Royals

Chapter 58

"Will you be joining us for our last meal together, Bailee?" Mom asked.

"Why not?" he sighed in defeat, a smile curling onto his face.

The four of us made our way inside of The Cheesecake Factory, heading towards our usual table. We ordered our meals—Bailee and my mom ordered steak, whereas Ana and I stuck with pasta—and made small talk with each other.

"Emily, are you sure you want to stay in Michigan?" my mother asked halfway through the meal.

"I'm positive."

"And you're going to be polite and listen to Lauren's rules, right?"

"Of course."

"And you'll visit us this summer, right?"

"Absolutely. You already know my summer plans," I responded calmly, not wanting to give her any more reason to be stressed.

For the past two summers, my friends and I had spent our two and a half months of freedom traveling to various European countries. While we spent lots of time in the more well-known, tourist hot spots, we tried to hit some of the less known places, as well.

"Alright, good. Call me if you need anything," she stated.

"Mom, we're still at dinner," I replied, digging into the cheesecake that was placed before us. "At least wait until you guys leave for the plane."

"Fine," she agreed, beaming. "Alright, let's finish off this Oreo Cheesecake--it's almost time to hit the road."

We hurriedly finished off the dessert before assembling into the car and making our way back to the house. According to my mother, there wasn't any time for them to stop at the house and walk around. They were simply dropping me off, and then heading to the airport.

When we arrived home, I leaned over towards Anastasia and wrapped my arms around her petite frame. "I love you so much. I promise to call every single day, and I assure you that you'll have so much fun in England."

"I love you too," Anastasia smiled, trying to rid herself of the water in her eyes. "And I promise you'll have fun here, too."

I finally released her and climbed out of the car, making my way to my mother's door. Before I could bid her goodbye, she opened the car door and threw her arms around me. I stood frozen for a moment, certainly not expecting that, before hugging her back hesitantly. It wasn't often that my mother and I were affectionate towards each other, but I think not seeing her until next January will take its toll on me.

"I love you," she whispered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear with a bright smile on her face. "Stay out of trouble."

I laughed at her order but halfheartedly promised to do my absolute best to stay out of jail. "Love you too, Mom."

I waved to my mom and sister as Bailee exited the driveway. It felt weird, watching my family just leave like that. I was all alone now. I'd move in with Joey and everything would soon be very different.

However, sometimes change was just what you needed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Exactly one movie later, Joey texted me and asked me to meet him at "our place". I assumed that, by that, he was referring to the rooftop at city hall. As I gathered my jacket and shoes, I thought of how I hadn't been visiting the rooftop as often anymore.

Because I didn't have a license, I walked the quick mile, nearly out of breath by the time I got there. I made a mental note to start working out.

As I rounded the corner, I opened the double doors before the building and walked straight towards the elevator. When I pressed the button to call down the elevator, Kurt, the security guard, recognized me and waved.