Broken Promises

5. Cherry Red Convertible

     Sleep is a foreign commodity for me now.

     Every time I close my eyes, yours appear. They're not the chocolate brown ones I have come to love, but the pale, lifeless ones I have come to dread.

     Each time, they appear, beckoning me to join them, to mirror them, to become one with them. Yet, with a substantial amount of restraint, I manage to gain sufficient strength to back away long enough to remember the promise I'm keeping.

     (P.S. I decided to keep a little bit of the writing style I previously used. I understand that it might be confusing to see the change of point of view constantly, but I felt this would make the story more the way I imagined it to be. These are always going to be at the beginning of the chapter, so I'm hoping it won't be too confusing.)

❁∞❁∞❁

     The plane landed in Sausalito, California.

     The airport was bustling with noise, but it was peaceful noise, comforting. Her eyes wandered around the terminal she just came out of, looking for someone waiting for her, as her mother informed her there would be. When she couldn't find anyone fitting the descriptions her mother had given her, she picked up her suitcase and went looking for them.

∞∞

     A guy about her age came up to her and asked, "Excuse me, are you Amelia Thomas?"

     Amelia blinked, startled by his sudden appearance, and looked at the guy. He looked to be about 17 or 18, with dirty blonde hair and grey eyes. He fit the description of one of the people that her mother made her memorize.

     "Yeah, I am. Are you Finn Johnson?" she asked.

     "Yeah. Welcome to California."

     Amelia politely smiled, not feeling like talking much. It seemed that Finn got the idea and went around her to grab her suitcase, but Amelia said it was fine and that she could carry it herself.

     Fin just shrugged and led the way out of the airport. The moment Amelia stepped out, all she could feel was the immense heat. It was a drastic change from the mood swings of Ohio.

     They walked to a white Chevy Silverado, and Finn, himself, put the luggage in the back of the truck, seeing as Amelia was too short to reach it.

∞∞

     The car ride was slightly uncomfortable, even with the music on. When they reached their destination, Amelia let out a quiet gasp. The house was gorgeous.

     It was located on the edge of the beach and had a beautiful view of the Golden gate bridge. Beside her, she could see Finn smiling. "It's beautiful, isn't it? It was my dad's dream home."

     She frowned at the use of past tense but didn't pry. Amelia knew, of all people, the tone one used when they were talking about a painful subject. She could feel Finn's eyes on her, and she turned to look back at him. "What?" she asked warily.

     "Nothing. It's just-," he paused and seemed to rethink whatever he was about to say, "never mind. We're here." He parked the truck in the garage which held two other cars, one of them being a convertible.

     Amelia admired the sleek look of its cherry red paint job. She was sure that if she had closed her eyes, she could've felt the summer breeze in her hair as the car sped down a freeway. She also didn't miss the way Finn became tense once he noticed her staring at the convertible. It seemed that Amelia wasn't the only one withholding information, but she couldn't care less.

     It was finally beginning to settle in her bones that she wouldn't be able to wallow in a room for hours, or even days. She let out a sigh. 'I suppose that is what this trip was meant for,' she thought.

     They'd walked through the garage door into the foyer, which was just as equally gorgeous as the exterior, when a beautiful petite girl came running down the hallway chasing a golden retriever. She noticed the pair standing down the hallway and yelled at them. "I'm sorry, Finn and Finn's friend, but Pokey just stole 2 chocolate bars and I just bought a new rug that I know he's going to ruin again." She took off running again, and Amelia watched her with somewhat of an amused expression.

     "That's Aditi. She's my adoptive sister," Finn explained. He had a proud smile on his face as he looked at the spot where Aditi disappeared, and it made his eyes look much warmer. The color looked like the beach on a perfect summer day, the sun making the water shimmer like a diamond.

     Amelia had no problem admitting that Finn was attractive, but the thought of dating another person made her want to curl up in a ball and scream, seeing as Isaac still haunted her dreams.

     "Amelia!" a voice behind her said, slightly startling her. It was Anne, her mom's friend, and Finn, and Aditi's mother. Her smiling face greeted Amelia as she turned around, along with Finn. "Oh look at you, you look so grown up," Anne said, pulling her in a hug before adding, "which is probably because the last time I saw you, you were still wearing diapers."

     Anne was a tall woman, somewhere around 5'8, Amelia guessed. She was dressed in work clothes; a suit and heels. She had a gentle air around her as if all the spring flowers had been gathered into a being. But Amelia could sense that there was something about her, something broken. 'It takes one to know one,' she thought.

     "Hi, Mrs. Johnson. It's been really long. How are you?" Amelia asked. Anne's face dropped for a moment before she smiled again and answered. Had Amelia blinked, she would've missed that slip-up. 

     "It's been wonderful, dear. I'm truly sorry for leaving so soon, but my boss arranged a meeting to discuss this year's finances and asked me to lead the presentation. Now,  if you'll excuse." Anne brushed past the kids and went into her study, pausing momentarily to look at a door to its right with a sad expression.

     Finn turned to look at her with a sheepish smile and backed away from her. "I'm sorry," was all Amelia heard before she felt a force jump on her back and push her to the floor.

❁∞❁∞❁

     So, I feel I need to clear a few things up. First off, if my writing is bad, know that this is my first time writing in the third person. And second, I'm trying to challenge myself by pushing myself out of my comfort zone and become a better writer overall, so I'd really appreciate any and all constructive criticism in the comments.

     I'd also like to point out that this book is not going to be perfect. It'll most likely have flaws, just like the characters. It'll also probably frustrate you, and trust me when I say we'll be going through it together. 

     Now onto more important things... what's your favorite iced cream flavor? Mine's cookies and cream, although black raspberry chocolate flavor by Breyers does come to a close tie.

     One more thing, and this is the last one, I promise. Text FLOYD to 55156. please.