Closure - Trevor Daniels
Hayden's POV:
I JUST HAD my last class for the day and it was now 4:30 pm but I still didn't see Everly in any of the classes we had together and it wasn't the least bit funny. Throughout the day, I had been waiting for her to show up, walk through the door of our Econs. class like everything was alright. But the thing was, everything wasn't alright and I could feel it in my bones.
Even though we didn't know each other that well, I would still like to count her as a friend, because she was a friend to mine, and I was no doubt worried about her.
I walked out of the lecture hall and headed toward the parking lot where I hoped Annabeth would at least have some information on the whereabouts of her friend.
As I walked over to the gloom couple, I could tell it was still radio silence from Everly.
"Hey, guys," I said to them as I arrived.
"Hey," They both mumbled dryly.
"Still nothing?" I asked Anna, leaning on the side of my car, arms crossed.
"I'm afraid so. I'm trying to think of all the places she could be, but Ev's so —what will I say? —private. She likes her privacy, and if she doesn't want to be found, trust me, unless you hire a PI, there's no way we could find her."
The girl —no, woman —was an enigma on her own. She was a puzzle I so damn wanted to solve, it was disturbing.
Whether I wanted to admit it or not, she'd caught my attention. Not by being flirty, or by seeking it. She caught my attention by simply just being. And I'd be damned if I said I didn't want hers.
"So, you have no idea where she could be right now? Anywhere at all?" I inquired.
"Well, I'm not really sure, but there are actually two places that she would probably be at. It's a three percent chance we would find her, though." Anna said with a faraway look in her eyes.
"You could check this café. It's called Jamie's. It's like her second safe haven. Dylan and I can go check her first safe haven." She said, a worn out look on her face.
"Yeah, of course. I'll call you guys if I find her." I said to them as I got in my car, ignoring the fact that she intentionally didn't tell me where said first safe haven was.
"Yeah, I'll call you too, if we find her." Dylan said as he held the passenger's seat door open for Anna.
With a nod of my head, I pulled out of the parking lot. I pulled out my phone from my pocket and tapped on the maps icon on the screen. Typing in the name of the café, I steadied the car as I waited for the route to come up.
The café was about 30 minutes from were I was so I dropped my phone in one of the cup holders and focused on my driving.
..
I switched off the car and got out, picking my phone up in the process and sliding it into my jeans pocket. I locked up the car and noticed the sun was already setting, giving the sky an orange color.
I stalked into the cafe, pushing the heavy door open. As I stepped in, the deep aroma of coffee and other pastries filled my nostrils, reminding me I hadn't eaten anything serious today.
I looked around the room, hoping to God the person I was looking for was here. I spotted a familiar mass of curls at the end of the room, sprawled on a table.
So having my fingers crossed, I walked over, slumping in a seat when I took a good look at the occupant of the booth.
Everly.
She stilled a bit, obviously noticing someone had joined her at the table.
"Hi," I spoke softly, scared she would break if I were to speak any louder.
She didn't reply me. She just groaned softly like I was the last person she wanted to see. It was honestly amusing.
She picked her head up from the table and dragged her hands down her face, like she was tired of the shit show called life. She ran her hands through her hair, releasing a long sigh.
She got up from her seat and walked away, not even sparing me a glance. With a baffled look on my face, I got ready to get the hell out of here, but she went up the counter instead of out the door.
A minute later, she walked back to the table with two large cups of vanilla sweet cream cold foam —I could tell just by looking at it —and pushed one to me before dropping back on the seat.
She made a long slurping sound as she drank, all the while staring at me with those intense brown eyes.
"It's for you," She said when she saw I hadn't touched the drink.
"Thanks," I said, before hesitantly picking up the drink and sipping the creamy goodness.
Neither of us said anything, but I noticed her eyes were slightly red, which meant she had cried but I didn't point it out.
"Mind telling me why you stormed out of school like that?" I asked, going straight for the jugular.
"Yes, actually. I do mind," She said, her eyes lazily darting round the café like she would rather be anywhere than here having this conversation with me.
I heaved out a sigh as I got up. I went over to her side and nodded my head back, indicating she should move.
"Come on, move."
With a stubborn look on her face, she moved down, creating space for me beside her.
I sat down, drink in hand, and moved closer to her —which got me a raised eyebrow in response. I placed my drink and the table and —with all my might —pulled her to my chest.
I wrapped my arms around her, ignoring the fact that she completely stilled when I touched her.
Her scent —lavender, sweet —filled my nostrils and I tried my best not to bury my nose in her hair.
Reluctantly, she wrapped her arms around my neck as she relaxed into the hug.
"If you're not going to say anything to me, I should at least know if you're okay," I said, my hand going to her hair as I gently massaged her scalp. She let out a content sigh through her lips, an action that tickled my nerves and sent blood surging through my body.
She eased out out the hug, a calmer look on her face now.
I guess hugs really are the best things sometimes.
"I'm okay. Thanks for coming to get me," She said with a small smile on her face.
Before I could respond to her, the shrill sound of my phone ringing cut through the air. I pulled out the object from my pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was Dylan.
"Hey," I said, running my hand through my hair.
"Hey, dude, we didn't find her here and Beth's losing her fucking mind. Did you find her at the café?" Dylan asked, worry lacing his tone.
I locked eyes with Everly before replying, "Yeah, she's with me. Tell Beth she's alright and I'll get her home safe."
"Okay," He heaved out a breath, relieved. "That's good to know. Thanks a lot, man."
"Sure, no worries," I told him honestly before hanging up.
"Your friends were worried sick about you," I said to Everly who had been staring at me, quietly slurping her drink drink down. How her teeth weren't freezing was a surprise to me.
"Where you worried about me?" She asked quietly, an indecipherable look in her eyes.
"I think you already know the answer to that," I said to her, not once breaking eye contact.
The space between us was next to nothing, but I didn't move away. Neither did she. I rose my hand, using my thumb to caress her cheek where there was a trail of dried tears.
"Why'd you cry?" I asked, just as quietly as she had spoken. I moved my thumb to her bottom lip which had gotten red because of the cold drink she had been slurping. Her lips quivered a little, releasing a small breath —and the straw —from her mouth.
Big brown eyes stared up at me as she placed her drink on the table, her hands falling to her laps.
Her eyes darted to my lips as she licked her chapped lips, taking my thumb into her mouth.
I was sure the look in her eyes mirrored the look in mine —dark, heated, intense.
I pulled my finger out of her mouth and cupped the back of her head with my hand.
I didn't realize we had moved even closer to each other, until our noses touched and her lips parted slightly.
And the next thing I knew, I was kissing her. And she didn't stop me.