I lean my head against Gavin's shoulder as he eases out into the midday traffic. His eyes flit down to mine and his lips tilt up into that youthful smile that first hooked me in the parking lot of Eli's studio.His phone vibrates in the cup holder and I hand it to him, intertwining our fingers absentmindedly."Hi, Mom," he says. Crap, his mother?"No. Yes, she’s with me."He gazes down at me, sighing and seeming agitated. What did she say?"What? Mom...I’m not sure if that’s a good idea..." He pauses, listening. I wonder vaguely what his mother is like. She certainly raised him well."Okay, I’ll talk to her about it. I love you. Bye."He hangs up, huffing a laugh as he parks beside the studio. "What was that about?" He grins, kissing my lips softly as he leads me out of the Jaguar. "She wants to meet you. How does dinner next Tuesday sound?" Oh my. "I’d love that. This might take a while since it’s my last session before the showcase. Gavin, you don’t have to stay." He opens the
"I’ll meet you in the car," she says, putting down her half of the bill as she scoots out of the booth. "Okay, hon."With a to-go box in hand, I check my messages, figuring on at least one or two from Gavin. Nothing. He must be busy, I tell myself and get into the car as Kel rants to someone about how thisis her special day and she deserves the world. I bite my lip, feeling a little bad for whoever is on the other end of the line.After a detour to Glendale Florist for an order change that Kel insisted we had to do, she parks toward the front of Thomas."Your man is rich!"I giggle, taking off my seat belt eagerly. Missing him already."I wouldn’t care if he was a janitor, Kel."She turns to me, smiling."I know, sweetie. Don’t take too long, we’ve got that dinner tonight.”I grab the food and make my way into the building, amazed at how massively huge it is.I hop onto the elevator, smoothing my sundress down my backside and letting my hair out of its bun. My mind starts to wander
Kel hands me a steaming hot cup of cocoa and kneels beside me on her couch."What happened?"I sigh, turning to her. I try to reach inside and grasp onto my inner strength but, honestly, I’m not sure if I have anything left."I saw him. Jasmine was there. His ex."She gasps, wiping my tears away. Her eyes are filled with compassion and especially with my broken heart, I’m thankful to have such a loving sister."Why was she there?""I don’t know. She was upset, I think. Gavin was holding her and then they kissed."I take in a breath then slowly let it out, trying in vain to keep my tears at bay."Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. What happened next?"I gaze up at her, shrugging my shoulders in response."You didn’t talk to him?"I shake my head. What could he have possibly said to explain himself?"I couldn’t. I knew she wanted him back. I just never thought she’d take him from me like this." Then Kel pulls me into her arms and I let go. The tears come and my body shakes with sobs,unrelen
When I begrudgingly press end call on my phone, tears are welling in my eyes and they blur my vision. Pushing my car's door open, I walk across the way towards the apartment building where my Beautiful girl lives with her sister. I climb up the steps to her door and pause to pull my left hand through my hair before knocking three times. Please let her be here. Let her give me a chance to explain. And I'm immediately disappointed when Luke pulls open the door. A smug grin spreads his face.“Man you look like shit” I push his shoulder back and focus my eyes on the closed door to Sophia's bedroom in the hallway not even ten feet behind him.“Shut up, Luke. Is she here?” Hope fills my voice; I hadn't even realized I was going to end up here. But now, I’m determined to see her. To see that my girl is okay.“Asleep now, I think. But Gavin, you need to give her time. She's hurting right now.”God. I already knew this but having it said aloud caused the pit in my stomach to go deeper.“Lu
SophiaGavin has been admitted to the hospital, he's been in an accident. Sophia, he's in critical condition. The wordsrepeat over and over in my head and all the breath leaves my lungs as I hold the phone to my ear, claspingthe locket in my hand for some sort of comfort. Gavin is hurt. Or worse… God. If only I had been with himlast night, if only I hadn’t run away. The fear unfurls in the pit of my stomach and pushes against my ribs as I struggle for words."Sophia? Are you there sweetheart?" Lucas' familiar voice brings me back to the now."What? Yes, I’m here. What happened? Is he…"I hear his slow exhale of breath, which only spurs my fears on even more."He’s being looked at right now. Earlier, he called me and asked where your showcase was beingheld, and he said he had to see you. Sophia, sweetheart, you have to know that he loves you so much. I couldhear it in his voice; he was going crazy without you. I don't know what happened between him and his ex,but he was coming t
"Oh my God, this is all my fault," I whisper, a sob erupting from my chest as I bury my face into his shoulder.Lucas rubs my back slowly and tightens his arms around me as I sob quietly into his sweater."Shh you have to stay positive, Sophie. I saw him come in and I can tell you he wasn't in pain."Was he truly not in pain? God, I hope that’s true. Even with the past day’s events I will never wish pain or hurt for Gavin. He’s the one that brought me up when I couldn’t stand myself. He saved me. God, he loved me. I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving him.I sniff, nodding to reassure him I’m okay and I take a deep breath as Lucas releases me and wipes my tears away."I'm okay, go. It’s OK, I’ll see you later. Thank you, Luke," I whisper, faking a smile. Kel leans forward, giving me a kiss on my forehead."I’ll be back soon, go see your man, Sophia." She smiles warmly, hoping to lift my spirits and I wait until they turn the corner before wiping my cheeks and finding the strength to wa
There's a knock by the door and thankfully, I've collected myself enough to call out for whomever it is to enter. Callie and an older woman with dark brown hair and gray colored eyes that shift to mine walk in. Gavin’s mother. Oh my God this is Gavin’s mother."Sophie, this is Elizabeth, my mom. Mom, this is Sophia Jones, Gavin's girlfriend."She eyes me for a moment before stepping forward and gives me a warm smile. “It’s wonderful to meet you, honey. Are you doing OK?"She sits beside me and her eyes are soft with unshed tears. She looks so much like Gavin, it takes me aback for a moment."I’m not sure. I can’t believe this happened and I just want him to wake up.."A tear escapes my eye and she grabs my hand, holding it gently in hers and deftly wipes the tear away from my cheek."He’s strong honey, and I know how much he loves you. He's going to wake up, and from what I've heard he'll have some making up to do."I gasp, he talks to his mother about me? Oh, goodness."Why do you sa
His roughened voice and harsh grip on my head thrashes me into reality. Oh, God, no. No, no no no! I know that voice. Bryce. It’s not possible…“Let me go!”I come back into consciousness when I feel a hand on my shoulder. Panic, fear, pain, disgust – it’s all coursing through me and making my body shake. It was just a dream. Just another stupid dream. Breathe, Sophia. Just breathe. In and out. Once I’ve calmed, my eyes drift open and I lift my head to see Dr. Lee standing by the foot of the bed. I wipe my eyes and try for a smile, not sure how long I’ve slept."I thought you'd want these, his effects that we found on him when he came in."He hands me a small plastic bag and I take it with shaking fingers. I can see his cell phone, keys, and brown threaded wallet through the clear bag in my hand. Is this all I have to hold onto? Everything he had on him when he was hit by the semi?"Has he woken up at all?" The doctor asks, taking Gavin’s chart out from the holder against the wall a