Conrad
Maya and I have been talking for three hours. I don’t think either of us wanted to say goodbye. It was so good to see her beautiful face and hear her laugh. I don’t even know what we talked about. She was struggling to keep her eyes open, making me wonder if she was in the same time zone as me or somewhere ahead or behind me because it was late here, which may mean it was the same where she was. Most other countries are hours behind or ahead of me. It won’t be nighttime. Then again, maybe she is just tired. I can’t tell by her surroundings if it is light or dark outside. I feel like she has done that on purpose, so I can’t work anything out.
“Maya, go to sleep, sweetheart. You are struggling to stay awake.” I say softly.
“No, I don’t want to say goodbye.” She whimpers.
“I don’t want to either, but we will need to at some point.”
I should know by tomorrow if Adrian’s colleague has worked out roughly where Maya is. I really hope he has. I will be on the first flight out tomorrow to get to her. I will still keep it secret from her. I don’t want to risk her running again.
“I guess. Will you stay on the phone with me until I fall asleep?” she whispers.
“Of course, I will, beautiful. Can we talk again tomorrow?”
“I am not sure I can handle seeing you two days in a row without being able to touch you or be with you. I work a twelve-hour shift tomorrow, too,” she says gently.
“Oh, okay.” I sigh, disappointed.
I hope this isn’t a one-time thing. But if luck is on my side, I will be with her in person soon, within the next couple of days.
“I am sorry, Conrad. It is too much. Maybe in a few days, we can do it again.”
“Whatever you want, beautiful.”
“I love you, remember that.” She smiles.
“I love you too, baby girl.”
It doesn’t take long until she is sound asleep. I should hit the hang-up button, but I don’t want to. I watch her sleep for a while. I miss watching her sleep. She is so beautiful. Though she looks like she has lost some weight, something that worries me, I am scared she isn’t taking care of herself as long as she isn’t hurting herself again.
“I will be with you soon, sweetheart. I miss you so much. I can’t wait to be able to hold you again. I love you so much. Everything will be okay.” I say, not loud enough to wake her.
I finally ended the call. I set my iPad aside and settled down in bed. I pick up my cell and scroll through photos of Maya and us together. I do it every night. It was all I had of her. I sigh and try not to get too emotional. It is different tonight since I have more than photos. I put my cell down and decided to get some sleep. Tomorrow may change everything. If I don’t find out where she is, I will work out another way. No matter what, I will be with my girl sooner rather than later. I refuse to let any more time pass.
I can’t wait to be able to reach over again and for Maya to be next to me. I miss her cuddles so much. Even with an entire bed to myself I still stay at my side. The spot next to me is for Maya, no one else.
****
I have been trying to keep myself busy all day. I haven’t heard from Maya. I emailed her this morning to let her know I was thinking of her and to tell her to have a good day. I wonder what job she has if she is working a twelve-hour shift. I am eagerly waiting for Adrian to come home from work to see if he got the information I needed.
“Conrad, would you stop pacing and calm down? He will be home soon.” Chelsea says as she makes dinner for the three of us.
I am supposed to be helping, but I need to be more focused.
“Sorry. I will help you like I am supposed to.” I chuckle.
I head over and make dinner with her. I am careful not to cut myself since I have other things on my mind. A few minutes later, I hear the front door open and quickly stop what I am doing.
Adrian comes into the kitchen. I keep it together until he greets my sister.
“Did you get it? Please tell me you did?” I say, glancing over at him.
“Yes, he did.” He smiles.
I rush over to him, “What, really? He found out where she is?”
“Yes, and she is closer than you think. She is up in the Scottish Highlands.” He says brightly.
“She is that close? I thought Scotland would be a possibility. She always said she wanted to visit. How close did he manage to get to her exact location?”
“He found the exact island she is on. I did some research. It is pretty small compared to other ones, so it should be easy to find her.”
“I need to go to her. I will leave tomorrow. I need to book a flight.”
“You can either book the ferry online to take you there from the mainland or pay for it when you arrive,” he says.
“I will book everything online, so I have it. I can’t wait to see her. She will be with me again soon.” I whimper. It is happy tears.
I am so glad he managed to trace her. If the island isn’t big, searching shouldn’t take long. I know places like them are usually knowledgeable about what is happening and the people who stay there. Hopefully, the locals will help me.
“Make sure you book three. We are coming with you.” Chelsea says.
“You are?” I ask, surprised.
She nods, “Yes, if you don’t mind us tagging along?”
“You are more than welcome to join me. It means I won’t travel alone, and there will be three of us to find her. I am sure she will be excited to see you.” I beam and rush upstairs to book everything for tomorrow’s trip.
I am worried that Maya will tell me to leave when I show up unannounced. What if she doesn’t want me there? No, I am overthinking. She will be happy to see me. She will probably be mad at me for like two seconds. I have no idea what will happen when we are reunited. We can stay where she is, go to London, or return home to New York. It doesn’t matter what she wants, too, as long as we are together and keep it secret so Callum doesn’t find out about it.