“Can’t wait.”
When he did leave, the sound of my suite door closing with a click echoing around the large space, I felt a pang in my chest.
I missed him already.
How weird was that?
Knowing if I lazed around in bed, I’d only miss him more, I forced myself to get up and out of it and stumbled into the shower. It was while I was in the shower that I realized I hadn’t looked at my phone since yesterday afternoon. Shit. What if Killian had called? It didn’t go off last night in the suite so maybe he hadn’t. As soon as I got out of the shower I searched for the damn phone and found it buried under my dress on the chair. It was off, having run out of charge.
Damn.
Worry flooded me. How long had it been dead and had Killian been trying to reach me?
I plugged it into the charger and waited impatiently for it to come on. After a few minutes, my stomach sank as I watched message after message and missed call after missed call come up on the screen.
Some were from Killian, others from Skylar, and there was a missed call and text from Catie.
I quickly shot a text to Catie to tell her I was fine and I’d see her at breakfast to explain. Then I called Killian.
“Hey, big brother,” I greeted him cheerfully when he answered, in the hopes that my good mood would soften him.
There was a moment of silence and then what sounded like whispering and then, “Hey, Autumn, you’ve got Skylar.”
Although happy to hear Skylar’s voice, I frowned. “Hey, Sky, what’s up?”
Her voice lowered. “Your brother just handed me the phone and wandered off, brooding.”
Concern pierced me. “My phone died. Is he mad at me?”
“A little, I think. He tried calling you last night and when you didn’t answer he got worried, so he called Catie and she told him you were out on a date?”
Since she asked it like a question I answered as such, “Yes, I was on a date.”
Nervous butterflies fluttered to life in my belly.
“Killian’s just a little worried.”
“That I’m dating?”
“Um… yes.”
Irritation flooded me. I was the happiest I’d ever been and I didn’t really feel like explaining myself to my brother. “Well, tell him he has no reason to be.”
Skylar was quiet a moment. “So… who’s the guy?”
My smile was automatic and I sank down onto the edge of the bed. “Skylar… oh man, Skylar, I can’t even describe him.”
She sounded amused, “You sound… dreamy?”
I giggled. “I do, don’t I?”
“Are you drunk?” she laughed.
“On love,” I admitted.
It surprised me for a second that I’d said it out loud but only a second. I’d always been an open book but there were some things even I kept to myself. Not with Skylar. I couldn’texplain why but from the moment we met I’d been able to tell her anything. She didn’t judge people. Skylar was thoughtful, empathetic, and understanding.
And so I found myself telling her all about Hudson and our instant connection. About how I couldn’t explain it but it was real… “I’m in love with him.”
