A/N Dedicated to itsmychocolatebar for voting and commenting a lot. Your comments mean a lot to me and they're so funny. Stay beautiful! x
I'm the author and I ship Chraniella so much omg. Is that concieted? I guess so.
This is earlier than usual but that's only because I won't be able to update anytime soon. I have to attend a wedding :'( I hate parties/weddings so much.
And to think that people consider me 'social'.
SONG OF THE CHAPTER:
But if you are leaving,
I want you to know that I shoulda loved you way more, way more.
So if this is the end of us now...
I'll see you around.
- See You Around, Chris Brown.
Chapter 30
Weeks had gone by.
Weeks of countless road trips, numerous sleepovers, petty arguments, a few trips to some festivals, a couple of parties (in which I didn't attend), and plenty of trips to McDonald's.
I can very well say that it is my last day here in Melbourne, Australia.
Rain outside began violently splashing down on the concrete, causing puddles in the very process. I stared out the window, not bothering to say or do anything. What was there to say? With a sigh, I twisted to face the television and silently watched MasterChef.
"Are you coming with us tomorrow?" I asked Christopher.
He furrowed his eyebrows. "Where?"
"To the airport," I replied.
"Why would I come with you to the airport?" he questioned, licking his lips.
"To say goodbye. It's not like you have school tomorrow, right?"
"I can just say goodbye to your family over here," he shrugged.
"What about me?"
His eyebrows rose in confusion. "What about you?"
I smiled sadly and shook my head. "Never mind." That was the remnant of our conversation for the day.
Christopher was a dick head.
But I like this dick head.
But, having said all that, Christopher's attitude changed towards me. He didn't ever call me fat again, nor did he call me ugly; in fact, on rare occasions, he'd hand me compliments. For example, one day, he complimented me on my hair and said that 'your hair looks nice like that'. A day later, he told me and I quote 'you look nice today.' When I broke down the news to Delina and Jasmine, they began screeching at the top of my lungs.
After coming back from the pizzeria, Christopher and I made out in his car and he even went as far to give me a few hickeys. But things never went my way, because my father caught us making out in the car and handed us a huge lecture, one that lasted a whole hour. Turns out, he was standing outside the window watching us making out, much to my utter chagrin. I just hope that he hadn't noticed us using tongue, or when I 'accidentally' rubbed myself against Christopher.
I remember asking Christopher about our make out session that occurred after come backing from the pizzeria. My only response was a shrug of the shoulders and 'that doesn't concern you.' I didn't bother informing him that it did concern me, considering that I participated too.
Curiosity got the best of me, so I remember asking Mason. He told me that admittedly, Christopher had the hugest crush on me — which explains why he kissed me. I only rolled my eyes and left the living room after hearing that. Yeah, sure.
Of course, Adam made it his mission to keep pointing out the fact that I had a hickey weeks after the incident. His only response was a middle finger and a 'eat a dick, Adam' from Christopher.
Needless to say, every time Christopher and I were left alone in a room, my father would keep walking by and clearing his throat loudly, even though we weren't doing anything. For example, a few weeks back, Christopher allowed me to come inside his room to talk. We were laughing about the fact that he slipped in a puddle of rain earlier on in the day. The second my father knew that, he flung the door open and kept walking by, and at one point, I even spotted him eavesdropping from behind the door.
My father entered the dim living room, drawing me out of my reverie, and smiled at the sight of us. "You should get some sleep, Dani. We've got a long day ahead of us." I nodded and glanced at Christopher's expression.
Nothing.
A low sigh escaped my lips as I hauled myself up, trudging past my father and climbing up the stairs. Eventually, I arrived at my room, my eyes roaming around the almost empty room. I had already packed almost everything, save for my camera. Maybe I should take a look through it.
I began scrolling through the pictures, eventually landing on the one I took of Christopher at the cliff. His hair was marginally riffled up and the corner of his pink lips were twitched into a barely there smile.
Seems so long ago, yet just like yesterday.
After looking through all my pictures, I decided to get some sleep. When I finished brushing my teeth, I snuggled under the covers and allowed a sigh to escape my lips.
Time for some sleep.
+ + +
At around four o'clock in the morning, I decided to just give up on sleep and wake up. As expected, it was still dark out; but I knew that when the clock struck five, my mother would come sauntering in and demand that I wake up, even if our plane left at ten.
I adjusted my short pyjama shorts before climbing downstairs, allowing my eyes to dart across the empty living room. Everybody else was sound asleep, so I quietly tiptoed towards the kitchen and decided to have a snack. I grabbed an apple before dropping down on a stool and texting Charlotte as well as Beckett. I also sent a few texts to a couple of my friends, as I was feeling very bored.
