One Drop of Golden Sun

Ch. 25 What Happened?

*Ray

The message was from Zach.

Call me. I love you.

"Lokela." She hated to interrupt time spent together with someone for a phone call, but the whole reason she was out with Lokela was to understand how Zach felt. And he was trying to tell her at that exact moment. She caught Lokela's eyes with hers. They were so dark, they looked black, and the sun across the ocean lit him in gold. It was like being at the fire pit at the lanai again. So close, surrounded by people, and only the two of them for a split second.

She backed away. "I have to make a phone call. I'm sorry. This is so uncool, I know, but I'll make it up to you with a smoothie."

Holding out her hand to stop whatever he might say, she hit the icon to call Zach.

"Hey, babe," he said, almost instantly.

"Hey." She covered her other ear to block out the noise of Aloha tower, but there was more noise coming from his end. Music. Laughter and voices. Someone crying...

"Screw you, asshole," a girl said, voice breaking in tears.

"Is everything all right?" Ray asked.

But Zach wasn't listening. He said something to the girl about leaving him alone. There was a crashing sound. Zach yelled in pain.

Should she call the Californian police?

"Zach? Zach! Are you all right?"

"Hey, babe, I'm fine. I'm fine."

"I can't really hear you. Do you want to call me back?"

"No," he said. Another bang, but like a slamming car door sounded, and the noise died. "Is Lokela there with you?"

"Lokela?" She spotted him in the shopping arcade next to the tower. He was leaning against the wall, foot propped up and arms crossed. He was glowering at the grass, but as she watched, he met her gaze. Her heart squeezed, but at the same time he continued to scan the area to glower at the ocean on her left. "Kind of. Do you want to talk to him?"

"No. I want to talk to you. Listen, I hate to do this, and I don't want to do this, but something happened, and we have to call things off. For now. Just for now. When I get back to Honolulu, I'll explain and I'll make things up to you."

"I have no idea what you're saying. I hear the words and I know what they mean, but put together like that, they make no sense."

Zach sighed. Or started crying. What the?

"We're done. We're done for now. It's Lokela, he—"

Slivers of fear bit her stomach. "What about Lokela?"

"It's not just him. It's me, too. It's me and I can't be with you anymore. For now. We're over, Ray."

"You just sent me a message saying you loved me," Ray said.

"I do love you, but I'm breaking things off with you." His voice rose higher and the sound of suppressed sobs came through the phone. "For now. I'll be in touch when I come back next semester. I want to be with you, but I can't right now."

"We're done because you're breaking things off until you come back in a month?"

"I know it sounds bad, but believe me. I love you so much. I'll make it up to you, and we can be together again, but until then, I have to break up." He coughed of smothered a cry.

"You have to break up, but you'll make it up to me? Do I understand correctly?" she asked. "Can I at least ask why?"

"It's not you, it's me."