Chapter 34 Long distance heartbreak
Chapter 34: Long distance heartbreak
It's been three days since the encounter with Allan at the estate. Everything continued in the same fashion.
Campus Allan and Estate Allan who would occasionally drop a message or two.
Three days later, the bulletin board at school exploded with congratulations.
Top Students Nominated for the Africa Exchange Program.
Six Weeks. Three Countries. Full Sponsorship.
Golden’s jaw dropped when she saw her name.
Alex screamed. Fabulous made a dramatic bow. They were going together. But Golden’s joy was tangled with dread. Six weeks away. Six weeks in another continent. Six weeks not knowing which version of Allan she’d return to.
That evening, she sat on her bed staring at her phone for a long time before typing:
Golden: I got nominated for the exchange program.
The reply came almost instantly.
Allan: Congrats.
Just that. No warmth. No excitement. No “I’ll miss you.” Nothing.
A tiny knot formed in her stomach, pulling tighter and tighter. She slipped her phone under her pillow and lay down.
The break was over. And maybe…maybe the bubble was starting to burst.
Golden wasn’t sure when the excitement of the exchange program turned into something heavy that sat on her chest. Maybe it was when she boarded the plane.
Maybe it was when she landed in Ghana.
Maybe it was the first night in the hotel when Allan didn’t text goodnight.
He always texted goodnight. And now? Silence. At first she tried to keep up the conversation. She sent pictures. She understood the different timezones and worked around it.
He would respond after a long while. A hey on Monday. Nothing till Thursday night. A quick reply to her long message on Sunday morning.
No “I miss you.” No voice notes. No video calls, even when she asked.
Time zones weren’t the real problem. Distance wasn’t either. It was the silence in between. Then slowly the response became dry, then it finally stopped.
The crack was getting wider. Golden began loosing herself. The light in her eyes began to dim.
Alex noticed.
“Maybe this time apart will help you see clearly what you want… and what he wants.” She said.
Golden was slowly returning the girl she first met and Alex would be damned if she let that happen.
The six-week program moved quickly—lectures, excursions, presentations, daily reflections.
Alex thrived. Fabulous made friends easily. Golden did her best to stay afloat, but her mind drifted to Florida, to school, to the Nixon Estate… and inevitably, to Allan.
One afternoon, while they sat under the shade of a massive baobab tree on campus, Alex nudged Golden gently.
“You’re shrinking, Gigi.”
Golden blinked. “Shrinking?”
“Yes. You look like someone pressed the life out of you.”
Alex paused, then softened. “You’re pouring water into a cup that’s not being refilled.”
Golden looked down at her hands. “I just… don’t want to lose him.”
“Maybe you’re not losing him.” Alex shrugged.
“Maybe you’re seeing him clearly for the first time.”
Fabulous, who’d been pretending to nap, cracked one eye open.
“Look, I’m not Team Allan. I’m Team Golden. So whatever hurts you, I’m automatically against it.”
Golden laughed weakly.
“Thanks, Fab.”
“Good. Now since you’re sad and I hate sadness, I’m planning something fun.”
He sat up dramatically.
“Weekend. Resort. Pool. Buffet. Pedicures. And I’m paying.”
Golden’s eyes widened.
“What? Fab, no…”
“Shh.” He pressed a finger to her lips. “Let me be your rich boyfriend for one weekend.”
Alex snorted. “Fake rich boyfriend.”
“So rude,” Fab gasped. “But also accurate.”
Golden smiled for the first time that day.
The resort was perfect.
Palm trees swayed like they were showing off.
The pool glistened like polished glass.
The rooms smelled like lemon and sea salt.
“Wow Fab, you really outdid yourself with this one.” Alex said, looking around rather impressed.
“Anything is possible when money is involved” Fabulous spoke like a true rich kid.
For two days, Golden almost forgot the ache inside her, she let go and tried to enjoy herself.
“Let’s take pictures!” Alex said, already pulling out the resort photographer she somehow befriended.
Golden posed, laughed, let herself feel light.
Then, as the photographer flipped between shots, Alex’s phone buzzed. Alex glanced at the screen. Her smile instantly dropped. She quietly locked the phone.
Golden caught it, Alex moved too fast, too nervously.
“What was that?” Golden asked.
“Nothing.” The response came out too quick.
Fabulous, oblivious, reached for the phone.
“Ooh, who’s texting? Did our exam results drop…”
“FAB!” Alex tried to snatch the phone but Fab had already tapped the notification.
TikTalk LIVE: OCU Campus Pool Party. Allan in the frame. Linda in his lap. Ciara dancing on him. His hands on someone’s waist. They were laughing, smiling, relaxed. Enjoying it.
Golden’s heart paused. Then dropped so hard she almost heard it crack.
Fabulous froze. “Oh… oh shit.”
Alex covered her mouth. “Gigi, I—I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to see that.”
Golden didn’t say anything. She just stared.
The screen. The water splashing around him. The way Allan looked…
He looked nothing like the boy who laid his head on her lap by the koi pond.
He look nothing like the boy who kissed her by the water fountain. He looked nothing like the boy who held her hands and was vulnerable with her.
He looked happy. Happier than he ever looked with her.
Her throat tightened painfully.
“So it wasn’t real,” she whispered.
“It was just the holiday.”
Alex reached for her immediately.
“Golden, no…listen…”
But Golden stepped back. The tears didn’t come yet.
Instead, she gave a small, empty smile. “Can we go back to the room? Please?”
Alex nodded. Fabulous hovered helplessly. Golden walked ahead quietly, each step heavy, each breath sharp.
Because for the first time…She felt like she wasn’t just losing Allan. She felt like she was losing herself.
Alex turned and smacked Fabulous on the head. “ Way to go Fab. For a genius, you are such a dumb ass.” Then she ran after Golden.