Home

Chapter 19

*H E R O*

I leave most of my stuff at Jack and Lizzie's new house. If Charlotte is not in Belgium and I can't find her in Florence, I'll be back soon. I'll head back to their place first to report to them and then I'll check in to a room at the Castle where they'll be getting married. Charlotte will be staying there too, if she's coming.

When my plane lands in Brussels I'm not sure what my next move will be. Charlotte's house is an hour away and I don't want to rent a car here. I also don't know the public transport system and I'm pretty sure I can't call the only people I know in this country to pick me up. I find a nice taxi driver that agrees to take me that far away. I look through the window and think about the last time I saw this view. Belgium is completely different than England or Wales. It strikes me how flat it is. Hardly any hills. Charlotte used to joke about it all the time. Charlotte showed me so many historic places last summer. We visited Ghent and Bruges, which I both loved! Bruges is so full of history and looks a lot like a fairytale. It was actually pretty romantic. What I wouldn't give to walk around those streets with Charlotte again. Looking at those ancient houses. Holding hands and eating waffles.

The taxi driver offers to wait in front of her house until I'm sure if I need a ride back to the airport or not. I'm nervous when I ring the door. My hands are shaking. I take a few deep breaths. This conversation won't be easy. I dawned on me during the drive here that her father might be home. He's probably so mad at me. Luckily her brother answers the door and not her father.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here."

"I know... But can I just explain? I need to know where Charlotte is. I need to apologize and talk to her."

"You don't."

"Yes, I do. Please just hear me ou-"

"Stop. Listen to me and listen carefully. You don't need to know where Charlotte is and you don't need to talk to her. In fact, just forget Charlotte exists. You've done enough."

He slams the door in my face and for a second I'm shocked. I never expected him to treat me like this. He's usually a pretty easygoing guy. But I did break his sister's heart, a voice inside me says.

"Back to the airport?" The taxi driver asks.

I think about it for a second. Her father is not an option but...

"No, there is actually one more thing I can try."

I take my phone and look Jolene up on Facebook. I try calling her on Messenger. Surely she knows where Charlotte is!

"Hello?" an uncertain voice asks.

"Jolene!" I'm relieved that she's picking up. "Jolene, it's Hero."

Silence.

"Jo, I need to know where Charlotte is. I need to explain something and apologize."

"Hero, look. I can tell that you're serious about this. I can hear it in your voice but you need to let this go. Charlotte doesn't want you to know where she is. In fact, I don't even know where she is!"

I talk to Jolene long enough to believe that she really doesn't know where her best friend is. Damn it. Damn you, Charlotte. Why are you doing this to people?

Back at Brussels Airport I need to kill two hours before my flight to Florence. With a beer in my hand I look at the planes taking off. God, I hope she's in Florence. I can picture her in a warm city. Charlotte hates rain and snow. She hates the cold so I'm fairly certain that she's somewhere south. Florence seems like a good choice. I can see her strolling over the Ponte Vecchio and drinking Chianti in the shadow of the Duomo. Spending the afternoons at the Boboli Gardens looking over Florence. Watching the sunset over the river Arno on top of the Palazzo Vecchio. The thought of that makes me smile because that would mean that she's happy. Florence isn't a big city and I know all her favorite spots so I should be able to find her soon if she's there. But what if she's there and what if I find her? Will she be happy to see me? Will she hear me out?

In Florence I check in to a hotel located in the historic part of the city, close to all famous spots and I change clothes. I desperately need to sleep soon but I'm just too excited to be here. I want to take a walk through the city first before I go to sleep. Just a first look around. You never know. But after visiting the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo and the Palazzo Vecchio it becomes clear that it won't be that simple. No sight of Charlotte and there are thousands of tourists here. I decide to head back to the hotel and get some sleep first. I will visit some other places tomorrow.