Page 43 of Back to Willow

Willow’s parents, Monica and Stephen, huffed as soon as they set their eyes on me, turning around to the boxes behind them and picking them up.

“Good afternoon, Mr and Mrs Hanlon,” I greeted them, eager to get to the point. “Where’s Willow?”

Monica scowled at me, and Stephen’s jaw clicked, making my own lock, too, when they ignored me and headed to the back of the truck. What was with all of the hostility? Did they believe she fell ill because of me? And what was it with all of the boxes?

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Are you guys remodelling?”

“Get out of here, boy,” Stephen snapped. “Enough harm has been done. You’re no longer welcome in our house.”

My brain felt like a broken record at that point, asking, “What the fuck?” repeatedly inside my head. Surely, this couldn’t be all because of one little virus. She was never in danger, otherwise, I’m sure Jake would have warned me.

Speaking of the devil, he showed up right then, exiting the house with a box in his arms, too. He only noticed me the moment he placed it down, his face blanching the moment our eyes met.

“Jake,” I called right as he turned around to go back inside.

“You need to leave, Liam,” he warned, sounding tired.

“What the hell is going on? Where is Willow?”

When he didn’t stop, I tightly grabbed his arm. Jake stopped but only because he wanted to, I knew it. He was four years older, only one year and a half away from finishing his degree in architecture, and even though he was a geek, he was huge and muscular—way more than I or Mason ever could be. But he was also the soft and considerate one.

On the other hand, I was always one to act first and think later. Especially if it came to her. I wouldn’t stand down to anyone. Not even him.

“Kid, this is too fucked up,” he gritted. “There’s nothing we can do; believe me, I tried. Please go home.”

“Jake, all of this is way too weird,” I answered, tightening my hold on him.

His jaw ticked, and he looked away, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, but I couldn’t care less.

“She gets sick out of the blue, needing quarantine? Why did she even stop talking to me? Where is she?”

Jake shook his arm, freeing himself from my hold, and sighed. The silence stretched, and I turned to look around him, making it a statement that I was not going to leave until he answered me. All the while, my eyes were looking for her, scouring every corner that I could find from the opened door…and nothing.

“Liam, I tried.” His voice was shaky, bringing my attention back to him properly.

Just like that morning I had come to check on her, he looked exhausted and pale. Jake looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and failing miserably. The proper sight of him made my heart thump violently against my ribcage as the black poisonous liquid of fear slid through my body.

The sudden sickness, the quarantine, and her sudden silence were an augur that I was blindly trying to ignore.

“What do you mean?” I choked out.

“They wouldn’t budge,” he admitted.

Even without knowing what the hell he was on about, it fed the panic growing within me. Because I had probably stood there for almost ten minutes, and she was nowhere to be seen.

“She left.”

What? Not possible.

A nervous smile stretched on my lips, and soon, it developed into a chuckle. He was joking. He had to be.

“Cut the crap, Jake! Where is she?” I slapped his shoulder, still laughing anxiously while at the same time, my guts coiled.

“I’m sorry, man,” he whispered.

For a moment, I froze, trying to make sense of it. But nothing did. So I followed my instinct and burst into their house, heading straight toward her bedroom. Jake’s fading voice fell on deaf ears as I focused on finding her. It was the only thing I could think about as my legs burned from rushing up the stairs.

There was hope that I’d find her doing the same her parents and brother were, that she’d give me a proper explanation and things would end up being fine, eventually…but when I pushed the door open, my heart dropped.

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