Afraid // Calum Hood

Chapter 38 // Airports (And Dolla Bill$)

Adelaide's Point of View

The wand gripped onto my eyelashes as I coated each fiber of hair with another coat of waterproof mascara. Normally I wouldn't even bother putting on any make-up whatsoever to ride an airplane, but I knew he was going to come today and I wanted to look cute before he had to see me leave.

Okay, I didn't know for sure, but Calum has yet to contact me with a solution and today was his last chance to beg me to get back together. I knew Calum, and I knew he would want to make some grand gesture. We could totally have one of those cliché aiport scenes where he would chase me down and cup his hands around my cheeks and kiss my lips with every ounce of passion inside of him. It was obvious, and slightly predictable, that this would occur and I was eagerly anticipating the chick-flick moment.

Michael and Lucy threw me a going-away party last night, except Mikey refused to call it a going-away party because he wanted to pretend I wasn't actually going away. So instead, the three of us celebrated my twentieth birthday that will be in October. This included ice cream cake and party hats (which Michael decided to put around his mouth as a beak and then around his hips as a penis) and we all agreed that there would be no crying about my departure, only happy times.

I heard the tires of Michael's car swerve into my driveway and I let out a sigh. The nerves were bubbling inside of my chest as the realization that I would probably never be in this house again filtered through my brain. I let my palm trace over my bedroom walls as I shut the light off, smiling sheepishly as I glimpsed at it again. Although I was basically leaving behind all of the memories between these constricting walls, I was very aware of the fact that I would never be able to forget them.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Michael called from the bottom of the stairs. It was in a gentle tone that I wasn't used to. His voice wasn't laced with even a pinch of humor. It was completely hollow.

I let my brown irises scan across every inch of my home. I kept getting flashbacks of Calum in every room I peered inside of. The living room was where we spent most of our time, especially when we had first met and Calum proceeded in tickling me, then there was the infamous marinara sauce fight in my kitchen, and then I kept having a reoccurring image of him grinning up at me as he munched on the crappy cereal I made him at the dining room table.

My nostrils inhaled the fresh aroma of beach and coffee that would consume my nasal passageways for the last time. I was going to miss every tiny thing about Australia, not just the people. "Yeah. I'm ready," I told my best friend, grasping onto my giant suitcase handle.

"No, Addy, I got it," Michael insisted, swatting my hand away so he could carry my luggage to his car for me.

Lucy was sitting in the passenger seat and she motioned towards Calum's house. His car wasn't there. Jesus, I was getting my hopes up even more now. My toes curled against my leather sandals in an eagerness to get to the airport and see the boy I'm absolutely in love with assure me that we were going to be okay.

I twisted the key into the lock for the final time, then pressed a kiss onto the key to cherish this moment even more. "I love you, Australia," I whispered to the air around us, which seemed incredibly weird, but I couldn't be more blessed for the opportunity to embark on such an incredible adventure in such a few short months.

My butt slid against the backseat as I entered the vehicle. I pressed my hands and face against the window like a child inspecting a toy in the display case as Michael drove away. I was really going to miss living here.

A sad tune pierced our eardrums as the radio turned on. The three of us didn't even utter a word. We just listened to the melancholy melody and tried to keep our bodies still as the twisted road called for many potholes and bumps.