Chapter 30

Jade

Bells was leaving today.

It was the worst news I woke up to this morning and now I was driving to her hotel to pick her up and drop her off at the airport myself, so I could squeeze in a few more moments with her.

“Jades, really?” she exclaimed in disbelief when she walked out of her hotel building with a bellhop behind her, eyeing my gleaming white Range Rover parked by the curb—a college graduation gift from my parents. “You’re going to get us into an accident.”

I pushed up my oversized aviator sunglasses with a huff of indignation while rounding the car towards her. “Just because I failed my driver’s test twice in a row doesn’t mean I’m that terrible of a driver. I’m here in one piece, aren’t I?”

“Calling an Uber is the only sensible option here,” she countered. “I know I have to pay for leaving so abruptly one way or another but does it have to be with my life?”

I ignored her and nodded with a smile towards the bellhop to start loading up her luggage.

She had no choice but to climb in when he was done and I started up the car with a satisfied smile on my face.

“You look vengeful. I’m scared.” She plastered herself to the door, cranking up the dramatics.

I rolled my eyes as I began driving. “Calm down, will you? I’m not killing you… yet.”

Sighing, she adjusted her seatbelt then flipped down the sun visor to fix her lipstick. “I’m sorry, Jades. This was unavoidable since the date was moved up and I’m supposed to be in Santorini by Thursday for the campaign shoot. I couldn’t stay another day.”

“I know, I know. It’s a six-figure brand collab you’d be an idiot to turn down.” I exhaled in defeat. “Fuck, most times I wished I lived your glamorous, exciting lifestyle.”

She pursed her glossy lips together before commenting, “You wouldn’t be engaged to Mr. love-of-your-life then.”

“Crap, you’re right. I take it back.”

“Wait a minute. This has just made me realize something,” she suddenly said, slowly turning to look at me.

“What’s that?”

“Julian or me?”

I paused for a second of amusement before blurting out, “Girl, what?”

“Just answer the question, I need to know where I stand in this relationship.”

“It’s a friendship, and right now I’d even pick my mom over you because at least she didn’t abandon me in my time of desperate need.”

“Now I’m offended.”

I giggled, reveling in this lighthearted atmosphere with my best friend who would be leaving me in less than an hour’s time.

I pushed back the sadness slowly creeping in and joked some more with her all the way to the airport.

“I’m getting a voodoo doll on my way back and naming it after you so if you even so much as miss just one of my calls, I’m putting a curse on your ass pronto.” I said as I helped her carry out her luggage from my trunk when we got to the departures terminal.