AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Seconds later, a familiar song started playing through the buds and a grin formed on my lips.
All my life
You stood by me
When no one else
Was ever behind me
One Direction was in the air, and I was loving it. Tiptoeing on my sandaled feet, I plucked off a few cans from the shelves and dropped them in the trolley.
I inspected an apple and made a turn with my shoulder when someone accidentally bumped into me.
Stunned, and with furrowed brows, my head whipped to the side, and, after a few seconds, a wide grin covered my face.
Nobody… nobody
Nobody can drag me down.
“Oh, my God!”
I couldn't believe it and didn't bother to hide my surprise. I never thought I would set my eyes on him again. Pressing down on the volume button, I leaned in for a hug.
It was unexpected but, nonetheless, he opened his arms and let me in.
My arms went around his waist and the side of my face pressed against his solid body. He smelled like rain on a freshly mowed field.
“Jett. It's so good to see you. Oh, my God. What are you doing all the way here?”
His blue eyes twinkled, and he laughed. It was rich and deep. The sound warmed me. In a good,moderateway.
He gestured to me. “I could ask you the same thing?”
Jett, the Uber driver, looked barely five years older than the last time we had a conversation in his car. He'd kept the buzz cut and appeared even taller…slimmer. My eyes softened. He'd probably worked extra hard to afford a vacation.
He blinked and I realized he was waiting for a response.
“Oh, yeah…” I mumbled and wet my lips with a swipe of my tongue. His eyes followed the motion. I ignored it. “I live here now.”
Considering that I had spent the past years running and hiding, I shouldn’t have given him that information. I could have easily come up with a “brief holiday” or “traveling the country” excuse.
Except, I was genuinely excited to see him.
Juliana was the only friend I had made since I got here. The rest of them were colleagues at work. It felt good to see a familiar face and reconnect.
He seemed surprised. “In Denver?”
A soft chuckle passed my lips, and I gave a curt nod. “In Denver.”
“Cool,” was all he said.
No nosy questions like, “Why?” “Did something happen?” “Is it work-related?” “Did a relative die?” like my colleaguesposed when I showed up from nowhere, at the Hilltop Designer's doorstep, interviewing for a job.
They'd wanted to know more; to bite more than they could chew. They tried to link my identity with that of the famous Vanessa Collins who disappeared after hosting one of the most talked about social events in New York.
I'd later heard I made national and international headlines.
The daughter of billionaire CEO, Co-links, Mike Collins, and her father mysteriously disappeared after a fundraising event for homeless children around the world.
