Starbird

Chapter 38

Forty-eight hours later we landed in LAX. Unfortunately, my dreams and my cardigan were left in London. James was up early to say goodbye, even if he had all his stuff packed up to go too.

“I’ll see you soon,” he promised me, hugging me tight as Mom and Dad brought our luggage out.

“You have to come home for Christmas,” I ordered.

“No guarantees. But I’ll try my hardest.”

“Tell Ava and Carson I say goodbye.”

“Not Gemma?” I gave him a look that read, Are you freakin’ kidding me?

“I really don’t care.”

“And Liam?”

The look of discontent was clear across my face. I wanted to say goodbye to Liam myself.

“Sure, go for it,” I choked out, which was a sure sign that I didn’t know what I wanted. I pulled my jacket tighter around my torso, but I wasn’t sure if I was just cold or if I was trying to make my stomach stop churning.

“Remember what I told you a few weeks ago?” James asked, shoving his hands in his hoodie pockets.

“That I’m an idiot?”

James nearly smiled and shook his head. “No, I told you to let it go. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but you need to do it or else you’re just going to get more hurt.”

He was right and we both knew it.

“I’ll try,” I promised him and that was the most I could offer.

“Good. I love you, Cammie. I’ll see you in a few months, okay?”

I hugged him harder, before I released him. He patted my head and sent me on my way, following Mom and Dad into the foggy morning.

The plane ride was the longest flight I had ever had to endure. Every minute that passed just made me regret what I hadn’t done. James had been right. I should have just toughened up and dealt with the situation myself. My heart felt heavy in my chest as the regret intensified.

Memories flashed as the plane landed and I tried to push the good things out.

As we found our luggage and grabbed a taxi, I was fighting the tears from spilling.

Gosh, when did I become such an emotionally unstable girl?

Eventually, the taxi pulled up to our home and my dad handed over the money while I got out of the car and stretched.

The LA air was warm – way too warm for what it should be feeling at the end of October. This was ridiculous! It was maybe fifty degrees in London. On a good day, with no rain, it was probably fifty degrees. But not in Los Angeles, California. Nope. It was a high of 75 right now. Complete opposite of my mood.

We all grabbed our suitcases and made our way in to the pristine house. The entire place felt sterile and untouched. But not in that normal home-from-vacation sense where everything was just nice and cleaned. It was as if the entire thing wasn’t my residence and nobody had lived here before.

“Carol! Phil!” I heard a chirpy voice from the stairs and I nearly cringed. I was too tired and angry for chirpiness.

“Susan! I didn’t know you’d be here!” Dad said with equal enthusiasm as he hugged his sister.

“Thought I’d make sure your plants and pets weren’t dead before you got home,” Aunt Susan said, nudging my dad in the stomach. “Also, I doubt any of you feel like making food right now.”