The Maine Attraction

31. Packing

Dani was sitting on the floor next to me helping me fold my clothes. We'd been fairly quiet as she helped me pack up my suitcase. I was leaving tomorrow and both of us were a bit sad about it. I was excited to go back, excited to get back into my routine and try to get over everything that happened between Sawyer and I. But I was also sad about leaving. 

At the beginning of the summer, I was ready to go back to California the second I landed in Maine. But as the summer went on, things changed and I started to become a little more sad about the idea of going back. Right now, I was excited to put some space between me and all of the pain that I was feeling, but I was more sad than I expected to be about going back. 

"I'm really glad that we were able to spend so much time together this summer." She said as she folded a shirt.

I glanced over at her and nodded. "Me too. It's been really nice." I smiled. 

It's not that Dani and I didn't talk before I came home, but we had definitely become a lot closer in these few short months. We'd texted on and off before, but I was confident that I would be talking to her a lot more often after this trip. Dani had been the one next to me this entire summer as things heated up and then exploded right in my face. I was beyond thankful for all of the listening she'd done and for all of the advice that she'd given me.

"Thank you for everything this summer. For letting me talk about Sawyer all of the time, making sure I didn't do anything stupid while I was drunk, picking me up when I called you crying, all of the above." I said to her. 

"You don't need to thank me, that's what I'm here for." She said with a light smile. 

I placed some folded clothes in my suitcase, trying to make sure I was folding everything nicely so that it would fit properly. I'd bought a couple things since being home so I knew it was going to be an even tighter squeeze this time around trying to get these bags closed. 

"I'm sorry that the summer didn't end the way you thought it would." 

I shook my head. "You don't need to apologize about it, you didn't do anything. It happens." I shrugged. 

"Well I know I didn't do anything, you know what I mean. It was a pretty shitty way for things to end and that sucks." She said. 

I laughed. "It does suck, but what can you do?" 

It was true. Everything about the situation sucked and I hated the way things had ended, but at this point in time I really had no idea what else I could do about it. 

"Have you talked to him at all?" Dani asked. 

I shook my head. 

"Does he know you're leaving early?" 

"I have no idea. I don't know if Callum talked to him and told him, but I haven't seen him or talked to him since I left his house to come here. I thought about reaching out, to check in on him or to see how his mom is doing but I think I've been a little afraid too." I admitted. 

I wanted so badly to text him and ask him how he was doing. I wanted to ask him how his mom was feeling and if there was anything I could do for him. But I knew I couldn't do that, I knew he didn't want that. 

Dani didn't say anything, she just nodded. 

"Do you know how he's doing? Or how his mom is doing?" I asked, wanting to check just to see if she knew anything that I didn't. I had no idea if she or Callum had talked to Sawyer at all, but I needed to ask.

She glanced over at me with a sad smile. "I know Callum talked to him. He called him to check in on his mom, Sawyer told him what the doctors said. As far as I know, she's doing okay. Sawyer is... a little beside himself."