Everywhere: Book 3 of the Nowhere Trilogy

50. Baby Come Back

I was wrong and I just can't live without you - Player

7:58 PM, Friday, April 2, 2022

Disbelief is the primary emotion that sweeps his body upon the sight of Chele sitting at a table in the very restaurant he's just entered with Jeffrey, Adam, Mitch, and Sarah. She's really here? Although it boggles the mind to think this is a coincidence, Harry is prepared to accept it as a message from the universe that her heart might still belong to him. Curiously, he glances at Jeffrey who shrugs.

"I had no idea," his manager remarks, and Harry believes him.

Relief washes through Harry as he spies Chele's best friend Liz sat across from her. Thank goodness Chele wasn't wandering the world alone. Not that she couldn't do it of course, but it makes him happy that she has her bestie with her. He suspects the last few days have been as hard on her as they have been on him.

She hadn't left him. Not completely. Turning off her phone and leaving tour hadn't been a permanent solution, and the comfort provided by her presence cannot be fathomed. He wants to weep with happiness at the sight of her. If she hadn't wanted to see him, she would have flown home rather than to one of his tour cities.

His hand gently touches Liz's back to grab her attention, "Liz, it's lovely to see you." The words flow naturally because he truly is happy that she's accompanied Chele. Leaving home, the farm, and Aisha must be hard for her, especially with her pregnancy.

Liz rises, and he envelops her in a hug. With a quiet whisper, she reveals, "You fucked up, rockstar. Fix it." There's no proper way to respond to her comment, as he's well aware of the truth of her words. The damage must be reparable. Otherwise, Liz would have told him to fuck off completely. But this -- her words give him hope.

"Hi, Harry. Um..." Liz pauses, glancing back at Chele and appearing to make a sudden decision. "Why don't you take my seat?" From there, he's distracted by his Chele as the rest of his original party disappears with Liz. Fuck. Deep breath. He's waited days for this opportunity. He would wait a lifetime more if needed. This woman owns his heart and soul.

"Hi," comes the single breathy word from his girlfriend. Settling in the seat recently vacated, Harry focuses on Chele, his gaze roaming every inch of her face, taking inventory, verifying she's actually here in front of him. That this isn't a dream. She downs half her drink in two gulps, and Harry watches her elegant throat as she swallows. It reminds him that his mouth is dry.

Raising his hand as a signal for the server, Harry isn't surprised when she immediately appears at his side. Ordering a tequila on the rocks, he folds his arms on the table in front of him, focused only on his Chele.

"I missed you," the involuntary words sound like they're coming from a frog as they escape his parched throat. He wants to gather her to him. Make love to her all night. For eternity.

"I missed you," she whispers. A tear trails down her cheek, and he aches to wipe it away with a kiss. Fuck. He really screwed up something amazing. What is that phrase about not knowing what you have until it's gone?

"Can we talk?" he wonders, his fingers metaphorically crossed that she'll agree.

"No," comes her quiet response, and his heart seizes. She isn't even going to give him a chance to explain? To grovel? To apologize? Rising, she throws some money on the table, stepping past him towards the restaurant's entrance.

"Chele?" Her name escapes his mouth as a plea, and he nearly chokes as tears rise. He needs her. Like he needs a guitar. Without both, making music is impossible.

Tilting her head, she observes him. "Let's go for a walk, Harry," she rasps, and he scrambles out of his seat to follow her. He doesn't know if she left enough money for the drink he didn't receive, but Jeffrey is inside. He'll take care of everything. Besides, Harry can't think clearly long enough to calculate anything other than how many times he can make Chele call out his name in one night.