‘Yes. Sorry. Keep searching!’
Joanie managed to find two people who worked with Graysonwho were online. One didn’t respond. The other could only tell them that he finished work on Saturday.
‘It’s now two a.m. on Monday morning! He could have left anytime yesterday for all we know!’ Lorelai’s heart pounded in her chest, and dark spots were swimming in and out of her vision.
‘Or he might not leave until later this morning! Don’t give up just yet, Lollie. Deep breaths!’
‘Can you look up flight times? From Heathrow airport specifically?’
‘Of course. What was his destination?’ Joanie asked and Lorelai wracked her brain.Did he tell even me?
‘I… I don’t know! Oh god, oh god, oh god.’
Lorelai became numb. No more tears came and even though her cheeks were burning hot, an icy chill ran through her.Is this it? Have I lost him?And then, she heard her grandmother’s voice…Don’t give up, sweetheart. Fight for him. Save him. Love him.
Lorelai shook her head, and made herself stand up, despite her legs feeling shaky. She squeezed her hands into fists and inhaled slowly.I will save you, Grayson.
‘OK. What’s the plan? What can we do next?’ Lorelai asked but Joanie only exhaled down the phone.
‘I… I don’t know. I don’t know what else we can try.’
‘No, Joanie, we can’t give up! We have to find him!’
‘I know! I know we do but I don’t think there’s much else we can do. Not right now. It’s so late.’
There was no way Lorelai would sleep tonight. ‘Get some sleep, Joanie, and call me when you wake up. I’m going to keep calling him and I’ll see if I can get hold of anyone else online. I’ll let you know if—’
Lorelai felt her phone vibrate against her face. She pulled it away and her heart jumped into her mouth. It was Grayson.
‘It’s him!’ she shrieked. ‘It’s him. He’s calling! I have to go. Bye, bye, bye, bye!’
Joanie was screaming good luck but Lorelai barely registered it as she ended that call, and accepted Grayson’s.
‘Lorelai?’ Just the sound of his voice, alive and well, was enough to send her reeling.
‘Hi! Yes! It’s me!’ she squeaked, tears spilling from her eyes in sheer relief. She held a hand to her heart to try to steady the drumming in her chest.
‘Hi,’ Grayson said neutrally. He sounded neither pleased nor irritated to speak to her but Lorelai couldn’t worry about that now. He was alive. There was still a chance she could save him. ‘Isn’t it super late there?’
‘It’s two in the morning. Wait… what do you meanthere? Where are you?’
‘I’m in New York. I’ve literally just landed. You were calling just as I was turning my phone on after the flight.’
‘New York. Right.’ Lorelai tried to remember everything she could about the vision she’d seen. What kind of plane was he on? Which airline was it? How old had he really looked? Was his death as imminent as she had thought? With a jolt she realised Grayson would have to fly home at some point. It hadn’t been the outbound flight she had seen go up in flames – it was Grayson’s return flight. ‘What are you doing in New York?’
‘I’m here on holiday. I’m going to watch a show on Broadway, that sort of thing.’
‘When’s your flight home?’
‘Friday. Lorelai, what is this? Why are you interrogating me?’ He laughed but it was a short, sharp laugh that made her stomach flutter with panic. ‘I haven’t heard from you in almost two weeks, not since you ditched me for the second time in this very short… relationship? Friendship? I don’t even know what you’d call it.’
‘I know. I know. You think I’m crazy and you have every right to, but I can explain.’ Lorelai was ready to lay it all out for him.
‘You’ve said that before,’ he muttered.
‘I realise how frustrating I must seem but please, just listen for a moment. This is really important.’
‘Lorelai, I just don’t think this is for me,’ Grayson said firmly. ‘This is too confusing, and I deserve more.’