While I was in the midst of scrolling through Instagram, my ears picked up a few footsteps. I froze in my spot as a shirtless Christopher came into view, his eyes narrowed and his lips slightly parted. "What are you doing?" he muttered in a sleepy voice as he advanced towards me, his eyes flickering to my bare legs for a moment there.
A small smile appeared on my face, although I couldn't focus due to the fact that he was shirtless. "I couldn't sleep." As if he understood, Christopher nodded and sat down in front of me, his hand twitching.
"Go put on a shirt," I blurted.
His eyebrows rose. "I'm not going to go upstairs and grab a shirt, Daniella."
"Why not?"
"Because," he shrugged, propping his head with his elbow.
"So...remember that you promised me that you'd show me a piece of work you've wrote?" I smiled.
"Um..."
"Come on, Christina. I'm leaving today, and I'd probably never get to see it again."
Christopher let go of a sigh as he traced circles on the kitchen countertop. "Okay," he murmured and I found myself smiling. He hopped off the stool and I shamelessly stared at his bare back as he exited the kitchen, watching as his back muscles flexed.
I moved around in the stool, spinning from left to right. With a smile on my face, I watched as Christopher returned back with a paper in his hands, this time wearing a maroon shirt. "This is just an essay I wrote," he warned as he clutched the paper to his chest.
"Okay," I nodded, smiling. "Now give it to me." Before he could utter a word, I snatched the piece of paper from him.
"Wait, no. I changed my mind." He went to grab it but I quickly hopped off the stool, rounding the kitchen island until I was standing opposite to him. "Daniella, give it to me," he ordered in a low voice.
"Nope," I grinned, backing away a few steps. "Now let's read." I heard him utter a loud sigh as I seized the paper and allowed my eyes to scan it.
After I finished reading it, I lifted my head up to meet Christopher's gaze. He manifested signs of nervousness as he stared at the ground, allowing his hair to messily fall atop of his forehead.
"Wow," I gasped. "This is seriously amazing, Christina. You're an amazing writer. I think I like you more now," I joked.
"Shut up, Daniella," he muttered as he grabbed the paper, his cheeks painted in a red colour.
"You blush easily," I cooed, grinning. His cheeks tinged even more red as he groaned quietly, shaking his head.
"Seriously, shut up, Daniella."
I ignored him as I grinned, clasping my hands under my chin. "Let me make you blush more."
"Okay, that's enough," he responded as he got up from the stool and folded his paper.
"Wait! Can I have it?" Once I caught sight of the odd look on his face, I shook my head, smiling a little. "Never mind, that was a dumb request."
"No, no. Of course you can have it." He thrust the paper towards me and I smiled once again.
My eyebrows were on the verge of shooting up in surprise. "Thank you," I smiled, getting up and throwing my half eaten apple into the trash can. "I'm going to go try and sleep," I explained, wiping my palms on my pyjama shorts. "Goodnight, Christopher."
His eyes flickered to me and he gave me a nod. "Night, Dani," he murmured.
+ + +
"Daniella Evans, if you don't wake up, we'll leave you behind." A weak groan escaped my lips as I squinted and stared at my mother.
"Alright, alright," I croaked, rubbing my eyes. My mother left my room after one last glare and I offered a sigh. I tiredly trudged towards the bathroom and rinsed my face. After brushing my teeth and then my hair, I transferred into the outfit that was laid out for me.
I'm definitely going to miss this room, I thought as I sat on the bed and allowed my eyes to wander around it. A small voice drew me out of my reverie. "Dani." I turned to face the source of noise, Noah.
"Hey, Noah," I greeted softly, patting the spot beside me.
"Are you guys leaving today?" he asked me as he played with my fingers. I nodded and daubed on a weak smile.
"Yeah. And we'll definitely miss you."
"I'm going to miss you heaps," Noah told me with a frown. "We all liked you. Especially Chris. He liked you the most." I offered a small smile.
"Go get some breakfast, Noah," I ruffled his hair and he nodded before bolting out of the room. Before I left the room, my eyes landed on the stuffed kangaroo that Christopher won for me. An imaginary light bulb appeared at the top of my head. This is in all likelihood one of the most corniest things I've done, I thought as I ripped out a paper and scribbled some words on it.
But it's the thought that counts, right?
With the kangaroo and paper in my hands, I shuffled towards Christopher's room and pressed my ear against the door. Nothing. With a frown, I knocked on the door, but there was no response. Looking around, I slowly reached out and opened the door, cringing as it creaked.
