Wish You Were Here (Wattys2018) (Completed)

6. Gone and Alone

It was eight o'clock in the morning and the guys were leaving. They were packing up their stuff in their truck. When everything was packed up, they turned to me.

Andy basically tackled me in a bear hug. "I'm gonna miss you, Cody."

I wrapped my arms around Andy's torso. "Me too, Andy. You're the best."

Andy hugged me tighter and let go. He kissed my forehead. I giggled and turned to Connor. He picked me up in a hug, holding me tightly. I laughed as he shook me from side to side. He set me down but still keep hugging me. He let go but kept his hands on my shoulders.

"Thanks for introducing me to Chloe. She was amazing," Connor said.

"You're welcome. Whenever you come back, you should go see her," I said.

Connor nodded. "I will."

Next was Aaron. He hugged me tightly, burying his head in my shoulder. I hugged back, holding on as tight as possible.

"I'm gonna miss you," Aaron muttered.

"Me too," I replied.

As Aaron pulled back, I almost thought I heard Aaron say 'I love you.' It was so quiet and barely auditable. I looked at Aaron with a confused look but he didn't answer and just shrugged.

The guys gave me one last hug before they climbed in their truck. I stepped back as the guys pulled away. I watched as they drove away.

I returned to my house. I stayed in my room for the rest of the day, messing around on my phone and watching tv. I soon got a message from Aaron sent me that they had made it into Washington and were making good time.

I bit my bottom lip, thinking. Aaron was definitely cute. He was funny and sweet to me. All those qualities I loved.

But he smoked. Smoking was a giant turn-off for me. I hated smoking and it wasn't my thing. I didn't hate people who smoked. They could do whatever they wanted. I just didn't want to date someone who smoked.

I was conflicted. Aaron was hella cute. He was so nice and so wonderful. But not only was smoking bad, but I didn't want to be around that kind of stuff. I didn't need that kind of influence in my life.

I set my phone down and crossed my arms. Feelings like these sucked. I didn't know how to deal with them. I never liked someone like this and I felt weird.

I got to my feet and left my room. I went downstairs and found my dad sitting on the couch alone. I walked over to the couch and flopped down on it, my head landing on Dad's shoulder.

"Dad, what was it like when you first saw Mom?" I asked.

"It was like a fairy tale. I was in Australia, as you know, and I was at Bondi Beach. It's a wonderful place. It's a little on the small side, though my friends and I just decided to go and I'm glad we did." Dad took a deep breath and continued, "My friends and I went and started swimming. It was a fun day, actually. Then I saw your mom."

"I asked you how it was, Dad, not how you met," I interrupted. "I've heard the story a million times."

Dad sighed, giving me the eye. "Your mom was beautiful. She still is. She came out of the water and my heart stopped. She looked beautiful."

My stomach was in knots. I wanted to tell Dad about Aaron, but I didn't want to go through the teasing that would soon follow.

My stomach felt like it had butterflies in it and I felt like throwing up. I haven't felt this way. I've never really been a nervous person. But I needed to suck it up and say something.