Waiting For Us [COMPLETED]

chapter 40 - how to cope

Talia:

When I awoke, the bed was colder than expected.

After sharing a bed three times prior, I have grown accustomed to awakening next to Grayson. Usually it consists of some part of his body thrown on top of me in a bone-crushing way; but this morning, the weight is no where to be found.

Light from the windows momentarily blinds me as I open my eyes. I rub them with the back of my hand, leaving behind dark specks in my vision. Once I am able to see properly, I check beside me to confirm what I already thought was true. Just for good measure, I pat the vacant mattress. Grayson is gone.

My heart plummets deep into my stomach.

Maybe he's just in the bathroom, I reassure myself. That would be a good place to start before rushing to conclusions. Yes, I will start there first. He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. Especially considering what activity we did last night. I blush just thinking about it.

Clothes on the floor. Lips on my neck. His hard cock in my—

Stop.

There are more important things I should be focusing on at the moment, like finding where Grayson went.

I swing my legs out of bed, the cold hardwood floor meeting my feet. As I walk to the door, I manage not to trip over any of the clothes we carelessly tossed to the ground. That's when I notice something else: Grayson's clothes are gone. Only my dress sits in a pile on the floor. I pick it up and brush away any residue the ground might have left on the fabric. I take the time to hang it up in my closet to distract myself from all of the signs that scream he left without a word. Throwing on some sweatpants over my legs is the next way I waste time.

To further make sure I'm not jumping to conclusions, I turn on my phone and scan for any kind of text from him. Nothing.

Maybe that means he's still here. Yes, that must be it. If there is no text saying he needed to leave early, then I suspect he is still around. I still need to check the bathroom, so I rush out of my room and into the hallway. The bathroom door sits open, empty. My hypothesis does not seem well supported any more.

For one final test, I move into the kitchen downstairs. In there is not the person I care so much to find.

"Long night?" Jessica smirks to me from her perch on the countertop. Quinn stands next to her, managing a waffle iron with batter spilling out heavily on the sides. She's grinning.

I walk to the front window and peak outside. "Did you two get home recently?"

Only our shared car and Quinn's car are in the driveway. The vacancy of Grayson's black Audi tells me all I need to know and erases any last shred of hope I held onto. He's truly gone.

"We got back an hour ago," Quinn replies. She opens the waffle iron to reveal a perfectly golden waffle. Her and the breakfast food seem to beam brightly at each other. "What are you looking outside for?"