And yeah, I missed her. I missed Dane, too, constantly, but this with Alaina? It’s not the same. I didn’t know how badly I’d been missing her until she came back, and now I can’t stop watching her like she might disappear again.
Because underneath all that fire, all that grit, there’s still the kid who used to tug on my sleeve when I got too caught up in my head. The girl who braided flower bracelets in the middle of track walks just to piss Dane off.
She didn’t quite grow into the woman I expected her to, but here she is, tough as nails, and despite her new persona, she’s still as gorgeous as those wildflowers.
And somehow,that might be even harder to deal with.
I sigh and am just about to watch it again, just one more time when my phone buzzes. As if summoned, Dane’s name flashes on the screen. It’s well after midnight, and my stomach knots as my thumb swipes to answer.
“Yo, what’s up, man?”
Hacking coughs greet me.
I sit up straighter in the bed. “Jesus, Dane. You okay?”
“I need your help,” he rasps.
I’m up and walking to the door without a thought. “What do you need?”
“We had a fight.” He wheezes between words. “It was bad. She stormed out, and I… I can’t go after her. I can’t even stand right now without nearly passing out. But fuck, Finn. I’m scared she’s gonna do… do somethingstupid.”
My blood freezes in my veins, but I jolt into motion.
I won’t be standing frozen at the top of the mountain this time.
Adrenaline kicks in as I yank my sweatpants on one leg at a time while keeping the phone pressed to my ear.
“Where do you think she’s gone?”
“She doesn’t know anyone here, doesn’t speak the language, but she couldn’t have gotten far from the bus yet.”
I flick the light on, my shoes biting into my flesh as I shove my feet into them without untying them.
“She’s not answering her phone,” Dane says desperately, his voice cracking.
“Okay.” I grab my hoodie and pull it over my head. “I’ll check the nearby streets. The trails too. She’s probably just cooling off, yeah?”
I’m not sure who I’m trying to convince, myself or him.
“Finn…pleasefind her.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me. “I’ve got this. I’m gonna find her.”
For the next two hours, I comb the streets around the hotel, every alley, every bench, but nothing. After the first half hour, I even started calling her real name.
By the time I circle back to the hotel, my hoodie is damp with sweat, and my legs are burning from pacing half the damn village.
My heart pounds in my ears as I head toward the hotel bar in a last-ditch effort. I don’t think she’s the type to drink when she’s spiraling, but I also didn’t think she’d vanish into the night either. It only takes me a couple of minutes of searching to realize that she’s not there.
I pull out my phone to call Dane, who answers immediately.
“Did you find her?”
“No, I just wanted to update you. I’m gonna wake some teammates and get some help. I’ve looked everywhere, man, but… she’s justgone.”
A choked cough sounds through the phone, or maybe it’s a sob, and the failure presses in on me. When I make it to the elevator, my subconscious picks up on something well before I do.
Muffled music.
