Crescendo

Chapter 34

I placed the last stack of clothes into my suitcase, not knowing exactly what the weather would be like in Germany, but hoping for the best. I had never traveled, not out of the country at least, but I trusted it would be okay.

"Is that everything?" Tess asked from the kitchen, her heels clicking over the hardwood floors.

"Yeah," I answered from the other room, staring down at the pile of clothing, wondering how long it would be till I got back. Daniel said six months. But six months was a long time to be away from home, especially in a new relationship. According to the rest of the world, we had been dating for months, but in reality, we were just getting to know each other.

Still, I had to take a leap. I had to do something. There was an itch in the back of my brain, begging me to make a change, to leave the town that I grew up in. I slipped my laptop into my bag, zipped up my luggage, and headed toward the door.

"Are you sure about this?" Tessa asked. She looked nervous. She never looked nervous.

"I'll be back soon," I said, lying as my nerves knotted in my stomach.

"Here." She handed me the pile of papers resting on the counter. "I thought you might want to have this."

"What is it?"

"Those final chapters you sent me. I compiled them and sent them to the editor. If you don't mind looking over it on the plane, we could probably get it sent to a typesetter before you get back."

"Oh." I looked down at the stack in my hands. Seeing the product of my work was surreal, like a dream.

Tessa smiled, grateful, probably, that I was at least attempting to keep her timeline alive. "By the way, you didn't title it."

"Yeah," I ran my fingers over the front page then tucked the manuscript under my arm. "I'll get to that later."

"Make sure you do. You can't have a book without a title."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I said, brushing her off while I grabbed my coat. She was doing her job, but she was also trying to avoid a harsh truth. We wouldn't be seeing each other for a while. "You know you can always come visit," I said. "We can go shopping in Venice."

She chuckled. "Yeah, okay. With what you pay me?"

"I'm serious," I said, leaning on the door. "I'd really love to see you."

"I'll see what I can do. Just be careful on the road. Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the airport?"

"No," I said. "It's okay." I wasn't far. Maybe twenty minutes. And I needed time to clear my head.

Tess walked me to the garage, and we said our last goodbyes. Then I was on the road: just me, myself, and I. I thought about Daniel, who swore that he could pick me up. But I refused, just as I had refused Tess's offers. He would be there, waiting for me at the gate. At the entrance.

When I settled in on the highway and started playing my music, my phone rang. It was an unknown caller, but somehow it looked familiar. I frowned, letting it go to voicemail. Much to my surprise, the caller left a voicemail. I waited for a bit and then hit play.

"Blair, this is Daniel's father. I have something urgent to discuss with you. Call me back as soon as you can."

The dial tone signaled the start of my panic attack. How did he get my number? Stupid question. Why is he calling me? Against my better judgment, I hit the return call button and waited as the dial tone rang. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he answered. "Hello?"

"This is Blair," I said, trying to get to the point. "You called?"

"Right." He cleared his throat. "Daniel told me about your plans to join him on his trip."

He paused, and I took the at as my cue to respond. "I am."

He huffed. "I was going to ask you not to."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't go with Daniel."

"Why not?" I asked.

"He's unstable. There are some things you don't know about his emotional health, and I worry that you going with him is just an attempt at ignoring his feelings for someone else."

"Stella?" I asked.

His father paused. "It's a tricky situation."

Unbelievable. "If Daniel felt something for Stella, I would know by now."

"Would you?" he asked. "You haven't known him for very long."

"That doesn't mean—"

"Blair, I know. It's inconvenient. You've already bought your ticket, so please allow me to reimburse you. Just take an extra week. See how things go."

I scoffed. Was he nuts? Not only had I seen him with Stella, but he was trying to convince me not to be with Daniel. Why?

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said. "I already told Daniel I was going to be there, and if he's as emotionally fragile as you say, it would hurt him if I backed out now. So I think I'm going to stick to the original plan."

"Blair, this is going to end badly for everyone. Investors, producers. You should reconsider, for him. Just think about it," he said. "You know where to find me." Then, before I could say anything, he hung up, leaving me to my thoughts.

Daniel had been honest. He had told me what happened, what really happened with his "accident." I knew the truth, but, although I knew he had no feelings for Stella, was it wise to go running off? Was I just trying to mend my broken heart? I tried to shove down my feelings, but the longer I drove, the more consuming they became. I was derailing my life. For what? For Daniel.

I pulled off the highway, confused. Then I texted him. Because the last thing I wanted to do was make him wait for his dream.