Chapter 60 Coming Home to Goodbye

Chapter 60 Coming Home to Goodbye
Breakfast was a tense, quiet affair. Even those trying to stay out of the drama could feel the heavy silence, knowing a single wrong word would set off an explosion. Mayzie took a quick look around the table, dreading whatever was about to happen next.

Trying to ease the pressure, Marga forced a nervous smile. "You two were so cute on the couch this morning," she said, looking at Mayzie and Dalton.

Gustav choked on his eggs, coughing before he could swallow. "Too bad we don't have time for one last swim," he said, desperately trying to change the topic. "Next year, we should definitely leave in the evening."

"Dalton and Mayzie were sharing the couch?" Cielo asked, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "How sweet."

Gustav nudged her gently under the table. "Yeah, a final tan and a quick dip before boarding that tiny plane would have been perfect."

"We were drunk," Dalton growled, not looking up. "She passed out on me and she’s heavy. I was stuck there. I couldn't move her, so I had to play as a pillow while she drooled all over my shirt."

"Drooled?" Mayzie squeaked. "You had your arm wrapped around me! If anyone was trapped, it was me!"

Dalton slammed his hands on the table, making the plates rattle. "My neck is killing me! I don't sleep like a dog twisted into weird shapes. I need a real bed, unlike you. You can pass out literally anywhere!"

"Like a dog?" she snapped.

"Yeah! Ask Thelma. You wanted to sleep on my bedroom floor earlier this week. You get drunk and just collapse. You can't hold your liquor!"

Mayzie's face burned. "Screw you!" She stood up so fast her chair scraped the patio.

"Screw you!" Dalton stood up too, refusing to let her look down on him.

Mayzie grabbed her glass of orange juice and threw it right in his face. "No, screw you!" she yelled, then spun on her heel and bolted back into the house before he could react.

Dalton blinked through the sticky orange liquid dripping down his nose. He glared at Gustav. "This is your fault," he hissed. Turning sharply, he marched inside to shower and change. 

"Sorry," Marga and Cielo muttered in unison.

Gustav shrugged and went back to his breakfast.

Ariel pushed his plate away; it had been splattered with juice. "Lovely. What a fantastic trip," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Always sticking noses where they don't belong." He muttered something else under his breath and walked inside.

"What is his problem?" Arking asked.

"He means you can't mind your own business," Gustav said, chewing. "You've done nothing but stir the pot all week, and he's sick of it."

"What's going on?" Cielo asked.

"Mind your own business. Eat," Arking snapped, pointing his fork at her plate.

Ember stood up, taking Clyde's hand. "Come on, Clyde. Let's take one last walk on the beach before we pack up." She pulled him up, flashing a knowing grin and a wink at Bellatrix as they walked off. Clyde didn't even look back to say goodbye to Bellatrix, which was unusual for him.

Blake noticed Bellatrix staring after them. He reached out and gently took her hand, drawing her focus back. "Want to do something before we head out?"

She shook her head with a soft smile. "I think we've done enough. Honestly, I'm ready to go home. I've never been away from my mom this long. I miss her."

· · ─────── · 𓅪 · ─────── · ·

"So, did you girls have fun?" Belletrix asked as her daughter and Mayzie settled into the car.

Bellatrix, seated in the passenger seat, beamed at her mother. "It was amazing! I thought we'd be stuck on a tiny, empty island, but the ferry takes you to this huge place with beautiful gardens, temples, shops, and they even had a festival on our last day."

Belletrix smiled, glancing in the rearview mirror. "What about you, Mayzie? Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes, Mrs. Saunders."

"Always so quiet," Belletrix teased gently, winking at her daughter.

Bellatrix looked back at her friend. Mayzie had been hesitant to accept a ride, given how tense things were. But Dalton and Blake had vanished the moment Bellatrix's mother pulled up. It was like a magic trick — one second they were standing there, the next they were gone. Bellatrix knew Mayzie was still mad at her, even if Clyde had already moved past it. Mayzie was trying to forgive her, keeping her word, but a distance remained. Bellatrix was determined not to let that gap grow. She wanted to prove she was trustworthy and rebuild their friendship.

"Did you two spend the whole time together, or did you actually hang out with those handsome, wealthy boys?" Belletrix asked.

Bellatrix giggled. "No, I hung out with..." She caught herself before saying Blake's name. "...the group. Dalton kept Mayzie busy with work, but she got some free time. Right, Mayzie?"

"Right," Mayzie agreed, grateful her friend was keeping Blake a secret from her mother.

As the mother and daughter chatted about the handsome rich men on the island, Mayzie turned them out, staring at the passing trees. A familiar empty feeling was already settling in her chest. Even though she technically lived alone, she had always viewed Alonso as her roommate. Deep down, she hoped he'd still be there. Maybe his threat to leave was just a dramatic way to make her realize how much he cared.