The room was empty, as expected. I used the opportunity to place the kangaroo on the nightstand with the paper beside it. Before I exited the room for the very last time, I read the note.
To Christina,
I know you're not going to miss me as much as I'll miss you. But here's something to remember me by.
I wrote my Skype number at the back of this paper just in case you want to catch up some time, yeah?
Thank you for everything.
From, Daniella.
A faint smile lingered on my lips as I turned on my heels and left his room for the last time. As my father began carrying our suitcases down the stairs, I entered the kitchen and smiled at the sight of Lauren. "Come eat some breakfast," she motioned to the plate of pancakes and I nodded. I slid the plate over towards me and dug into the plate of pancakes.
Christopher stepped foot into the kitchen and I watched him as he casually paced towards the fridge. He grabbed a carton of orange juice and gulped the contents of it down, ignoring his mother who scolded him. When his gaze landed on me, I quickly looked back down at my plate and pretended to eat.
After I finished eating, I thanked Lauren and then left the kitchen. I sat on the couch and glimpsed around the living room, a corny move on my part. But who knows when I'll see them again? Who knows if I'll see them again? "Come on, Daniella," my mother grumbled, beckoning me over.
I carried my suitcase and stepped outside after giving one last glance to the house behind me. Once I spotted Christopher loading the bags along with my father and Bill, I walked over towards him with my hands stuffed in my pockets.
"You're staying here?" I asked him and he shook his head.
"No, I'm going," he muttered under his breath and I resisted the temptation to smile. Once again, a feeling of déjà vu overcame me as I climbed into the backseat with Christopher beside me. It reminded me of when I first came and sat beside him.
"Remember when I first came?"
"That was the day my dreams shattered," Christopher murmured to himself and I frowned, but continued anyway.
"We sat here at the very back," I patted the seats as a feeling of etiolation settled in the pit of my stomach.
He nodded, staring out the window. "I know," he mumbled.
I sighed and he remained quiet as I gazed out the window, watching as cars zoomed by. A flurry of sadness flowed through me as I blinked rapidly.
I really need to get a grip sometimes.
As I stared out the window, I felt my eyelids dropping due to fatigue. Christopher must of noticed, though, because he shifted in his seat and brought my head to lay on his shoulder. "Go to sleep, Daniella. You look like you need it," he muttered, wrapping an arm around me and bringing me closer. He ran his hands through my hair in a soothing manner and I tried not to squeal as I nodded tiredly, closing my eyes resting my head against his shoulder.
An hour or so later, we arrived at the Melbourne International Airport and I was drawn out of my deep slumber by Christopher. "Daniella, wake up," he said quietly and I lifted my head off his shoulder, looking around in confusion.
"We're here?"
He nodded and trod out of the car, opening the door for me and allowing me to step out of it. As my father loaded our luggage into a trolley, I felt a tug at the bottom of my coat, so I peered down to see Noah looking up at me. He interlaced his fingers through mine and I smiled down at him.
I accompanied my family into the airport and was surprised to catch a glimpse of Adam, Mason, Jasmine and Delina all waiting for us. "Hey," I greeted them with confused looks.
"Hey!" Delina exclaimed. "We came to say goodbye." After checking our bags, my family headed towards a few waiting chairs while I lingered beside the group.
"I'm first!" Jasmine proclaimed as she yanked me into a hug. I hugged her back as she sniffed my hair. "Your hair smells good."
I proposed a quiet laugh. "Uhm...thank you?"
"I'm going to miss you so much, Dani," she muttered in a quiet voice and I felt the smile I managed to muster dissipating.
"I'll miss you too, Jasmine," I hugged her tighter as I felt her slip a note in my pocket. "What was that?" I demanded as I pulled away. She held an impish grin on her face as she folded her arms across her chest.
"That's my Skype number. Call everyday!"
I thrust my hands in my pockets and felt the paper crumble beneath my fingers. "Okay," I whispered, more to myself than to her.
Before she could say or do another thing, she was pushed aside by Delina. "I think I'm going to miss you the most," I told her as she engulfed me into a hug.
"Did you hear that?" Delina cackled and I refused the urge to smile. She hugged me for a while longer and then pulled back, looking into my eyes. "Jasmine wrote my Skype number, too. If you don't call or text, I'll book a ticket to America and shove a stick down your throat. Understood?"
I nodded with slightly wide eyes. "Understood." She cracked a sad smile as her eyes roamed around my face.
"Chris should've never introduced you to us."
"Why?" I frowned.
"Because I get easily attached," she responded with a frown of her own. "We're all going to miss you a lot."
I managed to force a laugh, which oddly sounded hysterical. "Don't make me cry."
