Chapter 4

At 4:30 am on the first day of the holiday, Janine's phone rang. She glanced at it and sat up immediately.

I woke up too, but I stayed still.

"Don't panic, Mitchell. I'll be right there," Janine soothed. She hung up and started getting dressed.

I rose from the bed. "I thought we were leaving at 6:30 am."

"His migraine is acting up, and he has too much luggage to carry downstairs by himself. He can't get a ride at this hour either."

"Tell him to ask the guesthouse to arrange a pickup."

"There's no time to arrange it now."

She grabbed the car keys and headed for the door, then turned back to me. "Head to the airport first. Wait for me in the lounge once you get there. I'll head over as soon as I pick him up."

I looked at her. "You're going to pick him up?"

"It's just a quick detour. I'll be right behind you."

"He's on the south side of town, while the airport's in the opposite direction."

Janine's hand rested on the doorknob. "Cameron, can we please not worry about this right now?"

I stopped talking.

She came over, kissed my forehead, and straightened my collar. "Don't forget to eat breakfast, okay? Once we land, I'll take you to that famous seafood restaurant. My treat."

The first time we traveled together, my blood sugar dropped. I nearly passed out, but she supported me through the station and even called over a staff member to help.

Since then, she had always remembered to have candy with her whenever we went out. This time, she simply left me a "my treat" and told me to go to the airport alone.

"Janine."

The door was already half-open.

She turned back. "Yeah?"

I wanted to ask her if Mitchell and I ever needed her at the same time today, would she still choose him, like she did every other time?

When the words reached the tip of my tongue, I swallowed them back. "Be careful on the road."

She smiled. "Text me when you get there."

The door closed, and the apartment fell silent again.

I picked up my black suitcase and walked to the entryway. The other suitcase, packed for Marisport, sat by the door, with a bottle of sunscreen sticking out of it.

I didn't take anything that belonged to her. I left the spare key on the shoe cabinet. Beside it was the ring I had planned to give her during the trip, when we talked about setting a wedding date.

I closed the ring box and placed it beside the key. After taking one last look around the apartment we had lived in for three years, I turned off the lights and carried my suitcase downstairs.

At 5:45 am, I got into a taxi to the airport. At 5:58 am, Janine texted me.

[Got him. We're heading over now.]

I didn't reply.

At 7:00 am, the plane took off. The clouds padded the sky beneath the window. I switched off my phone and stopped waiting for her next message.