0

M I L E S   T O   G O

(part three)

#11

THE FIRST TIME he changes his future for her comes at a cost.

It is here, two years later, that he stands at the crossroads that is his life and makes a decisive turn. He tells her all about it during their nightly phone call. His friend, Nate Johnson, has come to him with a brilliant offer. Something about a real estate venture which, with Nate's connections and his own resources, could be a huge money-maker.

"I told him no," he admits. "It's great, but it's not what I want. I just want to come home. I miss you."

She is silent for so long that he wonders if she might've fallen asleep on him again. But then her voice comes, so quietly he almost fails to catch it.

"I miss you too, Miles."

He tightens his grip around the phone and closes his eyes. Already, there's a countdown in his head, and he's looking forward to the day he returns to her.

Soon.

*

THE FIRST TIME he has his heart broken by her comes out of the blue.

It is just so sudden, as if he's stepped into the path of an oncoming truck. His breath catches, his chest tightens, and he swears his heart stutters to a halt. A strangled sound escapes him, and he stares at the screen for so long that his eyes sting with fresh, hot tears.

Eventually, he slams his laptop shut and buries his head in his hands. He grounds the heels of his palms against his eyes, wishing desperately to erase whatever he's seen, but the words burn like embers behind his eyelids.

Darcy Evers is in a relationship with Jordan Carter.

"It's not real," he whispers-begs-into the dark. "Please, please, don't let it be real." But it is, and he knows what she's told him without even telling him-

It's over.

*

THE FIRST TIME he breaks down over her leaving takes much longer than he'd expected.

His friends have been there for him-booze and company at the ready, but he hasn't needed them. A series of 'I'm fine's, deep breaths and everlasting patience have gotten him through, and he thinks this whole heartbreak business might be over.

Then he tries to delete her number from his phone, and realizes that he can't delete it from his mind.

The revelation slams right into him, knocking the air out of his lungs. His excellent memory has become a curse because he can remember everything. Everything. He won't forget anything about her because he can't.

With a sudden fury he hadn't realized he possessed, he hurls his phone against the wall. But as quickly as his rage comes, it dissipates into a terrifying emptiness. With a wretched sob, he curls up on his side and desperately fights the hot tears that come.

"She's gone," he chokes out, crying so hard he can't breathe.

She's really gone.

*

THE FIRST TIME he realizes that he's not quite over her comes two years later.

He's scanning through a file of potential sites for Hale & Co.'s next project when he comes across it. #172 on the list, a small population, two well-known colleges on the outskirts, hot spot for tourists during the summer, and only one major competition in the form of a new beach resort called Sereinn.

Destination-Caverly.

A slow smile spreads across his face. He snaps the file shut, grabs his suit jacket, and leaves the room. Caverly is a place that he hasn't thought about in months, much less wanted to return to. His jaw is set in determination-the kind that once led him to try out for Corvus, and there's a lightness to his step that he hasn't felt in years.

"Hey, Nate?" he says, when he reaches his friend's office. "I have an idea."

Time to fight fire with fire.

*

THE LAST TIME Miles saw Darcy, he'd been lost for words.

It had been a late-night Skype call, and she'd worn the blue dress with grey buttons that she said matched his eyes. She'd planted her mouth-cherry lip-gloss and all-against the camera by way of a virtual kiss, then beamed brilliantly at him.

"Miles."

That was all before. Before Jordan fucking Carter, before their relationship crashed and burned, before he grew up.

But when he comes face to face with her again, he realizes that nothing has changed. She's standing there, dressed in a blue blouse and grey skirt that matches his eyes, and her dark crimson lips are opened in clear surprise.

"Miles."

It's the way she says his name-soft, with meaning, and familiar-that throws him off balance. This time, too, he's lost for words. He's struck with the strangest feeling of having travelled for many, many miles.

And, now, I'm home.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ B E G I N ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

I M P O R T A N T

...and that's a wrap! The official story will begin shortly, once I've posted up the cast and epigraph. See you all then!

x Noelle