Page 57 of Blame It On The Carols

“That’s so awesome that you’ve traveled to so many places,” Jasmin noted with a smile. “Do you have a favorite place you like to visit?”

Makayla shrugged as she set her fork down.

“I don’t know. I think it depends on what I’m in the mood for. I love New York City and how fast-paced everything is. You can easily get lost in the crowd, which is nice when I’m wanting just to be me for a bit. I usually go when it’s colder so I have an excuse to wear baggy clothes and hoodies so I can stay off people’s radar. Plus, no one really questions it when they see someone wearing sunglasses in the middle of winter. They just go about their business, too busy to stop and question it.”

We all laughed, but I felt this sharp pain of jealousy about the things Makayla had experienced while out living her life while I stayed in my small little bubble, living mine.

“I love Hawaii and try to escape to Kauai at least once a year. It’s so calm there, and the views are breathtaking. Plus, I like to tour the north side of the island and pretend like I’m in Jurassic Park.”

“Hey, maybe I’ll do Christmas in Kauai next year instead,” Sam said with a stupid grin. “I could totally get on board with dinosaurs.”

“You know there aren’t really dinosaurs there,” Jasmin teased. “The only fossil you’re likely to see is yourself.”

“Hey now, you better watch it,” he warned.

“So, are you planning to travel a lot next year?” Jasmin said, redirecting her attention to Makayla.

“I’m not sure how much personal traveling I’ll be doing,” Makayla said, glancing at me nervously. “But I go back on tour in February, so I’ll be doing a lot of travel for that.”

“That’s so exciting! Is there anywhere on the tour you’re most excited about?” Jasmin continued, leaning in with eyes wide and a smile plastered to her face.

“I’m excited to go to Japan. I’ve never been there before. That’s a new stop on the tour next year. I’m also looking forward to being back in the UK. We had to add a few extra stops due to how quickly tickets sold out there, so I’ll be spending more time there than anywhere else.”

Sam started talking about where he would want to go if he were a famous musician and the tour he would do, but I tuned everyone out as the reality of everything sank in. Makayla had a life that didn’t involve me, and if I loved her the way I claimed to, I couldn’t stand in the way of it.

Thirty-Four

Makayla

Aiden was quiet onthe way home from the bar, and I knew that it was because of the conversation at dinner about my going on tour. I wanted to assure him that it didn’t matter, we would find a way to keep our relationship alive while I was gone, but I couldn’t. I knew how insanely busy things were while I was on tour, and I didn’t want to make promises to him that I couldn’t keep.

By the time we got back to his place, I was exhausted. We grabbed our stuff from the truck and carried it inside, both ready to collapse on the couch when my cell phone started to ring.

“Hey, Curtis,” I said, tucking my legs beneath me as I sat down.

“Hello, my favorite person in the whole entire world,” he replied, making my eyebrows immediately arch.

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