The First Flight ❀ COLIFER

Chapter 22 ❀ Dishonor on you

❀ This is kind of a random chapter 🙈 But it's a transition between New York and the next chapters, which WILL give you (kinda?) an answer to some questions you might have 😅 So hang in there! ❀ 

The fact that Colin left us in Hawaii without letting me know first had been driving me mad ever since I found his note. I'd been making myself sick by overthinking everything that happened, from the kiss in Atlanta to our night in Hawaii, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized how wrong it was.

But I couldn't help but think that something else wasn't right. I knew he wouldn't leave without letting me know, not after everything that happened. And even if he did, he would leave another note that was just for me.

That's why it didn't make sense that he only told Josh. And that's also why I kept hoping, for days, that he would call me. The first night of our road trip I barely slept. I flinched at the slightest sound, thinking it was my phone, and every time I shot up with high hopes.

It was never him.

It took me four days to realize that he wasn't going to call. Either he didn't want to talk to me, or he "figured things out" ... with Helen.

And I knew that was it. I knew, because as hopeful as I'd been, I should've seen it coming. That's why I tried to get lost in the other projects that I was working on— and for three months it almost made me forget about the radio silence.

Almost.

Until the flowers. Because it didn't make sense. Any of it.

Why was he in New York, why would he give me those flowers now, a week before we had to fly back to Vancouver to start shooting? And if it was really him, why would he just leave without saying anything, again?

Trying to figure it out kept me so occupied that it wasn't until I was waving goodbye to my parents and brother and sister in the airport the next day that I realized there was another piece of the puzzle missing.

How did my parents know about Colin?

I never told them about any of it, and for all they knew he was just a great friend. And still my dad asked about him. I was silently cursing myself as I turned around to go back to the parking lot, because I should've asked him. But now it was too late.

On my way out of the entrance hall I realized that wearing a humongous hat and sunglasses wasn't the best way to go unnoticed in the crowd. I'd only crossed a few yards when I saw a girl coming straight for me, and I was about to put on a smile when someone yanked my arm back.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

I gasped and turned around. Alex was standing in front of me with a cheeky grin on his face, and I only needed a second to process the fact that it was him before I nodded. He put a hand on my back and we started fast-walking towards the entrance doors. 

As soon as we'd made it to my car in the parking lot, I made him stop.

"What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, still with a smile on his face. "I might have eavesdropped on a conversation with your parents last night. But that's not the point, I—"

"You eavesdropped on our conversation?"

"Yes. Well, not intentionally, but after you rushed out onto the courtyard like a crazy person, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And by that I don't mean you're crazy, but I'm getting off track again. Anyway. I have a question."