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“I’m coming to visit you for the weekend in a month.” His entire body freezes, while his lips curve into a smile at my promise. “Don’t know how or what date, but I’ll make it happen.”
“You’d do that for me?” There’s a tinge of amazement in his tone. At my nod, he gifts me the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. Nick is serene for the first time since he got that call.
As if the worry—the weight he’s been carrying—has been lifted.
As if I’ve given him a billion dollars and solved world hunger all at once.
Silly man. “As soon as you tell me I can come down, I’ll be there. Promise.”
“Thank you,” he breathes out, dipping his head to taste me once more when a throat clears behind me. He lifts his head and then frowns. “You alone?”
“Yeah.” Evan’s solemn tone causes me to look back myself for confirmation. No Crystal.
I turn to face him; our eyes meet, and there’s regret there. “Where is she, Evan?”
“At home. Dropped her off before coming here.” That’s all he says before giving me a quick hug and walking through the security checkpoint and into the line. He doesn’t look back or acknowledge that we’re both standing there not understanding what the hell just happened.
“This doesn’t make sense,” Nick says after a while. Our moment passed, and now we’re both trying to make sense of things. “Have you spoken to her?”
“She’s not answering me.” Dread fills my stomach and I pull out my phone, shooting her a quick text. Just two words: call me.
“Maybe they already exchanged their goodbyes in private?”
“Maybe.” My phone pings, but it’s not a response from her, just another spam email offering me free enrollment to some fishy-looking dating site. There’s a vibration coming from the device in my hand, and I realize it’s an alarm. For him. “Crap.”
“What?”
“You’re going to be late if you don’t get in that line.”
“Fuck,” he hisses, face sad.
“I know.” Throwing myself at him, I hug him tight and whisper my love a final time before pulling back. Place enough space between us that he won’t be tempted to touch me. “Now go…” a knot forms and I swallow back tears “…go be my Hot Doctor Champ and save lives.”
There’s a lone figure standing on my porch as I pull up. They’re sitting on the step, head down and with the hoodie of a sweatshirt I will recognize anywhere over their head. To be honest, this doesn’t surprise me.
Stepping out after parking, I walk her way and pause just beside the step. “Want to tell me why you skipped the airport?”
“Not really.” Her voice is meek, her eyes cast down.
“Too bad.” At that, she looks up with tears in her eyes. “Did you guys fight? Want me to tell Nick to kick his ass?”
Crystal shakes her head. “This was all me. I metaphorically ran.”
“Ran? Evan said he took you home?”
“He did, but I checked out before that.” Crystal fiddles with a large take-out bag beside her. I recognize the label; it’s from our favorite Chinese place in town. “The moment he got the call, I shut down. Got scared.”
“So you hurt him, instead? What the—”
“No…yes…fuck, it wasn’t intentional, Mimi.” Suddenly, she stands and begins to pace in front of me. Her hands are shaking. “I told him that I love him. That I would wait for him, but I couldn’t see him off. I couldn’t say goodbye.”
“Oh, babe,” I whisper low, standing up and pulling her into a fierce hug. “Have you spoken to him after he left your house? Sent him a text?”
“Just a text.” Crystal pulls back and bends to pick up the bag with food. She walks up the stairs, and I follow, already taking my keys out. “I sent him an I’ll see you soon right before they were set to take off, which he replied to with a heart emoji and an eggplant to make me laugh.”
“So, things are okay-ish.”
“Just sad as fuck and missing him like crazy.” She passes me after I open the door, heading straight for my kitchen while I lock up. When I meet her there, Crissy is pulling out paper plates and placing them down beside two ice-cold beers on the island. “Sit.”
