Celadon Bay - Book One

Ten days at best

I'm in a rush, sprinting my way to Vee's house as if a pack of hungry wolves were on the chase. That's how fast things have gone from total bliss to utter hell. In a blink; a snap of my fingers.

"I have bad news, Champ." That's what Dad said a few minutes after I woke up this morning. Aunt Sugar had been in tears, and Uncle Owen's smile, like Dad's, had vacated the premises. I knew instantly; I didn't even need to ask what happened. I just clenched my fists and asked what I really needed to know.

"When?"

"A week? Ten days at best."

And then, another sob from Aunt Sugar was my cue to leave the living room with no further words. I made a quick stop at my room to grab my phone and wallet before jumping out of the window, and...*poof*... John was gone.

Despite the shattering news, and my frantic run, I feel completely calm, almost estranged from the whole thing. It's weirdly surreal; like this has happened to some other random guy; not me.

I ring the bell of Veronica's house, barely breaking a sweat from my run.

Eliza, Vee's mother, opens the door. "John! What a pleasant surprise! Do come in." I walk in and Eliza shuts the door behind me. "Nice bed-head, by the way."

"Thanks! I hear it's trendy now." And hell if I know where my sense of humor is coming from. Because, believe me, there's nothing to laugh about.

"I imagine you're looking for Ronnie. She's still asleep, though..." And then she gives me a captivating grin—one that must have come from the same store in hell where Martin bought his own. "Perhaps you want to go wake her up with a kiss? Twenty-first century Sleeping Beauty style?"

I bet she's expecting me to blush and clam up, but I take the challenge head-on. "Actually," I tell Vee's mom, "I'll do just that." And I stride towards Vee's room because today I'm not in my own skin. And if Eliza has anything to say about it, I totally don't hear her.

I try the door knob as carefully as I can, poking my head inside first. Sure enough, Sleeping Beauty is lying in her bed, and fucking hell: I need to talk to her right away. I walk in, grateful for the carpeted floor which muffles my steps. I lean closer to her, taking a minute to admire her beautiful face, and she looks so adorable I can't disturb her. I don't want to be responsible for breaking the spell that keeps her in such a peaceful slumber.

"Are you going to kiss me at all or what?" And then she opens a single gorgeous grey eye.

"Oh. So, you are awake."

"Shhhhh," she says sleepily. "Pretend I'm not."

I shrug, kick my shoes off, and climb into bed with her, like this is the kind of normal thing I do every morning. I snuggle close, hiding my face in the crook of her neck, and she turns over to embrace me. We stay like that for a while and I swear I'm ready to doze off when she breaks sixteen decibels off the silence.

"What's wrong, honey?"

The world is about to end, in ten days at best.

"Nothing is, sunshine." This is the first lie I tell Vee, and you can bet there's going to be a lot more. The most disturbing part is that I don't feel the slightest trace of guilt about it.

"Would you mind explaining your impromptu visit, then?" She runs her delicate fingers through my hair, and I breathe in her flowery scent. It's mesmerizing.

. "I just had a really sudden urge to see you again."

"I see..." Then an explosion of decibels blasts through the room: "You better not be eavesdropping behind that door, Mom!"