build me up.

NINETEEN

chapter nineteen.
say a little prayer
december 29th

VOICEMAIL FROM PETER <3

"Hi my love. You may find this strange and almost rude of me, but please, don't, go see your dad today. If you go, you will die."

The strange early morning message rang in my ear as I sat in my rumbling car. My hands were dry from the cold air and my lips chapped despite the gloss still shining on them.

What did he mean I'll die if I go?

The calmness of his voice could've tricked anyone into thinking all was well and he was joking, but something deep in the bit of my stomach erupted a shiver of warning throughout me. My car had been fighting to warm itself up and the tire pressure gauge lit up on my dashboard. My phone had refused to connect to my vehicle and my hands nearly went numb from the lack of coverage. All of these small signs singling that maybe I shouldn't venture far.

Should I stay home today?

I had promised my dad a few days ago I would visit him today, however, today of all days, it began snowing. It wasn't enough to stick to the ground and freeze the roads, but had instilled hesitation and fear into the residents of the city. Countless accidents began appearing on different local news outlets and a noticeable surge of people stress buying random items in bulk were reported. This weather is benign to my northern family, so maybe the request was from a place of concern.

However, It still didn't make sense. It was as if he was fighting to prevent a disaster. Instead of ruminating, I figured to call him for more clarification on his request.

The phone had rang, yet he hadn't picked up. Usually, two rings in he'd answer and without missing a beat, he'd swoon me into a long conversation. However, he hadn't picked up, not even shooting me the typical, 'hi my love, i'm at work' or 'give me a sec baby'.

We have only been dating for a few weeks now, but my heart was filled with a lovesick feeling of normalcy. It felt as if we had been together for years on end, and i knew him as well as he knew me.

My cheeks warmed up as I clicked our messages to see if he had read the message I had sent about a minute or so ago, my eyes landed on the last text he sent me. 'i love you' had captured my eyes and took up the space in my brain, as i replayed the first time he said it.

The shared kiss and the soft I love you crossed  my mind at least once a day. My eyes had gone wide at his beautifully freckled face and bright eyes as both of our moms excitedly gasped. Despite my shyness, i pecked his lips, whispering the words i had kept to myself, bringing my thoughts to a vocal fruition.

His smile had never faded since that moment, and our parents deviousness have yet to end as our mothers talked about how perfect we were for each other.

It seemed as if he was my other half. In some weird way, when i'm with him, it's like we are an extension of each other. A feeling so unreal, I often question if I'm delusional or just super lucky. I never expected to find love like this and i pray it stays forever.

Looking at the time and seeing that my dad left me a voicemail, I knew it would break his heart if I didn't come visit him today. Ignoring the alarm bells going off in my head and the nausea that set in, I secured my seatbelt and pulled out of the short drive away.