Chapter 2:
He doesn't answer my calls.
He doesn't answer my texts.
He hasn't answered me whatsoever for three days.
Where is he?
I'll call Jake.
"Hey Noelle, what's up?"
"Hey Jake, I'm sorry if I called in the middle of something"
"It's fine. I'm not busy at the moment. Do you need anything?"
"I'm actually calling because of Gareth. Do you know where he is?"
"I'm glad you asked. He hasn't texted back since we went out the other night. I thought maybe he was with you"
"No...he hasn't answered my calls since that night"
"Shit"
"Did he go straight home after you guys went out?"
"No, that's what makes me nervous. He was the last one left on the pub. So I don't know where he went. He was piss drunk by the way"
"Shit"
"Shit. Do you think we should report him missing or something?"
"I don't know. I haven't done it before"
"Me neither, but I can do it. I was the last one who saw him before he disappeared"
"Jake?"
"What Noelle?"
"You're the best. Thank you"
"I'll do my best. Bye for now"
"Bye Jake"
My heart sank as I hung up the phone. I had hoped that Jake would tell me that Gareth was there and that his phone went dead or something. That nobody has seen him was not what I wanted to hear. I wonder what will happen if we report him missing. Will the police care? Will they start looking for him? Will they find him?
The nervousness and stress finally got to me. What if he's dead? I threw my swimsuit and towel in a sports bag and started walking towards the swimming hall.
I dived into the water and it immidiently relaxed me a little. The way it felt like I weighed nothing. I took a deep breath and swam with my whole body under the surface. I weighed nothing. I heard nothing, and I could feel nothing. I was nothing under the water, and I loved it. It always seemed to take some stress away. Without even thinking I swam for one hour straight, not stopping once. I then decided to go home.
But by the lockers, just as I was about to leave I heard a familiar voice in the changing room. "Why so sad, Barnaby?", Alisa said in a teasing tone. I didn't feel like arguing, so I simply said "Gareth is gone"
Her eyebrows furrowed before she let out a laugh. "Maybe he wasn't brave enough to break up face to face!"
When I couldn't take her shit anymore I left. I started walking, but I did not know where to. I didn't want to go home, and I didn't want to go back. I just walked.
After some time had passed by I found myself walking through the harbour. I smiled lightly to myself when memories rushed through my head. Memories of me and Gareth. Of the first time I saw him. He and Jake had been on that boat just because they were bored and wanted to do something and I was working there for the summer. He and Jake had been standing by the railing the entire route and I had been walking past them several times through the day. Since I swim I decided to take lessons in life saving, so my job on the boat was to see that no one was falling off and needed me to go after them. I had to tell Gareth several times to go down from the railing so that he wouldn't fall off, but he kept going back up there whenever I wad out of sight.
I smiled to myself as I remembered. He told me later that he only got back up on the railing so that I would come by again so we could talk. Later that day we arrived back in the harbour and everyone was going off the boat. It was dark outside and I was the last one left to see that everything was in it's place. Just when I was about to leave the boat someone took my hand. Of course it was Gareth. He led me to the back of the boat and he told me he wanted to get to know me better. So we sat there in the summer night, talking for hours, and when the sun was starting to rise again, he kissed me. Since then, me and him have been a couple.
The cold autumn wind slapped me in the face and I started walking again. Far away I saw people running around. There's barely any people here at this time of the year. When I got closer I saw that these men were police men. I politely tried to ask one of them what's going on.
"We're looking for a boy around your age. He was reported missing today and we think we might've found something"
Hope started to rise inside of me. "Are you looking for Gareth?! I'm his girlfriend!"
He eyed me for a moment. Then he yelled to one of the others. "Guys! This girl claims to be the lad's girlfriend!"
A few of them came rushing towards us. "Is it Gareth Williams you're looking for? Jake Russett reported him missing"
The police men seemed to believe me now. One of them spoke up.
"Okay, since you're his girlfriend, could you confirm something for us?"
I nodded.
"Does this beanie belong to your boyfriend?"
The man held in his hands the dark red beanie that was Gareth's favorite. I swallowed hard.
"Yes. Yes, it's his"
***
A/N:
Helloooooo. I hope you all liked this chapter. I am just getting started with this new story but I wanted it to get serious a little earlier than in Reign of Love. See you soon x
~kiwibananaxx
