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Part Two: Chapter Eighteen

GRETCHEN

Cal had to fly back to New York after briefly seeing his parents.Apparently, there was business he had to take care of. I was disappointed, but helped him pack anyway, and he lifted my head up to his.

“Hey. I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay? Don’t forget that morning-after pill,” he reminded me with a wink and I nodded in response.

Would having his child really be so bad?

He must’ve read the question in my eyes as he sat on my bed, pulling me close to him.

“Unless you don’t want to. I’d love you to be the mother to my children.”

My heart hammered in my chest as I gazed up at him, his eyes full of adoration. “Cal, I’m not even twenty-one,” I pointed out, as he tilted his head and looked at me seriously.

“As I said, baby:your call. I don’t think I am ready to share you with anyone just yet anyway, not even our child.”

I sighed as he kissed me and he stood, pulling his case next to him.

“Will you be okay flying?” I asked, aware of how he felt about it.

He grimaced as he ran his hand down my cheek.

“Yeah, I’m a big boy. I’ll go there, sort this shit out and I will be back before you know it. Ireallyfucking love you. Will you be okay without me?”

I lifted my eyes to his as I shook my head. “No, so stay.”

I felt anxiety in my chest as I did every time we parted; he had left me once, and I had been so depressed, it was like my world had ended.

“Baby, I’ll be back. Two, three days—tops. Call me anytime. Go see your friends. Relax, you’re safe here,” he kissed me deeply as I sighed into him, before walking down the stairs to where the cab was waiting to take him to the airport.

“Oh,” he called over his shoulder as he walked away. “Keep away from my cousin.” He raised his eyebrows at me as I rolled my eyes.

“Goodbye.I love you.”

“I love you more,” he threw his case into the trunk of the taxi before climbing in, giving me one last look before he closed the door.

A lump rose in my throat as the cab pulled away, his green eyes on me until he was no longer in sight.

The sound of the engine faded down the street as I stood hugging myself, trying to cling to his scent from where he had kissed me earlier.

I turned and walked into the house, aware of how empty it was. My mom and dad were at work, and I hadn’t expected him to leave so suddenly.

The phone call must’ve been serious though, because he packed up immediately.

I sighed as I flopped onto the couch, flicking Netflix on to see Vampire Diaries was back up. I decided to settle in for my Stefan fix, when my phone beeped with a text.

CAL:

Don’t make any plans for your birthday.

As I dropped the phone back onto the table, I wondered what he had planned.

Cal’s behaviour was unpredictable from one minute to the next, so I had no way of predicting what gift he would get for me.

The Vampire Diaries distracted me for a delightful couple of hours before boredom set in and I fired off a text to Rosie, who called me back right away.

We agreed to head to The Lounge.