice leans forward. “I’m still pissed you guys didn’t have me in the circle of trust.”
“I felt absolutely horrible lying to everyone, especially you,” Sky says.
“I’m shocked the lengths you would go to for a friend.”
I wrap my arm around Sky. “We would have done the same for you, Janice, if you were engaged to a devil man,” I say.
“Well I appreciate that,” Janice says. She narrows her eyes and twirls a bit of hair, clearly thinking very hard. “So what would happen if one of you were in a bad relationship? Would you want me to just tell you outright?”
Sky furrows her brow. “How would you know if I was in a bad relationship?”
“Oh, the tell-tale signs. A waning interest in sex. More in it for the security. All the signs that happened with Ryan and Jennifer.”
Sky sips her beer, then pats Janice on the knee. “If you really knew I was in a bad relationship, if you knew it in your heart, then yes, I’d want you to stop me.”
Ryan butts in. “I still don’t know how I feel about everything you guys have done. I think…it’s for the best, not being with Jennifer, but…”
I slap Ryan on the back. “No but’s, buddy boy. It is for the best. I know there’s a lot of talk about me being drafted, but you could end up being pretty damn good yourself, you know. Especially if you pour yourself into the game with the renewed psychological clarity you have now.”
He nods, slowly. I turn to Grant. “It’s up to you now, man. Keep the spirit of Greene State baseball—and football—alive. We’re passing the torch down to you.”
I slide my hand up Skylar’s knee, and I can feel her purring.
I’m drunk, and her scent is even more appealing. My animal brain is more present. I want her sober, drunk, and in all states. Will I ever be able to get her out of my head?
Leaning over, I whisper in her ear, “Ready to get out of here?”
Her body stiffens and she whispers back. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. We’re…broken up now, right?”
My heart does a tumble. “Let’s talk outside.”
We head out into the evening. The moon is half-empty but it still makes everything glow outside and we start walking back toward her place.
“Everything all right, Sky?”
She smiles dimly. “We’ve had so much fun, Luke. You’ll always have a special place in my heart. But right now, I feel like every night more we spend together is just making it that much more difficult for both of us to move on with the next phase in our lives.”
I swallow a knot in my throat. “Right. I get that.”
“Friends?” she says, sticking out a hand.
I look down at her hand, somewhat in disbelief. Yet what did I expect? We were never meant to be more than friends. Everything we’ve experienced this term—even if she did teach me how to love—it was all a happy accident.
A happy, unforgettable accident that I’ll remember when I’m old and gray.