Until I Met You

chapter thirty-seven

Nova

I can't stop pacing the length of the living room. It's almost six o'clock. Warren hasn't come home or bothered to answer his cell phone. I'm starting to worry. No – that's a lie. I stopped worrying hours ago. I'm freaking out now. He always picks up. This isn't normal. But, then again, this day hasn't exactly been normal.

I start listing all the places we've visited. He could have gone back to any of them. I don't know! And it frustrates me. Why hasn't he come home? Why can't he stop being an ass and answer his phone?

I go over that list, and then try to think like Warren. If I were him, where would I go? I know for a fact that he wouldn't drive four hours to do an over-exertive hike if he's feeling as bad as he looked. He hates shopping, too. That narrows my options down to two places: the pub and the beach. Because of his past actions, I'm leaning more toward the pub.

But there's something about the beach that tugs at me. I think back to the way he acted that day. He was so content and relaxed as he lay on that beach towel and read his book under the hot sun. God, he looked so good. Why did I have to be stupid enough to push him away?

If anything, he'd want to go somewhere quiet and not loud like the pub; he'd want his surroundings to be as relaxing as possible. The look on his face said it all – what happened last night is torturing him. Which confuses me. He's slept with so many women, and I've never seen him react so negatively. One-night stands usually feed his ego, not skewer. I thought he would be happy about adding me to the notches in his bedpost. I can't imagine what getting someone like me into bed would do to his reputation. He'd probably be deemed invincible or something stupid like that, and he'd be happy about it.

But this reaction...it's so different than what I'm used to. The amount of guilt and regret he's suffering from is like an acid to a metal. He would never react that way unless he felt something.

I begin to ponder my assumption. If he's reacting this way, is there a chance that my feelings aren't one-sided? Does he feel something for me and he's just upset that he didn't have the chance to tell me before?

That's it, I decide. I need to find him.

"Hey, Hazel?" I ask, turning to face her.

"Yeah?" she asks, looking up from her phone.

We're in the living room, while Easton and Julia are helping the parents cook dinner. Karen and Cam looked concerned when they realized their son wasn't here, but Hazel concocted a quick lie, saying that Warren and I got into an argument and he took off. It worked, and they both made some comment about young love. I'm so tired of lying and pretending. I want to give up the façade and reveal what's really going on, but I can't because I made a deal.

"Can I borrow your car?" I ask.

"Why?" she frowns.

I glance out the window behind her, the one that has a spectacular view of the ocean.