Chapter 2

Just for the summer

"Dude." The pounding on my door snaps me out of a half-asleep daze. I groan, rubbing my eyes as I struggle to wake up fully. "Turn down the music."

My eyes snap open, the brightness of the sun coming through the window, momentarily blinding me. I glance toward the radio playing music on the bedside table and curse under my breath. Forgot to turn it down again.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

"Ok. Jeez. I'm going." I roll out of bed, cursing at the chill of the floor beneath my bare feet as I stumble toward the door, my head throbbing with each step, and lower the music.

I rub my eyes, trying to shake off the fog of sleep as I groan. It's way too damn early to be awake, especially since I crashed at six in the morning after a late-night gaming session with Gabi.

I catch sight of myself in the mirror and quickly run my hand through my hair, trying to tame the bedhead before I open the door and step out into the hallway. The delicious smell of bacon wafts into my nostrils, and I follow my nose into the kitchen, where I find Liam, my roommate, busy at the stove.

"Look who's finally up. You know it's half-past-one, right?" Liam teases, glancing over his shoulder at me.

"Slept late," I mumble, plopping down at the kitchen island and eyeing up his cooking. "Looks good."

"Seriously," he says, sliding a few strips of bacon onto my plate. "How can you sleep with the music blasting like that?"

I shrug, popping a strip of bacon into my mouth. "Always have done," I tell him between chews. "It doesn't bother me."

"Well, it bothers me," he says with a shake of his head. "Not all of us stay awake the whole night."

"Jetlag?" I say with a smirk, teasing him.

"You've been here four years," he says with a scoff. "Doubt that jetlag is still an issue, dickhead."

I raise my eyebrows, scarfing down the bacon. Can't believe it's been that long. Four years.

"You staying around for the summer?" Liam asks as he flips another piece of bacon in the pan. "Or you going back to the states this year?"

The mention of going back to America makes me freeze. Can't go back there. At least not home. "I don't know yet," I admit, my voice a little strained.

He nods, turning off the stove and plating up his breakfast. "Well, you can always stay here," he says. "But I'm moving out at the end of the month so…"

"Already?" My eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"Yeah, man. I got a job up north, so I need to move soon. You'll be good paying rent?" Liam asks, arching a brow.

"Yeah, it'll be fine," I assure him. At least I have one thing going for me. This job I snagged a few months back as a game developer is pretty awesome. I practically get paid to game all day.

"Great." He finishes off his breakfast, tossing the plate in the sink. "I'm going to work late tonight. You want to come to the pub with the guys once I'm done?"

My phone buzzes, and I glance down at it, seeing my favorite name in the world.

Gabi:

Guess what?

"Think I'm staying in," I say, pushing myself off the stool.

"Alright. Suit yourself. Later."

"Later," I mutter, nodding toward him before heading back into my room, closing the door behind me. The music still plays softly in the background, and I crank it up, letting the beats thump through the room as I sink into my chair and pull out my phone.

Chris:

What?

I see her typing and a grin spreads across my face. I can't help but run my fingers through my hair, a nervous habit I've had since forever. It should be illegal for those three dots to make me smile this much, but they always do. It's been like this ever since I was twelve years old, just a little prepubescent kid head over heels for my best friend.

Gabi:

Oh my god. You're awake. How?

I chuckle, my fingers tapping over the keys as I reply.

Chris:

My roommate woke me up.

Gabi:

We should kill him.

I scoff lightly, shaking my head at her exaggerated response. She really is one for the dramatics, isn't she?

Chris:

Jesus, woman. I know I like my sleep, but that's excessive.

Gabi:

I'm just looking out for you.

Can I call you?

My eyes narrow at the screen, a furrow forming on my brow as I read her text. She never used to ask. She would just call me whenever, like it was second nature, and start talking about everything and anything. But she doesn't do that now.

I don't even bother replying before calling her, because, honestly, if I did, she'd know what a stupid question that was. There isn't a moment in my life where I don't want to hear Gabi's voice.

