Chapter 17
CHLOE
The day after the wedding, I found myself packing my things alone. The house was eerily quiet making it hard for me to focus on anything besides my thoughts.
There were a hundred and one things going through my head. I couldn’t believe I was already going back to the UK and I would be starting my semester at Oxford in less than a week. I couldn’t believe that I would be leaving Adam behind.
Where was he anyway?
He never made it to the reception and he had yet to show up.
Was he avoiding me?
I guess I deserve it. Maybe, I should have given us a chance. So what if we were stepsiblings? We weren’t actually related… I bit my lip and sighed. Before Adam, everything in my life was so simple. I would study biotechnology and hopefully create something that would help the lives of others. Boys weren’t even on my mind. Now, all I could think about was Adam and the way he had made me feel. It was like he had awakened something deep inside of me, making me feel complete.
A car pulled up in the driveway. My shoulders sank, knowing it was my mother and Henry, picking me up to go to the airport. They would be heading to their honeymoon as well.
I grabbed my bag and headed outside.
My new stepfather grabbed my luggage, loading it into the car. “Adam hasn’t shown up yet?”
“No.”
“I wonder where that boy ran off to…” He scratched his head. “Too bad we won’t be able to say goodbye before we leave.”
“Yeah…” My heart tightened at his words. Even though things were awkward between us, I still wanted to hug him goodbye, to hold him one more time.
“Well, we can always Skype!” my mother said, eager to get on the road.
“Yeah…” my voice fell as I got into the back of the car, closing my eyes to keep back the flood of tears.
Where was he?
***
At the airport, my mother turned in my direction before pulling me into a tight hug. “Stay safe,” she whispered, rubbing my back. “And make sure to call me and let me know how things are going with school. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you.”
“Don’t worry, Mum. Enjoy your honeymoon. You deserve it.” I forced a smile, hoping she would fall for it.
“Okay… call me, alright?”
“Alright.”
She hugged me one more time, squishing me against her body. “Have a safe trip!” Henry had to pry her away from me as she continued to ramble on and on.
“Come on, honey, if we don’t hurry, we are going to miss our flight.”
I watched them walk away, hand in hand. A tinge of jealousy washed over me. They looked so happy together. I wanted that kind of happiness, but I knew I could only get it with Adam, someone I could never be with.
Why was life so cruel?
I sighed heavily, getting in line for check-in. As I waited, I pulled out my phone. Still no call from Adam. I tried one more time.
The phone rang but no one answered.
“Next in line, please!”
I walked forward, handing over my luggage. There was no turning back now. I was going to the UK without ever saying goodbye to Adam…
I did everything I could to keep the tears from my eyes. I moved like a zombie through the terminal until I eventually boarded the plane. As soon as the blankets were passed out, I wrapped it around my body, feeling so cold.
Through my window, I watched the runway workers flutter around the wheel of the plane. We were just moments away from takeoff.
I took out my phone one last time, dialing his number, knowing it by heart at this point.
It rang and rang and rang… until I was eventually presented with his voicemail.
I waited for the beep.
“Adam… I know that things between us didn’t exactly work out… I shouldn’t have pushed us the night of the amusement park. Maybe if we hadn’t done that… things between us wouldn’t be so awkward… But… I don’t regret what we did. I just want you to know that. It was the best night of my life…” I started to get choked up as the tears spilled from my eyes. “I… love you… Adam. Goodbye.”
Just then, the engine roared inside the belly of the plane. We rolled forward and after a moment, we flew into the air.
I looked through the window, clutching the edge, wondering where Adam was and if he was thinking of me the same way I was thinking of him. I waved slowly, saying goodbye to America, the place where I had found and lost the love of my life.
***
A few weeks later, I was finally settling into my life as a university student. My classes were going well, my colleagues were nice, and my professors were easy to understand.
Still, despite living the life I always wanted, it felt like something was missing.
Adam.
Everywhere I turned, I felt like I saw him. Anytime I heard a motorcycle my ears perked up slightly, half expecting him to cruise by and flash that iconic smile in my direction.
It never happened.
To prevent myself from falling into a deep depression, I threw myself at my schoolwork, tearing through countless books, just trying to occupy my mind. But, late at night, when I was in my bed, all I could do was think about him.
What was he doing? Did he miss me the way I missed him? Did he ever think about me?
All these questions swirled around in my mind, keeping me up at night.
If only I could go back in time and stop myself from falling for him…