of fear, but she couldn’t stop herself. The tears continued to spill over as she returned to the airport, the shuttle ride short but excruciating, but she couldn’t turn back.
She asked for the first flight out—not caring where she went, so long as she was away from him. She knew that, if he found her right now—she wouldn’t be able to turn away. She couldn’t say goodbye to him—not again. Her heart couldn’t take it.
And so she boarded the first flight heading west. She climbed aboard the plane and stared straight ahead, unwilling to chance even just a glimpse.
If she had, she would have seen Logan standing at the window of the terminal, his heart broken, his hopes lost. She would have seen him fall into a chair and hang his head in his hands, empty—just as she had been all those years ago when she’d woken to find the same note.
But Abby didn’t look. She stared straight ahead the entire flight to Phoenix, an emptiness filling her that she knew she would never be able to part from.
Because the place deep down inside her that imagined a future with Logan—that recognized the love they had—that place was barren now. And it was no longer his fault—it was hers. It was all on Abby.
~*~
It was a long flight home. The flight from Phoenix to Los Angeles had about a two hour layover. But Abby didn’t care. She was finally, at last, numb.
She thought about calling Eric, but she couldn’t. She needed some more time—just a bit longer to get herself together. When she finally arrived in Los Angeles, she wandered through the airport just as mechanically as when she’d departed. A taxi took her home, and she was grateful to find the apartment empty. It would be easier this way.
Her luggage had been lost among all the confusion, which she had almost expected—so all she carried was her carry-on. She walked up the stairs and dropped the bag in her bedroom, continuing on to the bathroom and immediately turning on the shower.
His scent still clung to her. The feel of his mouth on her skin was still there. She was aching to be rid of it.
But even as she climbed into the shower, she knew it would be impossible. Because though she could wash away the physical remnants, she couldn’t forget their night together. She couldn’t forget the frenzied passion or the sense of completion she felt, laying peacefully in his arms.
A quiet sadness settled over her and she leaned back against the shower wall, her head spinning. Abby wanted to cry, but for the first time in a week, she found there were no tears left within her. She was finally all cried out.
She sunk to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest. And she mourned. She mourned her friends. Mourned Logan. And she mourned herself. Because she knew, from here on out, she would never be the same again.
She spent the day keeping busy, trying her hardest to keep herself distracted. After most of her simple cleaning tasks had been completed, she decided to go grocery shopping. Mindlessly, she walked through the aisles, adding various items to her basket without much care.
When she returned home to find that Eric still hadn’t arrived, she put the groceries away and set to making dinner. She heard the phone ring and she sighed, crossing the room to answer it. Her heart was hammering loudly in her chest and she wondered if Logan may have somehow gotten her number. She’d been careful throughout the week not to give it to him.
A sigh of relief escaped her as she realized who it was and she picked up the phone, holding it to her ear. “Hi Dad,” she said quietly.
“It’s so good to hear your voice, Abby.” She smiled sadly, settling herself on the couch. “How was your flight? I saw there was all sorts of bad weather—”
“We were grounded somewhere in Kansas—just made it home not that long ago.”
“You sound exhausted—didn’t get much sleep last night?” A fresh wave of guilt passed through her.
“Haven’t gotten much sleep this whole week, Daddy.” Her tone grew much quieter as she sniffed.
“That’s understandable, dear. You had to do something this week that you never should have had to do. I’m sorry, Abby.” She felt the now familiar ache in her chest, wondering now if there was some sort of double meaning to his words. She knew he could only be talking about Hayley and