Lately, the spark between them had fizzled, mostly due to the pressure of trying to be a "real" couple. But the thought of him actually being gone made her stomach drop. The reality of it hadn't hit her until they landed, and even now, she knew she wouldn't fully feel the weight of it until she walked into an empty apartment.

"Anyone over five-foot-ten, out of the car!" Belletrix joked as she pulled up to the apartment building and popped the trunk.

"Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Saunders," Mayzie said, opening the door.

"Hold on, I'll walk up with you," Bellatrix said, turning to her mother. "I'll be home in a bit."

"Are you taking the bus?"

"Yeah."

"Make sure she gets to the stop safely, Mayzie."

Mayzie nodded, grabbing her bags from the trunk. Bellatrix walked beside her as they unlocked the building's main door. Mayzie hadn't told her that Alonso was moving out — partly because she was holding onto a tiny shred of hope that he hadn't, and partly because she didn't want to face the breakdown alone if he was gone.

· · ─────── · 𓅪 · ─────── · ·

As they reached the door, Bellatrix hurried ahead and knocked on Alonso's door. "Wait, it's only three. Maybe he isn't back from work yet."

"Nobody lives in there," a voice called out. A heavy-set, balding older man came down the stairs. "Ah, Mayzie. Alonso mentioned you had a spare key to his place. I'll need that back."

Mayzie swallowed hard and unclipped the key from her keychain, handing it to the building manager. "He already turned on his key?"

"Yep. Got another community college kid lined up to move in next week." He smiled and headed back upstairs.

Bellatrix stared in disbelief. "He moved out? You knew about this? Why?"

Instead of answering, Mayzie unlocked her own door and ushered them inside. The first thing she noticed was how incredibly clean the place was. The clutter was gone. Her clothes had been neatly folded and organized into large plastic bins by the glass doors. New blinds hung over the windows, and the towering piles of books she’d marked for donation were gone. The ones she wanted to keep were stacked neatly in containers. By the kitchen, a massive bag of cat food sat open next to a giant metal bowl filled to the brim with water.

"Mayzie, what's going on?"

Her chest tightened. Seeing how much care Alonso had put into cleaning her place before leaving, it cut deeper than any argument. "Alonso and I broke up," she whispered. She walked over to check the litter box; it was spotless. Next to it was a small, cozy fabric cat bed she hadn't seen before. A thin black tail wiggled out of the opening. "Why did he leave so much food?" she murmured. "He knew I was coming back today."

"He broke up with you?" Bellatrix asked, stunned.

"Yeah." Mayzie set her suitcase on the bed and started unpacking to keep her hands busy.

"But why?"

"It just wasn't working. Please, can we not talk about it?"

Bellatrix gave a quiet, sympathetic nod. As she looked around, her eyes caught something on the kitchen counter. "There's a card here." She picked it up and handed it over. Mayzie opened the floral envelope. She read the note aloud, mostly to satisfy her friend's obvious curiosity:

Mayzie, I missed you and wanted to show it rather than just say it. Sometimes words don't quite cut it. I hope you like the reorganization — really opens up the space, doesn't it? Also, I found the cat. Turns out she made a nest out of some old T-shirts you probably forgot you owned. I washed everything, so your clothes are clean. Try to keep them that way. I love you.

Bellatrix frowned. "That's so weird. Why would he do all this just to leave?"

"I never called him," Mayzie said, her voice shaking slightly as she fought back tears. "I didn't even think about him until the very end of the trip, and he knew it. There was no point in pretending anymore."

"Where did he go?"

"Probably back to his mom's. She's been begging him to move back for months." Mayzie tossed the card on the counter and grabbed a handful of clothes, tossing them onto the floor.

Bellatrix immediately picked them up and placed them in the wicker hamper, shutting the lid. "He asked you to keep it clean," she pointed out when Mayzie glared at her. "You should talk to him. Go apologize, and—"

"I did apologize. He didn't want to hear it." Mayzie let out a long breath. "I'd never heard him sound so cold. He was deeply hurt, and a simple apology isn't going to fix this." Suddenly, Mayzie's phone buzzed with a text. She pulled it out.

Don't forget to come in tomorrow morning. The vacation is over, so don't get lazy.

She sighed, shaking her head at Dalton's message. Before she could put the phone away, it buzzed again with this message: 

Speaking of vacation being over, we need you on Sunday nights. Hurry and get over here!

A faint, tired smile touched her lips. "Looks like duty calls. Let's get you to that bus stop." Mayzie looked around for her car keys, realizing she'd given them to Alonso. Then she saw them sitting right under his card on the counter. She picked them up with a sigh, her last excuse to reach out to him gone. "Ready?"

Bellatrix nodded and followed her out. She kept quiet, knowing Mayzie hated unsolicited advice and preferred to figure things out on her own. All Bellatrix could do was stand by her and hope things would work out.