My parents are going to be pissed about the credit card charges for this hotel room, but I was left with no other options. First on my list is to find a job. I don’t know if I’ll be able to find one that will pay well enough for me to cover the expense of my hotel room, but it’s worth a shot.
I only have a few weeks left until I’ll be able to move back into my dorm room. So, if I want to be on the West Coast rather than the East, this is the only way I am going to be able to make it work. It’s not like I picked an expensive hotel, either. I found one that is a short Uber ride away from the airport and it is one that isn’t dumpy, but it isn’t a Four Seasons either.
It’s around noontime when I finally turn my phone back on. I turned it off when I got here in the middle of the night and didn’t bother turning it back on until now. The last thing I wanted to do was have to talk to anyone. I’m sure after Simon woke up this morning and realized I was gone, he put in a call to my brother.
As soon as my phone loads everything on it, I’m not surprised when the missed calls and unread text messages come rolling in. I ignore anything that has Simon’s name on it, only paying attention to the ones from my parents and Sterling and Olivia.
I send a quick text to my mom to let her know that I’m alive and back in California and that I will explain everything to her soon. She doesn’t respond right away so I move on to Olivia’s. There’s at least a dozen texts from her, the last one reading 911.
A sigh escapes me as I tap on her name and the phone begins to ring. She picks up after one ring.
“Stella!” she exclaims, her voice loud and filled with relief. “Thank God. I was beginning to really worry about you.”
“I’m fine,” I assure her. “I turned my phone off on the plane and when I got to my hotel, I passed out and didn’t even think to turn it back on.”
“Where are you? Simon called and told us you were gone.”
A lump forms in my throat, but I swallow back my emotions and lock them tightly away in the box they belong in. “Yeah, I flew back to California in the middle of the night.”
“He told me what he said, that he told you to go back to California.” She pauses and falls silent for a short moment. “What really happened?”
“It was all my fault,” I explain, feeling like a deflated balloon and filled with defeat. “I made things weird between us. Simon wanted more and I told him I needed space. I needed to figure out how the hell things would work between us.”
“You didn’t want to get involved if you knew you were going to get hurt in the end, I get it.”
I nod, even though Olivia can’t see me through the phone. “Exactly. So, he decided to give me space and then he came back last night completely shit-faced and said a lot of things I know he had probably been holding in.”
Olivia’s silent for a beat. “I know you might think that, but that’s not Simon. He wouldn’t say things like that and actually mean it. He gets emotional when he’s drunk.”
“Well, he still said them and seemed pretty serious about it.”
“What else did he say to you?”
The nightmare plays over in my head again. “He told me that he’s in love with me and I was breaking his heart. He interpreted me wanting space as me trying to buy myself some time to let him down easy.”
“Ugh,” Olivia groans. “These stupid guys. They always assume shit and it’s like their pride gets the better of them. Instead of talking it through with us, they just interpret and run with it.”
“That’s exactly what Simon did. He really left me no choice.”
“Did he really, though?” Olivia questions me, the challenge clear in her voice. “You didn’t have to run. You could have waited until morning to hear him out.”
I swallow roughly. “It was better if I left then, Liv.”
“It was your fear that made you run.”
I don’t respond. Instead we settle into a silence, both of us knowing that she’s right. I did let my fear take control and that was ultimately what made me leave for the airport in the middle of the night.
“What hotel are you staying at?” Olivia questions me, her voice sounding defeated.
“The Hilton on Main,” I tell her before reciting the address. “Why? My mom knows I’m here and I have to talk to her about staying here until I can go back to my dorm.”
“What room?”
Her questions throw me off and my eyebrows draw together. “713. Why, Olivia?”
Olivia doesn’t say anything for a bit. “Simon is on a plane to California right now. I told him that I would find out where you are.”
My breath catches in my throat. “What? Why the hell is he coming here? What about his camp? Their tournament is supposed to start on Monday.”
“Yeah, I know,” she says with a sigh. “He left it all to come find you.”
“What the hell? Why would he throw that all away? I can’t let him do that.”
“Because he loves you, you idiot,” she tells me with annoyance in her tone. She lets out a contradictory light laugh. “Good luck trying to stop him. He’s on his way to you now, Stella. Either end things with him or bury your fear and take the leap with him.”
Tears begin to blur my vision without my permission. “I’m afraid, Olivia. How did you know that Sterling was worth the risk? You’re giving up everything for him.”
“It might seem that way, but I’m really not. I just know what Sterling’s dreams are and will always support them,” she tells me and I can hear the smile in her voice. “I knew he was worth the risk when he showed me that I was more important to him than hockey.”
“Just like Simon is doing right now…”
Olivia laughs softly. “Exactly.”
“What do I do now?” I question her, my voice quiet as panic starts to build inside. Simon is on his way here and I’m not prepared at all.
She laughs again. “You buckle up and hold on for one hell of a ride. His plane should be landing around four. Leave your phone on this time because he’ll be calling you when he’s on his way.”
“Oh my god. I’m going to have an anxiety attack, Olivia.” I rise to my feet and begin to pace. “I left, like, twelve hours ago. Who the hell flies across the country to win someone back?”
“Just breathe, Stella. It’s only Simon,” she reminds me with that damn smile in her voice again. “He’s just coming to collect you and your heart. And I think it’s fairly safe to say that both belong to him.”
My heart swells in my chest at the thought of Simon. He put his entire hockey career in jeopardy to come find me. Part of me regrets leaving, had I known he would pull some stunt like this…
I smile at the phone.
“They do, because I’m in love with him, Liv.”
