RESTLESS HEARTS

CHAPTER 25

•JULIANA•

I woke up to find myself on the couch, wrapped in a cozy duvet. Shawn was nowhere to be seen, so I sat up and stretched, enjoying the satisfying pop of my muscles.

A yawn escaped me as I turned my gaze towards the window. The faint sunlight filtering through the trees told me it was already afternoon.

That power nap had done wonders for me. Neither of us got much sleep last night, but now my energy was bouncing back.

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around my neck from behind, and I jumped in surprise. Shawn chuckled and nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck.

"Did you sleep well?" I nodded, inhaling his familiar scent mixed with soap and cologne.

I noticed he'd changed clothes and looked fresh. That would explain why he smells so good. 

"And you?" I asked.

"I did," he replied, planting a soft kiss on my cheek, sending warmth throughout my body.

I gently turned his face to examine his faint bruises. 

"Are you feeling any pain?"

He smiled and rested his chin on my head. "I'm fine, don't get your pretty little head worried too much about me."

I blushed at his words, but he released me and moved to sit beside me on the couch.

He gave me a peculiar look, a teasing grin on his face. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I've got a surprise for you," he said. I raised an eyebrow, smirking. 

"Oh, really?"

"Give me your hand and close your eyes."

I wasn't a fan of surprises, but the excitement in his eyes intrigued me. I did as he asked.

Something cool and heavy rested in my palm, and he guided my fingers to wrap around it. 

"Okay, open your eyes."

I opened them and saw the satellite phone in my hand. But it wasn't the same one we had been struggling to fix for days. This one looked almost brand new, with the battery already in place.

"Wait...you fixed it already?" My question was filled with disbelief.

He grinned and nodded. "I managed to finish it while you were sleeping. It's all set now, so give it a try."

I couldn't help but hug him tightly, falling into his lap. He chuckled, wrapping his arms around my lower body to keep me from falling.

"You're amazing. Do you know how incredibly smart you are?" He smirked. 

"Well, I'm a billionaire, so the high IQ comes with the package. Did I ever tell you that?"

I forced a smile, although I already knew about his wealth from being friends with Connor. 

"No, you didn't."

"Well, now you know. So, are you ready to make that call?"

I looked at the satellite phone, and a knot tightened in my throat. Part of me wanted to make the call, but another part resisted. I didn't want to leave this newfound connection with Shawn. I wanted to stay here a little longer, just the two of us.

But reality came knocking on our door faster than I had expected. Our families were waiting for us back home, and we had been here for far too long.

It was time to go home.

I put on a smile and slid off Shawn's lap to stand up. 

"Wish me luck." He gave me two thumbs up, and I headed to the porch for a better signal.

I extended the antenna and dialed the code and number I had memorized. I closed my eyes as I waited for someone to answer. Someone had to be looking for me; Kim or someone should still have network roaming enabled to pick up my signal.

The call kept ringing until I heard a beeping sound. I redialed and heard the beeping again, adjusting the antenna.

"Come on, pick up. Someone, spot the signal already."

I was on the verge of giving up when the beeping sounded again, and I heard a familiar voice.

"Kev? Kev, is that you? Can you hear me?"

There was a scratchy sound before his voice came through more clearly.

"Jules? Oh my fucking God, you're alive. You're alive! Jesus Christ."

I stifled a laugh, tears welling up as relief washed over me upon hearing a familiar voice from home.

"I'm okay. It's great to hear your voice too. Can you tell where I am?"

I heard some voices in the background before he replied, "Yeah, I've got you. Seriously, you're in Hawaii? How the hell did we even miss that?"

I heard a sound behind me and turned to see Shawn leaning in the doorway, arms crossed and a smile on his face.

"How long will it take you to get here?"

A brief pause. 

"We're definitely leaving now and should be there by tomorrow morning. Hang tight, we're coming to get you, alright?"

I let out a small sigh of relief and looked down at the ground. 

"Good, that's good to hear. We'll be waiting."

"I'm sorry, what? Who's 'we'?" I kept my gaze locked on Shawn.

"A friend. So, make room for one more."