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Charli didn’t say anything in response. Mainly because she had lots of thoughts and emotions regarding Blake’s decision to go to California.
She was afraid if she started talking about it, she’d reveal far more than she wanted to. Her reaction would be out of proportion to what people knew of her and Blake’s interactions.
Though they acted friendly when others were around, Jackson was still the only one who knew about their past, and no one knew that they were talking every night.
“I don’t think he would have gone if his dad hadn’t had a heart attack,” Jay said. “He wasn’t exactly excited about going.”
“Jackson says his parents are real pieces of work, especially his dad.”
Charli had no idea how the visit was going. She’d gotten a quick text late the night before saying that after a couple of delays along the way, they’d made it safe and sound.
The last few days had been a challenge for Charli. As soon as Blake had mentioned that he was thinking of going to visit his family, dread had settled into her stomach.
It had been hard not to dwell on what had happened the last time he’d gone to see them. This time, however, he’d made no promises to her. They weren’t at that point in their relationship.
Sure, they’d been talking every day—much like they had when they’d been long distance—but the conversations didn’t last long and hadn’t yet reached the depths they had in the past. However, things between them were the most comfortable they’d been since Blake’s return to Serenity. And each conversation seemed to bring them closer and closer to one another.
And as an added bonus, whenever spiritual things came up, they could actually have a conversation about them. Unlike the last time they’d dated. Back then, she’d been alone in her faith. Now, they shared that faith, and that connection added a new dimension to things that she really liked.
Charli was glad that Blake had been willing to take it slow as they went through the process of getting to know each other again. She just hoped that this time he spent with his family didn’t change things for them.
She’d already prepared herself to not hear from him for the next few days, however. It wasn’t really fair to expect him to contact her each evening like he had been doing while he was in Serenity. But there was a part of Charli that felt like it might be a sign of how he really felt about things between them if he didn’t contact her at least once a day while he was gone.
Charli was certain that if she’d been the one to leave, she would have made sure to contact him regularly. She didn’t expect an hour-long conversation every day while he was away, but a quick check in with each other would be nice.
Of course, she could be the one to contact him. But if he didn’t reply to her texts, it would almost be worse than if he didn’t contact her himself.
Being ignored or being forgotten?
Which was worse?
She’d already experienced being forgotten, so she wasn’t eager to go through that again. But she didn’t exactly want to be ignored, either.
Tangling herself up emotionally with Blake again was bringing her insecurities to the surface, and Charli had to battle not to let them overwhelm her.
She reminded herself that Blake had pursued her, asking for this second chance. He had initiated things between them, so she must be important to him. What they were building was important to him.
“He did ask me to pray that he’d be able to hold his tongue and that Amelia would be okay while they were there,” Jay said. “I got the feeling that he wanted to get there, so that he could get the visit over with and come home.”
Charli knew from the conversations they’d had that week before they’d left that he wasn’t looking forward to it. That was the one thing that gave her hope that this wouldn’t end up the way his last visit had. Though she knew it was unlikely he’d abandon her and Serenity, the fear was still alive and active in her mind.
Having been burned once…
“Can anyone tell me why Skylar didn’t come home?” Cole asked as he joined them. “I messaged her, but she didn’t answer me. And she hasn’t replied to any of Adrian’s texts for ages now.”
“Did they break up?” Charli asked, grateful for something to focus on besides her own issues.
Cole frowned. “I’m not sure. Adrian said he hadn’t broken up with her, but she seems to be ghosting him. And me too.”
“What’s ghosting?” their dad asked as he walked in carrying a platter of turkey.
“It’s when you stop talking to someone without giving them a reason,” Cole told him. “You just vanish like a ghost.”
“And Skylar did that to Adrian?”
“Yep.”
Charli wanted to sympathize with the guy because she felt like Blake had ghosted her back when she’d hadn’t been much older than Adrian. Even though Blake had sent one last text to break up with her, he’d then disappeared.
