“I know, but I don’t want to risk not being able to return. I also doubt the portal people will be able to open and close the portal at our whim.”
“You’re right about that. They keep it open because we’re all here visiting, but as soon as we’re done, they’ll close it again and only open it if necessary.”
“See?” He gestured like that was his whole point. “I guess that means I’ll need to see my parents one last time, too.” His mood soured and I knew now might be a good time to understand his strained relationship with his parents.
“Why do you hate seeing them? Besides the awful phone call, of course.”
He sighed. “I guess they just never accepted me for who I am. I tried to become the son they wanted, but that just ended with me despising myself and them, so I stopped, and that’s when our relationship took a turn for the worse. They’d gotten used to me being perfect and then suddenly I was “acting out” as they called it. I actually doubt they even love me; it seems more like a control thing than love.” I didn’t know what to say to that, feeling his emotions run wild with sorrow and some guilt too.
“Maybe you need to ask them,” I said gently. “Otherwise, you’ll spend the rest of our life wishing you had.”
“You’re right.” He exhaled as if just admitting that was a relief in itself. “We just need to grab something first.”
“If it’s your laptop and journal, they’re already at our house back home,” I replied, standing up with him.
He looked surprised. “Really? How?”
“I packed a bag with your stuff before we left,” I explained, grabbing his hand and walking out of the restaurant. “I hope it was okay. I had no idea when we would return and Derek said your journal meant a lot to you.” I had given the bag to one of the employees that met us at the portal. They had sent a robot to our house with it while I focused on Remi and getting him to wake up.
“He said that?” he sounded oddly touched by that.
“Yes. And your laptop was more of a familiar item, so I grabbed that too.”
“I love you.” He grinned and laced our fingers together as we walked towards campus. Remi wanted to make it easier onthe school and drop out rather than never returning. I found it endearing that he cared so much for others and didn’t just say fuck it. We did only have a week of fun planned, but Remi figured we could stay at a hotel instead of his dorm room, allowing us more privacy away from his friends. Sid and a few of the others from my team would collect Derek’s stuff, so we weren’t worried about someone new messing with his things.
“I love you too,” I replied. “Are you sure you don’t want more time with your friends? We have the rest of our lives together, but you only have this one week left here.”
“I do want to say goodbye to Jason. He’s been a true friend and I don’t want him to worry about me when I leave. And my old boss Earl, he deserves to see me off too.” I nodded, happy that he had one friend other than Hayley he cared about.
“Let’s find Jason before we meet up with your parents,” I suggested.
“Can we wait until tomorrow to visit my parents? I just want to say goodbye to Jason and Earl, then find a nice hotel.” I would never say no to him.
“Of course, baby. Let’s find them and then the rest of the day is spent in bed with room service.” We shared a knowing grin and went inside.
Chapter Seventeen
Remi
It was way easier than I thought to drop out, and with Juno’s slate I could pay off every debt I had without worry. Not that I actually cared that much, but I also wanted to be a decent human and do things right.
Earl had been pleased to see me, and after telling him I was leaving the country, he beamed with excitement and hoped we would be happy wherever we ended up. He’d been a good boss, and I did feel guilty over quitting so abruptly, but he had news himself. Darcy’s bakery and his coffee shop would become one shop next year, making it the best place to grab both coffee and cakes in the mornings and afternoons. He still hadn’t said if Darcy and him were a thing or not, but it proved they were at least friends.
Juno and I sat outside my favorite café and waited for Jason to arrive. I’d texted him if he could meet up and luckily, he could. We weren’t hungry, but figured some dessert was due.
“What about we get a slice of cake each and share it?” Juno said, looking over the menu. We were struggling with decidingwhat to get and since we both wanted something sweet and something savory it was hard to pick just one.
“Deal.” I grinned, leaning over the table to kiss him.
“Oh my,” Jason’s scandalized voice was filled with humor as he sat down and joined us. “Is whatever you’re having on the menu?” he asked, grinning when it caused Juno to blush.
“Sorry to disappoint,” I replied, grinning too. “Jason, this is Juno, my boyfriend. And this is Jason, my friend.”
They shook hands and after ordering, Juno’s blush had faded away. “I wanted to see you before I left,” I said, keeping up with the story me and Juno had come up with.
“You’re leaving?” he sounded upset about that, which made me feel guilty for not wanting to visit again. But friends grew apart all the time. He would be fine without me here.
“We are,” I replied, taking Juno’s hand in mine. “We both got accepted to join a special research project in Klumven. We won’t be able to use the internet while there and we’re planning on staying a few years.” It was the easiest story we could make up. Klumven was a deserted country with lots of rural ground where people lived off the grid, making it perfect for our cover.
