We were never meant to be

Chapter sixty-four

Aaron
I know something is wrong the minute mom answers the door.
"Aaron sweetie! What are you doing here?!" She chirps way too loudly.
How do I know something is wrong? Well because mom has never asked me what I'm doing here. Usually is for cheesecakes or to play video-games with Addie.
She would always tell me to just open the door already, come in and not knock, but I always have.
Today is different.
"Came to see cheesecakes." I reply shortly. She's not welcoming me in, which is another suspicious thing going on.
"Ah well she's still sleeping! You know tired from the wedding and everything." She explains. Yeah I would have normally believed that, if it weren't for the way she's holding the door too closed in order for me not to see inside or the way her smile is forced. I've known Kayla's mom for a long time now. Long enough to call her mom and definitely long enough to know she's not okay. Far from it. The circles around her eyes, the way she's gripping the door handle, the way she really wants me out of here. Something is wrong and I'd bet all my savings that it has to do with Kayla.
"Is everything okay?" I ask her worried. That stupid dread is crippling back in.
"Yes! Why wouldn't it be?!" She answers way too fast for me to believe her. I watch her close the door even further, which just adds to my anxiety.
I notice a lot of details, which is a curse really, because I usually know what people are thinking. Or if they're lying to me. I don't like talking. I like observing. Kayla's right. Maybe I should be a cop.
But right now the only way I'll find out what's going on is if I play this cool. So I straighten my posture and smile as usual.
"Oh great. You don't mind then if I wait here for her. You never have. We have some stuff to discuss about and I really need to talk to her." That's a lie really. I just need to see her. See if she's okay, if she's unharmed, if she's here. "Plus it's like 1:30pm. She'll wake up sooner or later." I purposely came this late, because I know how much she needs sleep, especially after staying up the whole night, dancing and drinking.
"You don't mind do you?" I flash her a smile.
She knows that if she doesn't let me in I will get even more suspicious.
"Of course not hun!" She says reluctantly opening the door further. "I never have minded." She mumbles. Now I believe that bit was true.
I thought that when I'd step in, I'd feel more relived, but the complete opposite happens. The dread just increases.
I walk in and am met with a very distressed dad pacing in the living room.
When he spots me, he freezes in his space. And then...
"Aaron is here!" He shouts smiling. But I feel like that's not a smile. That's a call for help.
"Hi." I mumble. "Shouldn't you not shout, while Kayla is sleeping?" I ask on purpose. It's a low blow and I know it. And by the way dad's face crumbles, it's clear it has hit its spot.
"So silly of me. I-I forgot." He whispers now.
"Sit!" Mom says behind me almost making me jump. "I'll bring you guys tea." She says before disappearing in the kitchen leaving me alone with dad.
My list of suspicious behaviors is just getting longer and longer, because I hate tea and mom knows it very well, having told her the first time we met. She never prepared tea for me. So why now?
"Where's Addie?" I ask.
"Oh he's awake. In his room. Imma go get him." He jumps too eager to escape my suspicious gaze and presence. "Wait here! Do not move." He's too serious about that and then he's gone before I can protest.
Well I sure as hell ain't staying here. Not with the way he said it.
I head for Kayla's room. I knock once, twice.
No one answers.
"Cheesecakes?"
Each time I'd knock on her door here or anywhere really, she would shout something like 'it's too early for this' or 'I'm sleeping'. This time nothing. The dread in me intensifies more and more by the time.
Just before I'm about to open the door, Addie's voice stops me.
"Don't." He warns. My hand on the door handle freezes. "Don't go in there Aaron. She's sleeping." But with the way he's looking at me, we both know that he's lying. And he knows I know.
So before he stops me, I turn the handle and slam the door open to be met with...nothing.
There's no one inside. The bed isn't even disturbed. It's made and Kayla's wedding clothes are on it. But everything else is gone. Her clothes, most of her souvenirs and books. Our pictures together, all gone. Every closet and drawer is open and empty.
Realization hits me as the dread finally takes root, but even though deep down I know, even though I knew the second I knocked on that door, well what do they always say? First stage: denial.
"Where is she?" I snap at Addie. He swallows before he answers.
"Gone." He whispers broken.
"What do you mean gone? Where is she Addie?" I ask again. I'm starting to raise my voice already. I almost never raise my voice. "I will not ask you again. Where is she?" I don't think I've ever heard my voice this deadly. Not even when I was talking to the jackass.
"She's gone Aaron. I'm sorry. I tried." He mumbles and before he's halfway through the last syllable, I'm picking him up by his shirt and shaking him.
"I am not joking! Where is she?!" I sneer at his face.
"I told you you idiot! She's gone!" And then he proceeds to shout angry at me everything that he knows about her leaving. How he helped her, what she said, everything.
"She has left you a letter explaining everything in your apartment on Boston. And don't try calling her or texting or anything. She has blocked all of us, deleted everything. I was the one who actually did that. She made me double check every app. There's no way you can contact her Aaron. And before you ask, no I don't know where she's going after Boston. But I'm pretty sure she's already boarding the plane for there. Or on her way to." He finishes as I dumbstruck put him down. No no this cannot be happening. This is just some nightmare I need to wake up from. I'll wake up and we'll be together at our place. I'll wake up and she'll be there accusing me of studying faster than her. She'll be here being my dramatic queen and laughing with me.
She'll be here.
No this is not over. I will find her. And I will right now. I don't have time to act like a crybaby.
