White Gold *Completed*

Not As Much As I Do...

  "I know this whole damn city thinks it needs you
But not as much as I do
As much as I do, yeah ." 

The Last of the Real Ones- Fall Out Boy

Four Weeks Later

London

Nix's POV

So, trying to find Adam in Ireland was a bust. I was back to square one once again. No number, no address, nothing but the warning from a girl that I should leave him alone.

So here I was, surrounded by the interns still basking in the glow of their success in Sydney, but my mind couldn't concentrate on one thing. I was scribbling on scraps of paper, ideas and notes of where he could be, could have gone, and why.

I rubbed my temples and stared at my phone, expecting Sterling to text at any second. We'd been casually seeing each other for a while now, nothing serious, but I'd grown used to his company almost every day.

However, Kailea's bridal shower was this upcoming weekend so I was flying to L.A tomorrow to be with her by Saturday. Sure, it may have been a bit excessive to spend so much time and money but she was my sister, and I was pretty damn homesick currently. I had been working overtime the past few days so that I wouldn't be behind on anything and could leave guilt free.

Adelaide bid me goodnight and a safe trip and I left soon after. I decided to walk home through the chilly night, breathing in the crisp autumn air. I could smell the snow on the breeze, and gazed up at the sky through the silvery clouds highlighted by the street-lamps. I stuck my hands into the deep pockets of my red pea coat and fell into the rhythm of my boots clacking against the stone.

Flying into California again was hard. It was as if all my fears and anxieties came back mile by mile and my stomach was churning while I waited to deplane, clutching Pongo's leash until it was called that First Class could get off. Pongo, quite the little pro now, sat patiently with his ears pointed forward and watching the others pass us by.

"Miss Barrow," the stewardess said politely, nodding at me as I left.

My rent-a-car was waiting for me outside and I loaded everything up, letting Pongo jump up in the front seat beside me as we joined the long line of traffic out of the airport.

While we waited to exit, I bit my lip and eyed my phone. There was no harm in trying one last time... I dialed the number I knew by heart.

"Adam, hey. Um, I've been calling for a while now but you haven't answered. I've called your family over the past few weeks and stuff and they're worried sick about you and I'm kinda running out of hope here, but I'm gonna stop by the house and...and see if you're there. I might as well since I'm town...one last shot, I guess. Okay...bye." I hung up and tossed my phone into the middle storage section and made my way towards the Sunset Strip, a road I'd taken many times, to a place where my life had begun and changed forever.

I typed in the passcode on the gate-a total longshot- and exhaled when it buzzed me in.

Almost two years later and Adam hadn't changed the code.

I parked in the driveway and was instantly hit with chills at the sight that greeted me. Dead leaves and grass blew across the pavement and steps leading up to the door, the bushes and trees we usually kept in pristine condition were spotty and overgrown. I climbed out of the car and Pongo scrambled over the seat to follow me, instantly running towards the gate that led to the back yard. I trailed behind and unlatched the gate. The pond was empty and the flowers were long dead. The house walls needed serious power-washing, as did the windows.