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Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Where's the third musketeer?" A mutual acquaintance asked about an hour before midnight.

"I'm not sure." Delaney had begun to respond, but Shane answered instead.

"Gabriel's not coming," he said. His expression was unreadable.

Delaney tried not to react like she'd been punched in the stomach, even though it's exactly how she felt. Her eyes wildly darted around the room again in search of him, as they had the entire evening thus far. She couldn't believe it. She'd decided to stay away from both Fin and Shane this past week, attempting to work through her feelings. But when she'd texted Fin earlier this morning, he'd assured her that she would see him tonight, and that they'd have an opportunity to say goodbye.

"What do you think about ringing in the New Year quietly? We could ditch this party and head back to your place with a bottle of champagne," Delaney said.

"He's not there either," Shane said. His curt tone was accompanied by a steely glance.

She felt a surge of panic. "I have a headache, that's all," she attempted recovery.

"Hmm," he answered. He appeared unconvinced. "If you want to go home, I won't keep you here. Get your things and we'll go. I already have a bottle of champagne at home."

As she turned to walk away from him, guilt washed through her. He knew she wanted to see Fin and consequently knew something was going on between the two of them, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

They arrived to the empty apartment only to be greeted by a note from Fin scrawled on the back of a Chinese take-out menu. It expressed wishes for a Happy New Year and his intentions to head down to Miami to stay with a buddy for a of couple days before he sailed. Through the static in her ears, she heard Shane read something aloud about him going to a party in South Beach. And at the very end, her ears perked up as she heard her name—"say goodbye to Delaney for me," it said.

She saw stars and quickly sat down on the couch.

"Why don't you settle in and find the crystal ball on TV," he said. "I'm going to run out and get us a bottle of champagne; Fin must've taken the one in the fridge."

Yeah, 'cause he has so much to celebrate, she thought dryly. The second Shane was safely out of earshot she picked up her cell and angrily punched in his number. She wasn't surprised that he didn't pick up and her venom spewed over the phone lines into his voicemail box. "Damn it, Fin! I can't believe you didn't even have the decency to call me before you left. I need to talk to you," she spat before hanging up. As she waited, her anger began to dissipate, replaced by a sense of dread. She curled up in a ball, holding the phone in her hand and willing it to ring. After ten minutes and several tears, she tried again. "Fin, please call. I really need to talk to you. Please," she groveled without any attempt to hide the emotion in her voice.

On impulse she swung the door open into his room. The small room appeared lifeless. The bed was neatly made and the surfaces had all been cleared. It was completely devoid of everything Fin, even down to the smattering of tea lights and incense he sometimes burned as they studied stretched out on his bed. As her eyes scanned for a small trace of him, she felt her knees weaken. She slumped into a heap at the foot of his bed and wept. Suddenly a vibration from her pocket alerted her to a new text message. She pulled out the slim blue phone and clicked to reveal a message from Fin. "Sorry I didn't say goodbye, but I thought it would be best. I'll call you in a couple months, after things have had a chance to blow over a bit. Please don't be mad at me."