"Give me the note she left you and then you will again walk me through every step of what she made you do. Every single detail Addie. I mean it." He nods at me as he heads for the kitchen. I know he's isn't aware of where Kayla is going, because she's not dumb. She hasn't told him on purpose. I even know why she has left me the letter in Boston and not here. So she can slow me down even more. And now I just need to finally let myself be smarter.
I know one thing. There are three destinations where she could have gone to. And I'll walk to each of them if I have to. Even if it's the last thing I do.
***
I don't know how I didn't see it. Well I know how I didn't, but I still want to beat myself up for it.
I didn't see it because I trusted her. I didn't see it because she lied to me knowing I trusted her, and this time she slipped right past my defenses, because I wasn't concentrated. I was on Cloud 9 feeling like I had hit the lottery. I should've seen it. I should've have understood it. But mostly I think I didn't see it, because I didn't want to. I didn't want to believe that she would do that to me. And now I have to pay for it.
"I'm coming with you." Says a voice behind me. I turn to look at a worried Cory. I take two seconds to look at him and see that he's not changing his mind and then I motion for him to get in.
"Fine. Let's go." I say getting in the driver's seat. Three seconds later Cory gets in confused. "What?" I snap at him.
"You didn't fight me on it. I thought I'd have to convince you to let me tag along." He explains putting the seatbelt on.
"Well I don't have the time to argue with you." I do a quick math calculation, while I put the car in drive and start moving. "I'm already 9 hours late." I tell him, while pressing harder on the gas pedal.
"Right." He sighs. "Well where are we going then?"
"Boston first. According to Addie she has left me a letter in my apartment explaining stuff. I go read the letter, see if it has any indications or clues to where she might've gone and then next is her grandparents house. She has gone to collect her stuff there and probably college papers. Then we'll see." I explain taking a left sharp turn for the airport's way. "Since you're coming along, you might as well make yourself useful." My knuckles are white from gripping the living hell out of the wheel.
"Yes. That's why I came. What do you need me to do?" He asks eager.
"You check on her grandparents house. Check her room, her drawers, her closet, her table, everything that might tell us where she's gone, and then ask her grandparents if she said anything. While you do that, I'll read the letter and then we'll meet at the airport with the news." I finish taking another sharp turn. I'm driving worse than Kayla when she's angry. The memory of her brings a pang of pain to my chest.
I don't have time now. I need to find her. I need to find her before she completely disappears, before it's too late.
"Why are we meeting at the airport again?" Cory asks confused.
"Because there are three places where Kayla could've gone." Just saying her name hurts. "She has four friends from high-school that she's still in contact with. They're very close. Now one of them, Lena, lives here. I already met with her, just to be sure, but she has no idea where Kayla is. And Kayla wouldn't hide here right under our nose. It's too risky. No. She has found a place further away." I grunt in response.
Why did you do this?
"Okay so where do her three other friends live?" Cory asks from his seat.
"Well there's May. She lives in Ohio. There's a good chance Kayla might have gone there. May was close with Kayla's cousin and they share almost the same pain. But at the same time, for this very reason, that may be the last place she'll go to."
"And then there's Serena, whom lives in New York. Now there's a pretty good chance Kayla might've gone there too, because New York is like the league for lawyers. And Kayla would fit right in. So we definitely have to check there."
"And last is Kelsey. She lives in London." I say and am cut off by Cory.
"Shoot that's far." He states.
"Yeah I don't give a shit." I reply. "There's a good chance that Kayla could've gone there too. It's far and their law system is almost the same as ours. So we'll definitely check there too." I inform him as he nods.
"Okay one more question." He says reserved. He doesn't want to piss me off anymore and having me bite his head off. Fair enough.
"What?" I snap.
See what I'm talking about?
"How will you find these girls apartments or wherever they live?" He asks like he's reminding me if I've made sure of everything. I'd be an idiot if I hadn't.
"I know which college they attend. I'll ask people around the campus or the teachers." I explain and Cory looks at me like I've grown two heads.
"That could take weeks or more. How long do you plan to stay on each place?" He asks shocked.
"As long as it takes. I'll knock on every damn door in the country if I have to. But you're welcome to back off if you don't want to. I'm doing this either way." I tell him, but he's already shaking his head no.
"No no. I'll help you. If anything we'll find her faster together." He says determined. I shoot him a thankful look. As much as I acted as if I didn't want him coming along, I'm actually grateful.
"Thank you." I say. "Just promise me one thing." I tell him.
"Anything."
"I told everyone back too. Whatever happens, you cannot call Kony and Ryan. They need this. I won't ruin their honeymoon. When they're back after a month, we will already have found Kayla. No need to disturb them. Okay?" I order him giving him a look.
"Yes okay. I promise." He nods. Good.
I don't even know what to believe. I have no idea if we will have found Kayla in a month, but I'm not ruining their honeymoon either way. This is something I have to do. I need to.
I take my phone and throw it at Cory.
"Now try contacting Kayla. I don't care what Addie says. He might've slipped up on something. Email, any social media app, YouTube even. If you have her on any games that I don't. Contact her there too. No calls though. Already tried that fifty times." I mutter.
"I think I have her at HayDay." Cory mumbles while searching through the phone.
"Good." I reply. "Start texting."
***
The moment I unlock my apartment, I see an envelope lying on the floor. She must have slipped it under the door.
I slam the door shut and throw my keys on the table. The smell of myst on my apartment slams on me, having been closed up almost all summer.
My name written in her handwriting shoots a new burst of pain through me. I waste no time picking it up and tearing the envelope away.
Her handwriting stares back at me. Mocking me. I'm already shaking and my knees feel like jelly. Yet I take a deep breath and face my brutal reality through her cruel honest words.