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‘All the more reason to spend this year here.’
Ignoring the sense in her argument, I pressed the button and watched as the tiny paper aeroplane dashed across the screen.
YOUR TRIP IS BOOKED
* * *
‘Mom, you guys will be fine without me.’
The little wrinkle that appeared between her eyebrows telling me she wasn’t pleased was in full force.
‘Honey, this was going to be our last Christmas with you for a while. We’ve been so looking forward to it.’
Guilt gnawed at my gut as her disappointment eked into her voice.
‘I know,’ I said, sighing as I rested my chin on my hand and stared at the screen. I had put off the video call as long as possible. ‘I’m sorry. I just really feel Adam and I need this.’
‘Did he ask you to go?’
‘No... It’s a surprise.’
‘Oh, Cara, I’m not sure this is a good idea. You don’t fly halfway around the world as a surprise. He might not even be there.’
A text popped up, covering the top of Mom’s head on my phone.
At the airport, babe. I’m going to miss you so much. Wish I could wake up with you on Christmas morning to kiss that pretty face. Will text when I land.
Flutters went through me, and I couldn’t help but smile. He missed me already. I knew it was just the stress making things difficult. He’d get his wish.
‘He will be. He told me he’ll be at his dad’s over the entire break. Plus, I’ll be back in time to spend New Year’s Eve with you guys.’
Adam hadn’t exactly given me his address in Scotland, but I’d done some sleuthing and found it on paperwork in his dorm room. Was it a bit creepy? Maybe. But he’d be so stoked with the surprise, I was sure it would be worth it. I just needed him to look at me the way he used to. A jolt to the system was exactly what we needed.
‘If you change your mind, you know we’d love to have you,’ Mom said.
‘Thanks Mom, love you.’
‘Love you too, honey. Just remember that sometimes the best guys are the ones who you don’t need to chase.’
‘I’m not chasing him. I’m surprising him.’
Her words planted a little seed of doubt in my stomach. It felt like the script had flipped and I was doing an awful lot of the chasing. It was just stress. It had to be. We had planned out a whole future for after we graduated. Adam had been so excited when he found a master’s degree in my field in Edinburgh. He’d ordered the prospectus and helped me fill in the forms. Hell, he’d even given up an entire night to prepare me for the video interview and sat behind the camera writing prompts to help me remember everything. He wanted it as much as I did.
It would be fine.
I’d finally get to see a bit of my future home country while Adam and I spent quality time away from university life. A step into our next chapter.
Another message popped up as I went to reply to the first. It was a frothy hot chocolate covered in tiny snowman marshmallows with the caption:Wish you were here.
I didn’t need to be told twice.
Two days to go and I’d be on my way.
THREE
‘All right, love?’the taxi driver asked me as the car slid slightly on the icy ground. I clutched the seat, worn fabric dipping beneath my nails as I tried not to show my absolute terror.
Everything had gone wrong. They had diverted the plane to an airport in northern England due to high winds. I’d been bussed up to Edinburgh while seated next to an older man who reeked of stale cigarettes and sour milk. I’d squashed myself against the condensation covered window as best I could, but he still kept rolling his head against me as he snored.
