The First Flight ❀ COLIFER

Chapter 27 ❀ But I can't

I could feel every pound of my heartbeat in my chest. The math was simple. And I didn't understand any of it— once again.

"We were quite surprised, to be honest," mom continued. "You know, because we thought he was in Hawaii with all of you."

I snorted joylessly. "Yeah, me too."

"What?"

"Nothing. What did he tell you?"

She sighed again before she continued. "I could see that he was terribly nervous. We let him in and we sat down at the kitchen table, and then he slowly started telling us. He told us the whole story."

WHAT STORY?! I wanted to shout, trying really hard not to interrupt her, because she was taking forever to get to the point.

But the next second I wish it would've taken her even longer.

"Jennifer, I didn't know something happened between you and Colin."

Now I was paralyzed. I saw it coming from miles away, even though it wasn't possible, and I didn't know what to say.

"He told us about Atlanta, and then about Hawaii, and I didn't know why he was telling us all of that until I realized that he really meant it. That it was something... serious."

My eyes were starting to burn because I'd been staring at the red firetruck for too long. Or maybe it were the tears. If I had any air in my lungs, I would be breathing, but there wasn't any left.

"He said that he was doing it for you."

It couldn't be. He never called me back after he found out I changed my number. We didn't talk for three months.

"Jen? Are you still there?"

"Yes, yes I am," I said, but my thoughts were all over the place. That was also the reason why I didn't hear the sliding door open.

"Why didn't you tell us about him? Your father and I, we thought that he and Helen had a good marria—"

"Jen?"

I flinched and almost dropped my phone as I turned around; Colin was standing on the porch, one of his hands still holding the door, and his eyes found mine.

My mouth was half-open as I held up my phone. "Mom, can I call you back?

"Yes, of course— is everything alright?"

I swallowed. "I don't know yet. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay, sweetheart."

I ended the call, trying to hide the fact that my hands were trembling, and Colin uneasily took a step forward. 

"I'm afraid we have to share the couch. Sean and Lana claimed the two guest bedrooms, so..."

I looked behind him at the empty living room, where the corner couch had been turned into two beds. It was just me and him now.

I slowly got up and took one step towards him.

"You went to my parents' house in LA?"

The look in his eyes changed immediately and he froze. He looked frightened, and for a second I felt like he was going to reach out to touch me.

I wanted him to touch me. But neither of us broke the distance.

"For three months I was convinced that I'd been wrong about you," I said. "In Hawaii you said you weren't the kind of guy who would just run off in the morning. And I thought you did exactly that."