Love You Forever (2013 Wattys Finalist)

Chapter 26 - Departures and Arrivals

---Then---

Robert woke up alone in his bed early the next morning. The numb, empty feeling that had come over him when he realized Georgie was leaving him was gone, and in its wake was devastation. The only thing he was certain of – he didn’t want to see her. He knew if he did, he’d either lose control over his anger or fall completely apart. He dressed quickly, deciding he had no choice but to leave his house. When he walked out of his bedroom, he was relieved to see the door to the girls’ room was closed. That meant she wasn’t on the couch. He went downstairs, put on a jacket, and left.

He wandered around aimlessly for a while until he got hungry, then spent time in a coffee shop nursing a cup of tea and staring out the window at nothing. After that, he headed to the library since it had started raining. Just after noon, he rang Darrell, hoping to catch him on his lunch break.

“Hey, Robbie. What’s up?” he said when he answered.

“D’you mind if I stay at your house tonight?” Robert asked.

There was a long moment of silence, before Darrell asked with shock, “Did I hear ya right, Robbie? You want to stay at my place?”

“Yeah, you heard right,” he muttered.

“Holy –! Robbie, what the hell’s going on?” Robert sighed deeply.

“I – I can’t talk about it right now. I’ll tell you tonight when I see you, alright?”

“I, uh, dunno,” Darrell hedged.

“Y’know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important,” Robert said, hardly able to disguise the pleading tone.

“Yeah. Alright,” he said, giving in with a sigh.

“Cheers, Darrell,” Robert said with relief. “I’ll meet you there, yeah?”

“Uh, that’s not such a good idea. I’ll pick you up on my way, alright?” Darrell said quietly.

“I’m, uh, not at home. Can you pick me up at the library?”

There was another moment of silence before Darrell said quietly, “Yeah, I’ll ring you when I get there.”

Not long after that, Robert’s mobile started vibrating and he checked the display. The call was coming from his house. He tried to decide if he should answer it or not, uncertain if it was her or his mum, then he realized no one knew where he was.

“Hello?”

“Robbie, where are you? Are you alright?” his mum asked quickly, the worry evident in her voice. He immediately felt guilty. He should’ve left a note for her.

“Yeah, I’m alright, mum. I’m at the library.”

“Georgie told me. I’m so sorry, Robbie,” she said sadly, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he suddenly felt a terrible ache in his chest. Somehow hearing his mum say it made it more real.

“I’m going to stay at Darrell’s tonight so I’ll see you later, alright?” he said quickly, desperate to end the conversation.

“Oh. Are you sure? Don’t you –.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll talk to you later. Alright, mum?” he said quickly.

“Well – alright. Good bye, Robbie. I love you,” she said sadly.

“I love you too. Bye,” he said quietly, the ache in his chest even worse.

When Darrell picked him up later that evening, they didn’t say much and the ride to his house was silent. Darrell lived not far from Robert’s neighborhood in the same tiny semi-detached one story home he’d been living in when they first met. Darrell parked in the street and got out without a word. Robert followed him silently to the front door. As soon as it was opened, Robert could hear a football match playing loudly.