Just for Now

Chapter Twenty

Day Seven
Night

"Sam, slow down!"

"Slow down? Seriously? Do you not get what we're doing here?"

"Obviously I do! But he has to make it there in one piece!"

So, clearly, things were going well.

Cole was crammed in between the door and his sister. Her dress was way bigger than he thought. She held the majority of the extra fabric in her lap, but it still was taking up more space than him and Lorena combined. Scarlett had been scolding Sam for his driving skills, or lack there of, for the entirety of the ride. Cole couldn't blame her, he wasn't exactly making for a calm drive.

They were only a few minutes from the airport by this point and Cole had tried to think of some points to bring up to Alli. He checked for the item in his pocket and had of a rush of relief when he felt it. Cole was trying his best to think through talking points despite the sound of pure chaos all around him.

"Okay, got your flight!" Lila shouted over Scarlett and Sam's arguing. "But could only get you the back row, sorry."

"I'm... I'm not actually going, Li," Cole reminded her. "I just need it to get through security."

Lila clicked her tongue. "Oh, yeah."

"Sam!" Scarlett squealed, her eyes shutting tightly as if bracing for impact.

"Relax," Sam drawled, making eye contact with her through the rearview mirror.

"Turn! Turn here!" Lorena cried out as loudly as she could with her hand tightly around her phone, waving her hand as if Sam could see. She wasn't the best at navigating.

"Which way?" Sam screamed.

"Left!"

Sam tilted his head as if gearing up, checking his mirror quickly before whipping the wheel to the left. The family shouted, getting tossed to the side. They all gripped onto whatever they could grab in the car, trying to hold themselves steady as Sam weaved through the cars.

"Holy shit!" Scarlett cursed loudly.

Their youngest brother ignored her as his face scrunched with determination. He sped through the road leading to the airport. Cole wasn't about to complain about the drive. Despite feeling like they were goners every few seconds, Cole appreciated the sense of urgency.

Finally, the car slammed to a stop.

They made it.

They were at the terminal.

"Nailed it," Sam boasted to himself.

"Oh my god," Scarlett breathed out, her head falling back onto the seat. "You are so not driving back."

Cole frantically opened the door and fell out of the car. He straightened himself up, rubbing his hands over his suit to make sure he looked all right. His head was spinning. He didn't even know what the hell was going on by this point.

His hands trembled slightly, the nerves that churned within him. His heart continued to race, each beat thundering in his chest, as if it were determined to break free. He took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself, but it did little to quell the overwhelming nervousness that consumed him. His throat felt dry, and he swallowed hard, trying to find his voice. He cleared his throat, attempting to regain some semblance of composure, but the lump that had formed there refused to budge.

God, this had to work.

Cole almost headed into the airport but jolted as he seemed to remember everything that just happened. He turned back to the car where his family was watching expectantly, their adrenaline seeming to finally crash. Cole smiled at them in thanks, feeling the gratitude from the situation really hit him.