Only One Kiss (Only One 1)

In my whole life, I have never ever felt this pain. I cry into the blanket and fold it. Gently putting it down, I ignore the fact that I didn’t even get to kiss her goodbye. I didn’t even get a chance to hug her one more time. The doorbell rings, and I stand here in the middle of my kitchen, scared that it’s Ralph. I walk quietly to the door and peek out of the hole, seeing a man dressed in a black suit. I open the door, and he smiles. “I’m here to pick up Candace Richards.”

“Yeah,” I say, wiping my eyes. “I’ll be out in a couple of minutes.”

“Actually, there is a message for you from Evan. He said to call him right away,” he says, turning and walking back to the car. I walk to my room and see the missed calls and ignore the way my heart feels when I see Ralph’s name.

I click Evan’s name, and he picks up right away. “Candace,” he says my name. “Change of plans, there is a plane waiting to bring you here.”

“What?” I ask him, and I hear voices in the background.

“Matthew called Nico, and he has a plane for you,” Evan says, and I sit on the bed. “He promised Matthew he would not say a word.”

“Okay,” I say. “I’m walking out the door in two minutes,” I say, getting up and grabbing my small carry-on bag. “Thank you.” I sniffle and wipe away the tears.

“We are going to be there to pick you up,” he says, and I can’t talk anymore, so I just nod. “I’ll see you soon.” I hang up the phone and walk out of my house without looking back.

The plane is waiting for me, and when I look at the time, I see that it’s after one a.m. I walk over to the bed that is set up for me and slide on it, though I never fall asleep. I play the whole thing over and over in my head, and when the wheels touch down in New York, it hurts to get up. My body feels like it got run over by a truck, front and back.

The door opens, and I step out, seeing Evan with his black truck standing there with Zara by his side. His face is filled with worry and fear, and when I see him, I start to shake. He runs to me right before I can fall to the ground. “I have you,” he says to me. “I got you.” The sob rips through me as I feel myself being carried. “It’s okay, Cand,” he says over and over as he puts me in the truck, and I want to tell him I’m okay. I want to tell him that I have it, but I don’t.

“He broke my heart,” I say and see the tears in his eyes. “I lost them.” It comes out in a whisper. “Both of them. I lost them, and I didn’t even know,” I say. “I just.”

“It’s okay,” he says, grabbing my face. “It’s going to be okay.” I just nod at him. He gets out of the truck, and Zara slides in next to me.

“I love him,” I say. “I didn’t even tell him I loved him before all this. I didn’t even know until I knew I would never see him again.”

She puts her arm around me and brings me to her. “I’m so sorry, Candace.”

“He was everything.” I close my eyes, and all I can see is his smiling face. “He . . .” I close my eyes. “He’s my everything.” That’s the last thing I say before I let the darkness suck me away where the pain doesn’t hurt. Where I’m happy again, where he hugs me and kisses me, and I’m whole once more.Chapter 32Ralph“All the tests came back normal,” the doctor says. I get up from the examination table, putting my shirt back on. “If your symptoms change.” He starts to talk, and I zone him out as I fold my tie and put it in my jacket. I’ve been at the hospital for the past three hours, thinking I was having a heart attack. Now I’m just itching to leave and to go find Candace.

“Thank you,” I say, opening up the door and walking out. Grabbing my phone, I dial Candace, and it goes straight to voice mail. “Baby,” I say, rushing out. “Please call me.” I wipe the tear away. “Baby, please.”

I hang up and call Becca. She answers right away. “Ralph,” she whispers, “are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just left. I’m fine,” I say, getting into the waiting car that Becca arranged. “I’m on my way.”

“Okay, Ari woke up twice already, and she’s not in the best mood,” she says, and I hang up.