She sniffled a few times. "Get away from me before I cry." She pushed me away and I stumbled in front of Adam, who pulled me into a hug. He lifted me off the ground for a second and I laughed, patting his back.
"I'll miss you too, Adam," I smiled. God, I would miss him a lot. His lame sense of humour; his petty arguments with Delina; his wise advice; and his smile that can make your whole day brighter.
He ruffled up my hair and smiled down at me. "I'll miss you so much, Shortie."
"I'll miss me more," I joked, earning a grin in response.
"Get out of here." I held up my hands in mock surrender as I walked over to Mason, who had his hands shoved in his pockets.
When he spotted me, he held out his hand for me, as if he wanted me to shake it. But once he saw my arms lifted in the action of a hug, he awkwardly retrieved his hand and lifted his hands. Then, I put my hand out for him to shake and he awkwardly brought his hands back by his side.
This continued on for a while longer before I sighed, growing rather tired, and yanked him in a hug. He hugged me back and I smiled in contentment. Mason's hugs are rare, but they're the best things in the world. "Your hugs are the best," I mumbled into his shoulder. He breathed out a chuckle as he tightened his grip around me.
We released each other and I sighed, allowing my eyes to move over his attractive face. "I'll miss you, Masey."
"I think I'm going to miss you more, Dani."
I scoffed, shaking my head. "I don't think that's possible." I sent him one last smile as I made my way over towards Christopher. He looked down at me from under his lashes and I sighed, wiping my palms on my jeans.
"Masey?" he echoed with his eyebrows raised.
"Christina?" I offered, grinning. Once I noticed the blank expression that contorted his face, I began, tipping back and forth on the heels of my feet. "I'm going to miss you," I told him. He didn't respond and I wanted to sigh once more. "Can I have your Skype number?"
He uttered a scoff that sounded contemptuous. "That's reserved for my friends."
My face fell. "And I'm not your friend?"
"You're more than..." he trailed off, sighing. "No, we are friends," he muttered upon catching my crestfallen expression. The corner of my lips twitched upward into a smile.
"I left you my Skype number on a piece of paper. It's in your room, also known as, the forbidden territory," I joked, watching as a ghost of a smile made its way onto his face.
"You went into my room?" he raised his eyebrows and I nodded sheepishly, watching as he emitted a sigh and stretched his hand out. "Give me your phone." I tried to hold back a grin as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it over towards him. I watched in anxiety as he typed his Skype number.
Then, he passed my phone over towards me. "Here," he mumbled.
I bit my lip and allowed my gaze to cast downwards for a moment. Should I hug him? No, that's crossing the line. "Well...I'll see you," I mumbled, giving him a meek smile.
Christopher nodded and I nodded too before taking a small step back. I spun on my heels but was cut off by the sound of his voice. "Wait," he blurted. I turned back around to face him with a raised eyebrow and he passed off a small sigh before stepping closer.
I was taken by surprise when he wrapped his arms around me and engulfed me in a hug. Slowly, I stood on my tiptoes and hugged him back, resting my head against his shoulder. He smells so good. I attempted not to sniff the life out of him as he slightly lifted me off the ground, mumbling something about how short I was.
"I'm sorry for every hurtful thing I've said," he murmured while still hugging me, and for some reason, I got the strong urge to cry. He ran his hands through my hair and I sighed.
"It's okay, Christopher," I replied in a quiet voice.
A few minutes later, he pulled back and kept his arms tightly wrapped around my waist. I tried not to scream in excitement as a grin broke out on my face. "Wow," I exclaimed, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. "I never thought you'd hug me."
"Never speak about this again," he warned, but couldn't help the small smile that crept its way onto his face. I smiled back, resisting the urge to hug him again.
"Okay," I replied quietly, allowing my eyes to travel around his attractive face. On the spur of the moment, he took a deep breath and allowed his eyes to flit down to my lips. With my heart pounding against my chest, I watched in trepidation as he angled his head to the side and slightly parted his lips.
Before his lips could come into contact with mine, the auditory sensation of somebody clearing their throat cut us off. Christopher let go of my waist and then took a step back, hiding his smile by biting his lip.
"Ahem ahem," my father exaggeratedly cleared his throat for what seemed to be the millionth time, puffing his chest out. I swear I wanted to roll my eyes as my eyes flickered over to him.
He totally ruined the moment. Parents ruin everything.
I remember my teeth being gritted as I tried not to glare at him. "Dad," I daubed on a fake smile. "What're you doing here?"
He held an innocent smile tugging at the nook of his lips as he advanced towards Christopher. "Just wanted to say goodbye."
