Page 51 of Keep in Touch

Lucie shook herself. She needed to get to Chris. Her promise to meet him filled her heart as she began to run again. She hit a puddle with a splash, and muddy water jumped up and covered her legs. What would he think of her arriving in such a state? That was if he was there. He had to be there. She must keep believing it.

Lucie reached for the hem of her skirt with her left hand and gripped it tightly. She was faster now that it wasn’t around her knees. She clutched the phone number her mum gave her in her right hand. Her hand ached, but she wouldn’t let the piece of paper go.

Lucie ducked her head to stop the rain from clouding her vision. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she didn’t have a hand free to brush them away. A car horn beeped behind her. Were people leaving early? Lucie jumped out the way and headed down another path, desperately searching for a quicker route.

The trees surrounding the beach came into view. Lucie stumbled as she glanced at her watch. It was already eight o’clock. If Lucie had spoken up to the woman lecturing her, would she have arrived sooner?

Please be there.

She ran onto the beach, nearly toppling forward at the change in surface. The space was empty. Gasping for air, she ran to every part of the beach, but she couldn’t find Chris. She dropped her dress and pushed her lank fringe out of her eyes. Maybe he’d hidden under a tree or the nearby water sports roof to get out of the rain.

It will be okay.

But it was too late.

“Chris,” she called out. Her voice was hoarse. He wouldn’t have gone without saying goodbye. He would have waited. Why hadn’t he waited?

Her search was fruitless. Chris wasn’t there. Maybe he’d never come in the first place. Had the whole weekend been a trick or a game? No, it couldn’t be. He’d meant the things he’d said.

Maybe he was ill in bed or he’d hurt himself. She had to get to his lodge. If Lucie followed the paths, she’d find the place where her dad had stopped on Friday. Was that two days ago? She’d find him and explain everything. If Chris were annoyed that she’d stood him up, he’d have to forgive her once she shared the truth.

Lucie ran through the resort, freezing when she got to the holiday village pub. Her dad sat in the window, and she ducked down in case he could sense her even in the darkness. He laughed with Jess’s parents as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Lucie hesitated briefly as she stared at him. Was she wrong to be doing all this for a boy? Maybe he was right. She should be focusing on her studies and not trying to meet up with Chris. Her dad was older and wiser than her. Maybe he did knowbetter. Should she give up? Lucie remembered the things Chris had said about his family and his future. He trusted her with that. It had to mean something, didn’t it? Lucie shook herself before continuing. All the things Chris had told her meant something to her.

Her running was slower now. Her dress was limp and dripping, and her trainers sloshed with every step.

It was harder to find her way to his lodge in the dark and rain. Every section and building were the same. The rain slowly cleared, leaving a cold mist that settled on her skin and made her shiver. Tears threatened to fall down her cheeks, but she refused to cry. Crying wasn’t going to solve it. She had to find his lodge.

Lucie ran for what felt like hours. Her limbs got tired, and she shook from the drop in adrenaline as she found new paths and corners she didn’t recognise. Her breath was like a brief fog in front of her as she panted in the now quiet forest. Shadows loomed in the darkness from gaps in the trees, and the occasional movement made her move faster. A branch scratched her legs. She was lost. Water continued to drip from where it settled on leaves in the storm. It hit her cheeks before running down and merging with the aftermath of her tears.

“Be the exception,” she shouted to the trees, refusing to give up. She had to get to Chris. Panic hit her chest, but she kept it at bay. How did a conversation about studying law make her feel like she might die and yet being scared and alone in a forest didn’t bring on an anxiety attack?

Clinking bottles caught her attention. She’d found the road with the lodges on it again. She passed people ditching their rubbish and recycling with a bang and clatter as she trudged down the road, breaking into a light jog when she recognised his road. She glanced at her watch and saw it flash five past nine.

It would be okay. She would explain everything. The light in the living room of his lodge through the darkness drew her to thewindow. She stared through the glass, hoping to catch a glimpse of him or his dad.

She gasped and held her chest. The tears fell liberally then. She cried loudly and hugged herself tightly as the sobs threatened to explode out of her body. Her heart hurt more than it had in any panic attack.

He was gone. There was no one in the lodge. They must have forgotten to turn out the light as they left.

She had no way of contacting him, and she’d never see him again.

She slid down his door, and her head slumped against her chest. Lucie wept loudly as the piece of damp paper with her number on slipped from her hand and floated to the wet ground.

Chapter Thirty – Present Day

“I refused to talk to dad for a month after that day. When I did speak to him, it was to say that I wasn’t studying law at university anymore. Instead, I intended to study art and travel the world,” Lucie finished.

Chris had returned with their drinks before she’d gone through the events of the last evening. His face was so animated during her story that she’d struggled not to laugh, even at the sad bits.

“What did your dad say when you told him that?” he asked. His eyes were wide as she shared her revelation. “He must have been livid.”

Lucie laughed. It hadn’t been funny at the time, but so much had changed since then. Everything with Chris was the catalyst she needed to reach for her dreams and stop trying to please a man who would never be happy except when he was telling her what was wrong with her. “Dad threatened to cut me off, but I’d been saving money from every birthday and my weekend jobs. I had money to get me started, and over that month, I’d researched scholarships and other opportunities. I wasn’t going to let him destroy my dreams. I was always going to be the exception.”

His smile made her ears tingle. Was he proud of her?

“Something unexpected happened too. During the argument about me attending university, Mum stood up to Dad. She told him that she had money saved and would contribute whatever was needed. Then Emma said she had enough saved from making jewellery for her friends and their friends. She would give it all if it meant I was following my dreams.”

Chris’s laugh was loud, and her smile was uncontrollable as she spoke. “Emma was a little entrepreneur. We all underestimated her in those days. Now she’s a massive success.She has a couple of retro jewellery boutiques and a booming online store. She continues travelling the world with her wife when she can. They live in Australia with their baby, and they’re opening a new boutique while enjoying the sights. I can’t wait to meet my niece.”

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