For the rest of the day all I can think about is Juillet. Her eyes, her hair, the way her hand felt holding mine. I really want that second date with her. After our date, I had to go to work at Colly-Scoops, and then I was back to helping Paige's dad out at another house, and I don't end up getting home until almost 10:30 PM.
When I walk in the door, my parents are sitting in the living room, "Hi sweetie!" My mom says giving me a hug. Her eyes are glassy like she had either just been crying or is about to cry.
"What's going on?" I ask, looking over my mother's shoulder at my dad.
My dad stands up out of his seat, "Uh, we just got a call from Alex."
I freeze, "What did he say?"
My mom turns around so she isn't facing me. My dad puts his hand on my shoulder, "He isn't coming for the 4th."
"Oh."
I guess I should probably explain a little bit about Alex. When I was 10 he left home to go to college. He got his teaching degree, and is now a high school teacher in Rhode Island. He loves his job, and he met his girlfriend out there, but he doesn't come home a lot anymore. Not that I blame him. The last time he was home, we spent the majority of his trip in a hospital. That kind of thing is a little scarring. Especially the reason why we were there. But he calls us all the time and his girlfriend is awesome. He told us the last time we talked that he was thinking about proposing.
But he always comes to Collymore for the 4th of July. It's his tradition. This year however that isn't happening. "Did he say why?" I ask, sitting down on the closest chair I could find.
My mom drags in a deep breath, "He doesn't know if he can come back here after last year."
My dad puts a comforting arm around my mom's shoulders. They're trying so hard to keep their tears in. It's hard to talk about for any of us, sure, but for it to be the reason that Alex refuses to come back. That's rough. "Can I talk to him? Does he even want to talk to me?" I hold my hands in my lap to keep them from shaking. I bite back the tears that are threatening to fall from my eyes. I feel like all I can do recently is cry.
"Yes, sweetie," my mom sits down next to me and grabs my hands, "He always wants to talk to you. Last year was just really hard for us, and it was especially hard for Alex."
She doesn't have to tell me that. I lived it. But the weight of what she's saying is a lot. A little too much. I get up from the chair to go back to my bedroom. "Where are you going?" My father asks.
"To call Alex."
*******
Alex picks up on the first ring, shockingly, because it's now 11 on a weeknight. Except it's not Alex on the other side of the phone, "Hello?" She says into the phone.
"Hey, Emma," I laugh, "Can I talk to Alex?"
I can hear her breathe on the other end of the line, "He's in the shower right now, but I can tell him to call you back?"
"That's fine," I say and go to hang up, but she stops me.
"Colby," Emma takes a deep breath, "If you need to talk, you know I'm always here."
"Everyone keeps saying that," I bite my tongue to keep myself from crying or saying anything I may regret.
I can practically hear her nodding, "It's because it's true. So many people care about you Colby, myself included."
YOU ARE READING
Swept Away
RomanceSchool's out and Juillet Augustin is spending her last summer before college in the beautiful Collymore Beach with her best friend, Ashlyn. Awaiting a hopeful college acceptance, Juillet plans to make it the best summer ever because it might be her...