Page 58 of Never and Always
Chapter 13
Mia rushed back home,kicking herself for leaving herphone.
She was so excited that Nick was coming back that she thought she’d rush out to the store to grab what she needed to make him a great big feast. He loved lasagna and had told her that, next to his mother’s, hers was the best he’d everhad.
Such a compliment was definitely the kind of thing that could make a girl’s head swell withdelight.
She placed the grocery bags down in the kitchen and made her way up to Nick’s room, eager to see him. All she could think of was being in hisarms.
It was crazy that she’d only seen him yesterday, but it felt like eons toher.
The door was open so she ran straight inside. When she saw him sitting by the window with a large rucksack on the floor next to him, her nerves spiked. She looked about the room and drew in a breath when she saw that his things were all packedup.
Everything was packed, some inboxes.
“Nick…” She returned her gaze to him and found he was already looking at her with huge, sadeyes.
He stood up and walked over to her, then stopped just a few breaths away. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him look so drained in all the time that she’d knownhim.
No, wait. She remembered. He looked similar after his father died. That was how he looked. Something must havehappened.
“Where are you going?” she asked, unable to hide the panic in hervoice.
“Mia, I have to go away.” He could barely look ather.
“Where? Why? I don’t understand.” She looked at him, searching his eyes. “Did something else happen withAlan?”
From what he’d told her earlier it sounded like the police had Alan in custody and would deal with everything else fromthere.
“I’ve been thinking that, it’s best ifwe…”
She stared at him waiting for him to finish, waiting to hear what he had to say, feeling her heart being pushed over the edge ofhell.
“What? What,Nick?”
“We can’t betogether.”
His voice sounded so far away, like a distant echo. Like it wasn’t real. She felt light headed. Dizzy, as all the air left her lungs and the blood drained fromher.
She shook her head, not understanding, not accepting. “Why? Why can’t we?” her voice soundedfrail.
“I don’t think that we should betogether.”
“That’s it? You can’t give me more thanthat?”
“I can’t. I… Look, this is for the best. Itis.”
She looked at him, feeling her heart squeeze within her as the tears rolled down hercheeks.
“You said always. It wasn’t true?” She believedhim.
He closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them again, a small tear ran down his cheek. He opened his mouth to answer but didn’t say anything. He just walked back over to the window, picked up his bag andleft.
That was it; that was all. Nothingmore.
It was as if the magic they’d shared over the last few days neverhappened.
Mia broke down the minute she heard the front doorclose.
