Page 2 of The Sweetest Chirp

I knew it was her.

I’d know her anywhere, which is why it frustrates the living hell out of me that she’s been gone for more than three years. I know her inside and out, and yet, I haven’t been able to find her. She didn’t go to her regular “veg out” spots. She hasn’t used her credit cards, deleted all social media, dumped her phone, and disappeared. It was the most insane thing and so out of character for her. She loves our families, she loves my sister, yet she just left. At one point, I was convinced she’d been kidnapped, but in my heart, I knew she’d run.

From me.

And it’s my job to bring her home.

I glance up at the visor where her letter to me sits.

Thirteen words.

Including her name and mine, but not together as we should be.

I sigh deeply as my heart aches. When the text came through, I didn’t even think. I called my buddy and asked him if he could ride with me. I may be a little bitch for not being able to go alone, but I needed someone to be beside me. Banks Tellerman—or Telly, as we call him—is always down to ride. We’ve been roommates for the season and have grown close. He’s a goofy dude, built like an ox, with dark hair and eyes but the brightest, whitest smile I’ve ever seen. He’s my buddy, but he’ll never be what Audrina is.

Or was.

Damn it.

This is about to be a full-on clusterfuck.

I should have forwarded the information to her parents and let them handle it. She ran because of me, so the fact that I am under the impression that I am going to waltz into this diner and bring her home should have me seeking professional help. Audrina isn’t the type to be told what to do. She cut off all contact for a reason.

Me.

Everything escalated so damn fast. One moment, she was there, and the next…gone. No trace. No clues left behind, just three letters. I honestly don’t get it. Sure, I didn’t say the nicest things and I was a complete jackass, but taking off seems like such an extreme response. We have gotten in fights before—hell, we grew up together. Our birthdays are the same day. The reason her parents met her was because they came to visit me in the hospital and heard her birth mom had just left behind a little girl. Audrina’s mom, Anya, couldn’t have kids, and with one look at Audrina in a crib beside me, she was in love. That’s the effect of Audrina, though. She’s stunning and charming, and when she’s loved, she blooms right before your eyes. Her eyes widen, her sooty lashes flutter, and her lips curve into a knockout of a grin.

Audrina Hawkins is the reason I realized girls were way more fun to look at than hockey sticks.

I was twelve, at one of my AA hockey games for my travel team, and I even held my favorite stick in my hand as I made it across the ice after a break. I looked up into the stands for my mom, to find that Audrina was sitting with her. She was wearing my Junior Flyers hoodie, that I had left with my mom, over her ice-skating dress. Her tights were black, her leg warmers to her knees, and with a knit cap pulled low on her forehead, framing her hazel-colored eyes, I became bewitched. It was as if I was seeing her for the first time.

And like the songs all say, everything changed.

The next couple of weeks, I fell fully and overwhelmingly in love with Audrina.

My best friend.

The girl who lived next door.

The girl everyone thought was my sister since we spent so much time together.

Because I never told her I loved her.

Or anyone, for that matter.

I sigh deeply as I finally pull into my destination. I drove above the speed limit, fully pissed off that we were lied to as kids. My parents made me watchThe Jetsons. “It’s a classic, Thatcher.” Sure, Mom, but it’s all lies because I’m not flying in a space car. Instead, I drove like a normal person for six hours to see if I am right about the photo in my inbox. My skin is tingling, my heart is pounding, and my head is floating with the knowledge that I could be seeing her in mere minutes.

Finally.

The Red Ruby Diner is sleek for a highway diner. I’m used to seeing diners like this a bit broken-down, but this one is refurbished with bright reds and glittery silvers. It’s a rather sizeable establishment for the middle of nowhere, and it’s packed to the brim. The menu is expertly lit on a stand outside, making it easy for me to see everything they offer. The windows are large and clear, everything inside so clean and put together. It’s plain to see the place is taken care of. I just hope she’s been taken care of. If anything has happened to her, I may lose my fucking mind.

I just want to see her.

“Red Ruby? Should be called the IceCats with these colors,” Owen Adler says with a grin. I hadn’t expected him to join us, but apparently his very pregnant wife is very pissed off that one of her plants died. Owen needed an escape and was in my car almost before I pulled up to their house.

“But we are in Virginia. Do they even have a hockey team here?”

“Not pro,” Owen says as he shuts the door behind him. “I doubt we’ll be getting free food.”

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