Run Away

Chapter 42

A few weeks later, we found ourselves on another plane, this time headed for a place that had always been number one on Tessa's bucket list. Bali. I sat by the window again and watched as we took off from the airport in Dublin Ireland. It had been a whirlwind but an amazing two weeks. We had first gone to Italy and experienced the quaintness of Venice and it's gondolas and took full advantage of the delicious Italian cuisine. Our most recent stop had been Ireland, somewhere I had always wanted to go. It was there among the green hills, the old castles, the gloomy moors and the kind people that a sort of calm came over me. I felt happy for the first time in a while and instead of thinking about Tessa, I just enjoyed the moment with the friends I had now. Then the time has come to move on to the next place.
"Bali was the place Tessa wanted to go to the most." I murmured as I stared out over the ocean.
"Then I'm glad we can go there." Garrett said. I was quiet, trying to decide if I was excited to go there, or just filled with sadness at the thought of going there without Tessa.
"If she's anywhere, I think she's here." I spoke out loud, but I was talking to myself. Garrett understood that as he reached out and took my hand, gently squeezing it.
"We will find her." He assured me. I was starting to have my doubts about that. However, I wouldn't give up looking just yet and I had decided that if we couldn't find Tessa, than maybe I could find peace, in the beautiful place that she always wanted to visit.
****
"Oh my gosh. I can not believe this!" Sierra squealed as we stood in front of what would be our home for a while. The bungalow was small and cream coloured, with big windows and a straw roof. There was a small patio with chairs and an umbrella overlooking our own private pool. Not far away was a gorgeous beach, accessible by a small path through a wooded in area. I couldn't wait to go surfing.
"This is perfect." I whispered. The others swarmed forwards to explore the bungalow but I stood still, breathing in the salt air and feeling a small smile growing across my face. This was my time to heal. The birds chirped softly and the wind through the palm trees made a gentle rustling sound, the air smelled tropical, like the sea, and fruit and something else indescribable. I stood for a long time with my eyes closed, just feeling and being. Soon two strong arms wrapped around my waist and hugged me tightly.
"Happy?" Garrett's husky voice sounded in my ear and I smiled even bigger as I turned to look at him.
"For the time being, yes. So happy." I replied.
"Well that's all that matters isn't it?" He smiled and squeezed me tighter. I realized he was right. All that mattered was how I felt in the moment, not how I would feel in the future or what the past was like.
"It is." It was silent for a few minutes before I decide to speak what was on my mind.
"Garrett, I feel happy right now and peaceful. I feel like I am healing a little bit, but I also feel restless. I feel like I'm straining towards the future and wanting to know what will happen. I want to find Tessa more than anything in the world. I feel like I need to be looking for her and not relaxing and feeling happy and all that. It's so confusing." I sighed as a small weight lifted off my shoulders at the admission. He rubbed my shoulders lightly for a couple seconds before he spoke.
"I understand Tayia. But maybe you just need to push those feelings to the back of your mind for right now. You need to think about yourself too."
"I know." I let the tension deep out of my shoulders and smiled at him. "Well shall we go explore?"
***
The next few hours were filled with exploring every nook and cranny of the small bungalow. There was two bedrooms, a bathroom, and then a kitchen and sitting area all rolled into one. It was cute, and cozy and the bedrooms were perfect, with double beds covered with white sheets and enough room for two people to be in comfortably. The place was filled with windows, overlooking the gorgeous landscape. Supper was fried fish bought from a local shop and a bunch of fresh fruits we bought too. It was delicious and was eaten outside while we dangled our feet in the pool. After supper, we headed out to check out the beach.
"It's so pretty here." Jordan commented as we wove our way through the woods.
"I have to agree with that!" Sierra smiled. Just then the path ended and we found ourselves looking out over a breathtaking beach. The sand was white and the water looked clear and the sun was just starting to go down. Out on the water we could see small boats bobbing around, obviously local fishing boats. We headed for the water and in a couple of minutes we were all in, laughing and splashing.
"This water is so clear!" I exclaimed as we swam out a bit deeper and I could still see right to the bottom. I watched tiny, colourful fish swim beneath me and laughed.
"It's absolutely amazing out here." Sierra said, tilting her head back to gaze at the ombré sky. Soon we headed to our towels and spent the rest of the evening laying on the beach visiting and watching the sun set.
"Of all the places we've been, I think this one is my favourite." Garrett commented. We all agreed.
"Isn't it amazing how just about less than a year ago, we didn't even know each other? And now just think of the places we've seen together." Sierra sighed.
"I mean we knew each other." Jordan gestured between him, Sierra and Garrett.
"Yeah but we didn't know Tayia. And we hadn't ever been out of New York!" She pushed him gently and he laughed and agreed.
"It is weird." I said quietly. It was almost a year ago now that Tessa had disappeared. It was this time last year that we had been preparing for our graduation and then suddenly she was gone. I never would have dreamed of going to all these places with these people that I didn't even know existed. Then I swallowed hard. It had been almost a year. A year since I had seen my family, my friends, my home. And suddenly I ached for it.
"It's kind of amazing how these things work out." Garrett agreed. That snapped me out of my stupor. I had seen amazing things, and there was still more to experience.
"So what are we going to do tomorrow?" I changed the topic, looking forward to the new day.
****
Wow it's been wayy to long! So this is sort of a filler chapter and slightly boring. 😬 However, I just thought I'd add this author note to let you guys know a few things.
1) I've lost interest in this book but can't leave it unfinished. 😝 So I apologize if the ending isn't really as good as it should be (or as I want it to be.)
2) things are going to wrap up pretty quickly now since I feel like this book is kind of dragging on. The next few chapters will be some of the last.
3) Since I just kind of want to get this book done and I've had sudden inspiration for the last few chapters, expect a lot of updates! 😊 I may even be doing a double update tonight, depending on how the rest of my evening goes.
4) thank you guys sooo much for sticking with me. I really hope you've enjoyed it!
~S