Misconception (Coming Home)

CHAPTER 8

Hudson

My head is pounding, and I don’t want to open my eyes. I know the light streaming in from the window is going to blind me, only making the headache worse. Fuck, I shouldn’t have drunk so much last night. My mind wanders to the party last night, and that’s when it all starts coming back to me.

Riley.

She was here in my bed. I was inside her. Wait, she’s here in my bed. I reach for her, only to find cold sheets. Peeling my eyes open, I see the indention on the pillow and can smell her on my sheets. What I don’t see is Riley.

I know she was here.

“Riles?” I call out for her, only to be greeted with silence. Peering over the side of the bed, I see her clothes that were with mine on the floor are now gone. I don’t bother getting out of bed to go search for her. I know she’s not here. I can feel it. My body always knows when she’s close. Instead, I close my eyes, willing the room to stop spinning, and blindly reach for my cell phone. I pat the nightstand, and it’s not there. Cursing, I slowly open my eyes for the second time and eye my jeans on the bedroom floor. I’m sure my phone is still in my pocket.

Tossing off the covers, I carefully, with slow movements, sit up and climb out of bed. Fuck, my head is killing me. Digging through the pockets of the jeans I wore last night, I find my phone. I immediately pull up my contacts and hit her name. It goes straight to voice mail.

Needing to take a piss, I handle that and brush my teeth to get rid of the skunk breath. Fuck me, I hope it wasn’t this bad last night. Once that’s done, I sit on the edge of the bed and dial her again. Voice mail. Again. I hang up, irritated. Is she avoiding me? Pushing me away, again?

I call her a third time with the same result and toss my phone across the bed. No sooner than it lands does it ring, meaning I have to scramble across the bed in my hungover state to answer it. “I’ve been trying to call you,” I say in greeting.

“That’s weird. My phone never rang,” Clayton answers.

“Dammit,” I mutter. “Sorry, man, I thought you were someone else calling. What’s up?”

“Well, we roll out in less than an hour. You disappeared from the party last night, so I was calling to one make sure you were alive, and two, I wanted to make sure you were up and moving.”

Fuck. I remember thinking last night that I needed to call him and tell him I couldn’t go… that I couldn’t leave her. “I need to call you back.” I hang up the phone and rush through the fastest shower known to man. On impulse, I snag the pillowcase that smells like her and shove it into the side of my carry-on. My bags are thankfully already packed, so I toss them in the back of my truck and take off like a bat out of hell across town. My parents are supposed to be meeting me at Clayton’s for a final send-off before we leave for the airport. I have maybe fifteen minutes before people start asking questions.

Pulling into Riley’s driveway, I throw the truck in park, not bothering to kill the engine, and climb out. I peer into the garage through the side door and see her car parked inside. Taking the steps two at a time, I bang on her front door.

“Riley. Open up. I know you’re in there.” Nothing. I’m once again greeted with silence. I bang again and again and still the same result. My phone rings, and it’s Raven. “Hey.”

“Why do you sound out of breath? Did you oversleep?” she accuses.

“No.”

“Good. I’m on my way to Clay’s now. Just checking to see if you need me to pick up anything last minute for you.”

Your sister. “Is Riley with you?”

“No. She sent me a text early this morning and said she had a migraine and wasn’t coming to the farewell. I’m sure she’ll write you both.” Her words are off the cuff, and I’m certain she has no idea that they crushed my soul.

I’ve known Riley and Raven since we were in kindergarten. Riley doesn’t get migraines. She rarely takes any kind of medicine. She lied. She doesn’t want to see me. I stumble, my back landing against the house as I lean over to catch my breath. She’s ghosting me. I was going to stay for her. This isn’t the Riley that I know. I have to talk to her. With new resolve, I stand back up and try beating on the door a little louder this time, but still nothing. She never appears, and now I’m out of time.