"Okay," I nodded.
My father paused, giving me a pointed look as he clutched his coat. "We want some privacy."
"Okay," I nodded as I found myself gritting my teeth in order to not curse aloud. Children were within earshot. "Bye, Christopher." In a hurried manner, I whirled on my heels, joining Jasmine and Delina.
They both wore matching grins on their faces.
"We have a code sixty four," I grinned, watching as Delina let out a squeal. Jasmine, on the other hand, assumed a puzzled stare on her face.
"What's a code sixty four, again?"
"It means it's one of those times where Chris isn't being a dick head!" Delina explained and Jasmine cooed with a grin on her face.
"Aw, that's so cute!"
I shook my head. "Shut up." I began making my way over towards Bill, who was bidding my parents goodbye. "Thanks for having us," I told him with a slight smile.
Bill returned the smile. "It was no worries. You're welcome to stay at our house anytime."
After bidding him goodbye, I headed towards Lauren, who handed me a smile. "Thanks for having us, Lauren. It means a lot, even though we might of slightly annoyed you guys."
"Nonsense! It was a pleasure having you all!" She, too, pulled me in a hug and I returned it. "Have a safe flight," she murmured in my ear. I pulled back and gave her another smile as I felt a tug at my coat. I glanced down to see Noah frowning up at me.
"Hey, Noah," I squatted down to his height. "What's up?"
"Look what I drew for you." He pulled out a piece of paper from behind his back and I felt a smile threatening to make its way onto my face. I took hold of the paper and scanned the drawing, which was a drawing of me holding hands with a drawing of a guy.
"Who's this?"
"That's you and Chris."
Speak of the devil and he shall appear, I thought as Christopher squatted down and examined the drawing with raised eyebrows. "Who's that?" he inquired.
"That's you and Dani!" Noah exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. His older brother scowled as he stared down at the drawing.
"Shut up, Noah," Christopher muttered, handing me the picture. He stood up and spun on his heels, joining Adam. I could faintly hear Adam asking about our hug and Christopher shaking his head with a small smile on his face.
I tucked the paper in my coat and pulled Noah into a hug. He leaned his head on my shoulder while I patted his back. "I'm going to miss you a lot!" he informed me.
I smiled. "I'll miss you more."
"Come on, Daniella. We have to go," my mother ushered me and I nodded, standing up. Our group of friends were all standing in a line with sad smiles on their faces.
I gave Delina one last hug, to which she returned almost eagerly. "Call everyday!" I nodded, promising her that I will. Then, I moved on to Jasmine, who tackled me into a hug.
Next, I was bombarded in a hug by Adam, who messed up my hair and mumbled on about how much he was going to miss me. Eventually, it was Mason's turn to hand me a bear hug, to which I returned almost at once.
Lastly, I shuffled over towards Christopher, who kicked the floor with his feet. "Christopher, call me everyday. I mean it."
He gave a short nod. "I will."
"Thanks for having us, even though I was kind of annoying," I attempted to lighten up the mood.
"You still are."
I rolled my eyes. "Right. Text me, too, okay?"
This time, it was his turn to roll his eyes. "You're so demanding."
"I mean it!" I frowned and he allowed a sigh to escape his lips. "Can I have one last hug?"
"Come here," he mumbled, complying by my order by stepping forward and encasing me in a bone crushing hug. He rested his chin atop of my head and tightly wrapped his arms around, causing me to smile widely. I wanted to squeal in excitement as I hugged him tighter.
I stepped back and my eyes moved around his face for the very last time, trying to commit it to memory.
"Daniella, I—," Christopher was cut off by the intercom announcing our plane was about to board. "Never mind."
I wanted to scream in annoyance as I slowly nodded. "One more hug?" I requested sheepishly and he chuckled, tugging me towards him and encasing me in a huge bear hug.
When the sound of my mother screeching at me to hurry up rang through my ears, I sighed and stepped back, allowing my hands to fall back by my side. "See you," I murmured, swallowing.
Christopher stared at me for a moment, and then nodded, averting his gaze. "See you around, Daniella."
And so, I took a step back. "Bye, guys!" A chorus of 'we'll miss you's!" sounded across the group as I turned on my heels and joined my family. After getting hold of a few steps, I spun on my heels for the last time and glanced around. Our group of friends were all waving frantically and Adam was pretending to dab at his eyes with a tissue.
I stared at Christopher, who was staring back at me. He raised his left hand and cast me a small, hesitant wave, causing my heart to flutter. A sad smile appeared on my lips as I spun on my heels and joined my family.
I'll see you around, Christopher.