unchained

fourteen

Phil
10:16am

I ran briskly back to the car and hopped straight in with not a single second to spare. As I strapped myself in, I took out my phone and brought up Dan's name in my contacts. My fingers were moving so quickly over the keyboard that half of the message was nonsensical and I had to go back and frantically correct my mistakes. I just hoped there would be enough time.

Dan, please meet me in the cafe as soon as possible. It's urgent. It's about Amelia.

I quickly locked my phone as soon as I pressed 'send' and threw it onto the seat next to me, starting the engine to make my way to the cafe.

My entrance was abrupt and rushed, as I ran through the double doors to the cafe, completely out of breath. My eyes raked the room in search of Dan, hoping he would've arrived before me and he was waiting in he corner, but there was no sign of him.
I ordered a coffee in a to go cup and sat down on the corner sofa anyway. I couldn't keep still, my legs were bouncing on heel to toe in anticipation.

***
10:47am

I waited for twenty minutes and when there was still no sign of Dan, I reached into my pocket for my phone to check if he had responded to the message.

Dan, please meet me in the cafe as soon as possible. It's urgent. It's about Amelia.

!
message not delivered.
your number has been blocked.

My heart sank. He hadn't even got my message, and I was beginning to worry about his whereabouts. What had Amelia said to him? Had he even made it back to the hotel room?
I rose from the sofa. The initial panic was beginning to settle. I had to find him. I would look everywhere. I would just have to visit all the places he knew - he hadn't been here long, anyway, and I knew all of our favourite spots from high school. I would have to visit his grandparents' house, too if he wasn't in any of those places.

Just as I was about to leave, I saw a dainty figure with brown curls running breathlessly towards the cafe entrance.
"Phil!" Amelia panted.
I scowled at her, and I proceeded to brush past her angrily.
"Phil, wait!"
"What are you doing here, Amelia?" I yapped scornfully, "Don't you think you've done enough?"
"I told Dan!" She continued, "He's gone back to America. I'm sorry..."
"W-what?"
"He left as soon as I told him. He couldn't take it anymore. There was nothing I could do. I just thought you should know."
"You should know, this is all your fucking fault." I said, my eyes sweeping her up and down, each glare dripping contemptuously. A tear emerged unexpectedly in the corner of my eye.

Back in my cheap car, I hesitated to put the belt on. Instead, I just sat, just for a moment.
I was angry. I was hurt. How could he go back to America without telling me? Even more so, how could he block me so I had no contact with him whatsoever? There was no point in running after him now - he would already be at the airport ready to go.

A single tear drifted down my cheek as though it was the final drop before the dam burst open, and suddenly, tear after tear was rolling down my face. Static filled my head as a by-product of the raw crying. No doubt, my cheeks were stained, my eyes would be red and blotchy, and my hair was a mess. I should never have even walked over to him that day. I should've just left him, giggling with the waitress behind the counter. The fact that I was in love with him would have been capped below the surface, but at least then it would never have gotten to this point, and I wouldn't be here hurting this much.

I smacked the steering wheel aggressively as a symbol of my inner turmoil. I needed headspace, but I couldn't drive in this state. The only thing I could do, was wait it out and re-configure when I got home. Without Dan, my world had been shattered and he didn't even know it.

***
a/n
Idk what happened to my grammar lmao I think it went out the window with my emotions