I hear her little breaths of excitement when she answers the phone, and it brings a grin to my face. "You sound like a dog."

"Wow," she scoffs. "You really know how to compliment a girl, Chris."

I chuckle, the sound rumbling in my chest. "Did you listen to the song I sent last night?"

"I did."

"And?" I ask, sinking back in my chair, my fingers tapping against the desk as I put the phone on speaker.

"It's beautiful."

A warmth spreads through me, and I can't help but smile. Just like you . "As soon as I heard it, it reminded me of you."

Everything always does. I don't think I can live my life without being reminded of her. Wherever I go, whatever I do, there's always something that will be a reminder of the girl I love.

"It must be early over there, right?"

I chuckle, rubbing my eyes. "Depends on what you consider early. It's almost two p.m."

"You stayed up late last night though. I hope I didn't ruin your sleep."

I scoff, feeling a smile tug at my lips. "Don't worry about that. You'll always be my favorite reason to lose sleep."

She lets out a soft laugh, that sounds like the gates of heaven opening. God, I miss that laugh. Miss hearing it in person. Miss her . "Don't get soft on me, Hudson."

I chuckle, settling into my gaming chair and grabbing my controller, ready to dive into the game I've been working on recently. "Why are you calling me this early anyway? Don't you have class today?"

"Nope. My dance teacher's sick. I've got the day free. What about you?"

"Nothing much," I reply, glancing down at the phone. "My life is boring, Gabi." Especially without her.

She really doesn't know how much I miss being around her. She's my home, and an adventure all at once.

"Well… you always know where to go if you're bored of living in London."

"Yeah?" I smirk. "Where's that?"

"Barcelona," she replies, her voice laced with a hint of excitement.

I chuckle, leaning back in my chair. "You want to go to Barcelona?"

"Are you kidding?" she says with a chuckle. "Spending all day eating tapas and getting a tan?"

"Sounds amazing."

"Yeah," she agrees. "And you'd be there with me."

"Yeah?" I love that she's adding me to her imaginary plans. Love that she thinks of me, because I think of that girl nonstop. Every single day.

"Of course." She scoffs. "No trip is complete without you."

No trip is complete without you. Why do I love the sound of that so much?

"That's good, because I'd hate to be anywhere without you," I reply, a teasing expression in my voice.

She doesn't laugh. Doesn't reply. The weight of her silence hits me hard. I moved to London without her. And ever since then, the night I left has hovered over us like a dark cloud, a topic we've both tiptoed around.

I run a hand down my face, trying to shake off the tension. "So, are you excited about the summer?" I throw out the question, hoping to shift the conversation away from the awkward silence that just hung between us.

"Yeah," she replies with a sigh. "I'm excited about Jane's wedding. You know it's the first ever wedding I'm attending?"

"Shit. I forgot about that."

I tear my eyes away from the screen and glance down at the phone as Gabi's words sink in. Gabi's sister is getting married, and I won't be there. She invited me a few months ago, and I never replied. I stared at that invitation for days, wondering what would happen if I went. Gabi would be there. I'd finally be able to see her again. But the wedding is in our home town, and I haven't been in South Carolina since I left, four years ago.

Gabi's voice cuts through the game's soundtrack, drawing my attention back to the screen. "I'm not looking forward to going to this thing alone, though," she admits, and I can almost picture the expression on her face, the way her brow furrows when she's deep in thought. "I wish you were here. We could have gone together."

"You do?" I ask her, my brows raising. I really want to be there, too. I want to see her again. Face to face.

"Of course," she replies. "I always want you with me."

My heart thumps at her words, and I lean forward, as if somehow I could bridge the distance between us.

I think about what it would be like to see her again, to see her face and hold her in my arms and be able to look into her eyes in person. My body warms at the thought. My lips twitch as I load up my laptop, and start searching for flights.

He's in prison.

And Gabi wants me there.

There's nothing stopping me from hopping on a plane and going to visit her.

Just for the summer.