Hot Mess Holiday (NA, Romance, Chick-Lit)

1. You need to calm down

Over the last few weeks, I had perfected the delicate art of sleeping through my boyfriend's morning routine. Unfortunately, this talent was neither profitable nor appreciated by my boyfriend, Joshua. Considering our apartment was the size of a parking space and Joshua moved with the grace of an elephant in a china shop, I considered it Nobel-Prize–worthy.

Naturally, when my mom called at nine in the morning, I wasn't worried about my beauty sleep. 

Our conversations followed a script I knew by heart and was no match against my hibernation. Especially not when was in the middle of my favourite dream: preppy boyfriend and rugged childhood crush fighting for my love.

Before I managed a groggy hello, I heard her gasping between sobs. It was more effective than a bathtub full of coffee. I lurched upright, heart pounding, throat dry.

"Mom? What's going on?"

"Astrid, he's in a coma," she whispered.

My thoughts started spinning. I'd never heard her cry before. Not even when dad left us. Not even when she watched The Notebook.

"What? Who is?"

"We were going to eat pot roast tonight. It was just a normal day..." Her voice broke. "I... I don't understand."

"Mom," I said carefully, though my voice shook. "Tell me what's happening."

"John," she managed. "John is in a coma."

A cold shiver crawled down my spine.

John. Mom's boyfriend. The steady, quiet man she adored. The one I never really got to know because I had been too busy being a snarky teenager. 

Guilt hit me, sharp and instant. I couldn't even remember the last time we talked to each other. I always pretended to be busy when mom tried to hand over the phone to him.

"What happened?"

"A heart attack. He was driving to get us a Christmas tree. He crashed into a pine." She swallowed hard. "He was fine this morning. And then he wasn't."

"Oh, Mom... I'm so sorry." My throat tightened. "Is he... do they think he'll be okay?"

"They don't know." Her voice trembled. "Luckily Mason found him quickly. If he hadn't... I don't want to think about it."

Even now, hearing Mason's name made my heart flutter. Seven years, one stable boyfriend, and a life far away, but he still held a special place in my heart.

"I'm taking the first bus home," I said.

"I'm at the hospital."

"I'll be there as fast as I can."

"Mister Darcy is still home. They don't allow dogs at the hospital. Could you please make sure he's alright? I don't want to leave John."

"Of course."

I hung up and yanked my laptop off the floor. I found a bus ticket that left in under an hour. Seventeen dollars. I checked my balance.

Thirty-eight.

Perfect. Booked.

I usually preferred the cozy ferry, but that day the bridge to Alvik felt like a blessing straight from heaven. I needed to get to the island as fast as possible - a sentence I never thought I'd say in my lifetime.

Normally, I avoided Alvik with the intensity of someone dodging an ex at the grocery store. Fueled by big dreams and a healthy dose of high school humiliation, I had packed my bags and moved to the nearest city the moment I graduated. Since then, I had done everything in my power to avoid coming back.