Never Giving Up

Chapter 16

The sound of my phone ringing from where I've left it sitting on my bed has me recoiling at the top of the stairs and rushing back into the bedroom to get it. I reach onto the bed and answer the phone while walking back in the direction I was previously going.

"Hello," I answer with a smile.

"When are you coming home?" Chloe demands to know, her tone of voice all serious but I know she's joking.

I shake my head and begin walking down the stairs, my free hand gliding down the railing. "I leave tomorrow night and land the following morning."

"Oh," she breathes, "alright."

She goes quiet.

I get to the bottom of the stairs and take the offered pair of Converse shoes from Allison. I walk to the couch, sit down, and slip my shoes on.

"I was going to ask if you'd like to go out shopping with me on Saturday," Chloe says quietly.

I straighten up and press the phone firmly to my ear. "Are you asking or are you just saying that for the sake of saying that?"

"I was asking," she validates.

"Shopping on Saturday sounds like fun," I smile. "We can have a catch-up and go for lunch."

"Sounds like a plan," she agrees, happiness ringing in her voice.

I get to my feet and slip my black trench coat on, keeping the phone to my ear at all times.

"That's each one of us doing something on Saturday then. The two of us are going shopping, which you can invite Allison to if you want. Mum is taking Declan to grans to help her with something, and dad will be away to his golf day with Nick."

"Chloe is inviting you to a shopping day on Saturday," I tell Allison as we walk out the suite.

"Just the three of us?" She queries.

"Yip."

"I'm in."

I smile.

"Allison's in," I inform my sister.

"Good. Text me when you land and we can discuss plans better when there's no time difference between us."

"Okay. Speak soon."

"Okay. Bye."

I end the call and put my phone in my coat pocket.

"Everything alright at home?" Allison asks.

We walk to the lifts and Allison presses the button on the wall to call a lift to our floor.

"Yeah, just wanted to make plans for the weekend," I answer.

"It's funny how your second last day here is the only time your little sister has phoned you."

"She had been busy unlike the two of us," I defend.

"Yeah, uni years weren't my favourite years. All the studying and barely any time for having fun."

"They're not supposed to be fun."

"Never said they were."

The lift doors in front of us open and we step into the empty space.

I press the button for the ground floor and the doors close over. "Where are we going?"

"For a walk."

I nod and the left begins to go down.