Lana made two vodka tonics and sat back on the bed, raising her glass to cheers against mine. Our glasses clanked, and I drank half of it in the first sip. The alcohol stung my insides, making me bite back a grimace.
“Do you know what we’re doing tomorrow?” Lana asked.
“Sleeping?” I replied.
She scoffed. “No. We’re going to Disneyland, and we’re going to ride every ride and eat all the food until they have to roll us out of there.”
A smile graced my lips. “I don’t know if I’m in the mood for Disney.”
“That’s why we’re going,” she said. “One day. No phone calls. No texts. No drama. We can tell Gavin and Ezzie that your phone will be in my purse. But you need at least one day before all the phone calls start coming in.”
The moment the sentence had left her lips, my phone buzzed.
Abigail.
I locked eyes with Lana, who grabbed my phone up before I could think about answering.
“Hello?” she answered. “Yes—no. No, you can’t talk to her,” Lana said to Tyler’s mother. “No, there’s nothing you can do. I’m sure she’ll call you another day, but she won’t be on her phone any time soon. No—goodbye, Abigail.”
A loud huff left her when she hung up, though I could hear Abigail continuing to speak. Lana extended me the phone.
“Five minutes,” she said. “Then it’s going in my bag. You’re going to get some actual sleep.”
I was eternally grateful for her being there.
I already had texts from Tyler, Tyler’s mother, and a few from Ezzie—work-related, as I hadn’t told her anything. I texted her first to let her know I wouldn’t be in the office the next day either, but I would be in on Wednesday and let her know what was going on then. Her returning message was that she hoped I was okay and would see me when I was ready.
I’m staying at the hotel with Lana tonight, I texted Gavin. He replied back almost immediately.
Okay,he replied.I’m here if you need me. Are you okay?
Not really,I said.Lana wants me to take tomorrow off, just her and me, to try to get my mind off things.
I think that’s a great idea. I won’t bother you then.
I’ll probably stay here tomorrow night, too.
Okay, he said.Whatever you need.
I don’t want you to think I’m running.
Chloe, I love you, he said.And while I would love for you to be in my arms every moment, I know you need time. So, I’ll be here waiting when you’re ready.
Thank you. For everything, I mean. Not just for this. But for understanding. For pushing me to go after what I deserve. I could list a million things.
Maybe you can tell me one per day, he said.Get some rest. I’ll see you soon.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO - CHLOE
LANA AND I’S day trip to Disneyland was precisely what I needed.
We spent the day ignoring reality, and it was only when we got back to the hotel and ordered sushi that I finally looked at my phone again. I had several missed calls, too many text messages, and a cascade of emails. It seemed that when people hadn’t been able to reach me through text or calls, they’d decided email was the next solution.
Lana deleted all of them.
The only people I really owed an explanation to were my family.
My sisters took the news graciously, and I was surprised at how neutral they reacted. I thought they would have been upset about the amount of money spent on dresses and the plane tickets, but both said they were fine returning their dresses and taking the vacations anyway. I told them to make sure to call when they were in town so I could at least see them.
