The Unexpected

42 || The Unexpected

Michael POV

With only an hour left before my plane takes off, I begin to go through my camera roll on my phone. The majority of it is pictures of Skye, occasionally with me as well. My favorite thing in the world has to be the way she looks in those moments when her mind takes over and suddenly she's lost in thought. So many times when we'd go out, she'd just disappear. She was right in front of me, but her brain was somewhere else.

Half of these are all her during those moments; gazing off into the distance. She always noticed me staring, but never once caught me taking the pictures. I go back to the entire camera roll page and begin to select all of the pictures I have of just her. Leaving only the one from our first date, I select delete and watch as the images disappear.

I can't find a way to move on from all of this if I don't get rid of all reminders of her. The thought that I might not see her again, ever, or at least for a long time, is one I'm trying to push out of my mind. Because maybe, just maybe, she'll find me back in Sydney, and she'll still want to be friends.

A huge part of me is finding it hard to believe that she really wants to just let this go. I can't seem to grasp the concept  that she's done with all of this. Both of us had invested everything we had into this relationship. There is no doubt in my mind that a piece of me is missing; both literally and figuratively. It feels like she was ripped from my arms and what hurts even more is that she didn't even try to come back. She just let herself continue drift away...

Maybe the only good thing that can come from any of this is a few songs. And some life experience. I had never felt this way about a girl, and I guess it was time that it happened.

To help pass the time I've begun to make up stories about all of the people around me. This one woman, whom I have named Sarah, is on her way to England to visit her sick mum that she hasn't seen in seven years. Another person, dubbed Rocky, is a world champion body builder who's being charged for embezzling money. And Michael, he's just a loser that flew over nine thousand miles only to be rejected by the love of his life. His story is the saddest of them all.

Tired of just sitting around, I call the lads for the twentieth time today.

After several rings I finally hear Calum say, "hello? Mikey are you good?"

"Yeah, bro, I'm just so tired. I'm ready for today to be over," I groan as I realize that I've got another forty minutes to go.

"Just hang in there. When you get back we can all go do guy stuff. Maybe break some things. Guy stuff."

I laugh at this then ask, "how is the label liking the new songs? They're good, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah. They really like the song about Skye..."

"Oh," is all I manage to utter.

"Alright," Calum starts, "I'm gonna let you go. Whatever you do, get on that airplane Michael Clifford."

"I will, I will. Bye."

The line goes dead, making me wish that our brains could shut off that easily. Like the press of a button, it all goes silent. But, instead, all of your apps keep running in the background without a way to make it stop. Notifications keep giving off sounds to grab your attention.

I wish that my brain would just stop for a second.

Me: I'm sorry.

! Message could not be delivered !

I begin to watch the clock on my phone. Only twenty more minutes, then everything is over. I go back to Sydney to attempt to move on, and she comes back whenever and makes new friends; dates new guys. Shit. I can't do this.

I can't move on, because there isn't anyone else I want to be with. Despite our occasional arguments and Skye's annoying habits, she's the perfect girl for me. No matter how far or long I search, I could never find anyone as incredible as Skye Amber Whitfield. Her terrible laugh; her weird habit of sleeping in men's boxers; her shitty indie music; her incredible cooking; her taste in literally everything; her ability to put everyone before herself. She's amazing and she's no longer mine.

Suddenly the customer service agent begins to call people up for boarding the plane. I slowly stand up and reach for my bag that lies on the ground. The weight of it seems so much greater than it had been, but maybe it's just in my head. It feels as though my shoes are filled with led as I trudge towards the counter.

While I wait in line, the events that occurred at Skye's front door replay in my head. She looked so confused, but not as to why I was there. I could tell that she didn't know how to feel about the fact that I was there. Her face showed a glimmer of excitement for the smallest second.

Too soon, I'm at the front of the line and the girl reaches her hand out for my ticket. As I place the paper in her hand, an image flashes through my mind like a great revelation.

She still had the necklace on.

"I'm sorry!" I yell as I back away from the confused airline employee. My back bumps into the people behind me, making me apologize yet again.

I'm not sure what my plan is, but it's not to get on the plane. My feet carry me to the bathroom and stop in front of the mirror. In front of me stands a boy who refuses to give up just yet. Reaching for my phone, I type up a new text to the boys.

Me: not gonna make the flight. I'll call later.

Then I shut off my phone.

Ideas begin to flood my brain as I think of how I can fix all of this. The only logical solution is to go back to her house, despite that not working out so great the last time. This time around, I'm going to say everything that I need to. When I see her, I'm going to pour my heart out and make everything right. I'm going to win her back.

Determined, I rush out of the bathroom and turn to leave. Something catches my eye, making me stop in my tracks. I look over to see the backside of a short blonde girl whose shoulders are shaking uncontrollably. Slowly, I walk closer, hearing her sniffling. My hand reaches for her shoulder, but before I can touch it, she turns around to see me.

Her hand shoots up to cover her mouth in shock, her sad features transforming into a happy expression. Tears begin to flow from her eyes even faster than before. Just like I'd thought, the necklace was hanging around her neck.

I grab her and surround her into a hug, probably suffocating her. She reaches up and wraps her arms around my neck. Lifting her, we both just remain like this in the middle of the airport. When I finally set her down, we just stand here staring at each other.

"What do we do now?" I ask, breaking the silence.

"Can we just start over?" She suggests.

"Okay, yeah," I say with a smile.

With that, she walks away, leaving me alone. Confused, I follow her, trying to figure what she's doing. Suddenly, she turns around, stopping me from walking by motioning with her hand up. Delicately, Skye moves towards me.

I watch as she opens her mouth and says, "I remember you."

_______________

A/N

I guess this is it... wow. only an epilogue (and an author's note that no one will read lol) left. but, technically, the story is over.

SONG: Heart of Life//John Mayer
DEDICATION: to Michael Gordon Clifford and his beautiful face and personality for inspiring me to get into writing

Xx. Ash