Matters of the Heart

Chapter 0.25

|| Madison ||

On the twenty third of December, I found myself zipping up a suitcase and then making sure that I had a few other essentials in a small travel bag before dragging both pieces of luggage into my living room.

Today my aunt Ashleigh and I are taking the six-hour drive up to Sacramento where the Wakens family home is. Harry and Madeleine have a house here in Southern California but their permanent residence is in Sacramento where we'd be spending Christmas.

I won't lie, I'm a little nervous to be spending Christmas with the grandparents that I've hated since I've known the truth about my parents' relationship but a part of me also felt at peace with it.

Hey sweetpea!! Gonna be with you in two mins!xx
09:23

After replying to the WhatsApp from my aunt, I slung my travel bag over my shoulder and grabbed hold of my suitcase and then also of the gift bag sitting on my kitchen counter. I couldn't help but smile a little as I caught sight of the contents of the bag.

Five and a half days of work sat inside the bag. One hundred and thirty-two hours (okay well not really but you feel me though) of work that hopefully would relay to Calum just how in love with him I am.

Literature is what brought Calum and I together in the first place and hopefully, it'll bring us together once more.

After making sure all the lights were off and every window was shut, I locked my door and then made my way to the elevator and then outside my building to where my aunt's silver Audi SUV was waiting for me.

"Hey," I beamed at her as I got into the passenger seat of her car after placing my luggage in the boot ( or trunk, as American's would say) next to hers.

"Hey, hey!" She grinned at me. "Ready for your best Christmas ever?!" She asked excitedly.

Aunt Ashleigh and uncle Rob were ecstatic, to say the least when I had told them that I'd be spending Christmas with the family.

"I'm am," I said confidently. "Its been a while since I've had a good Christmas." Fourteen years to be exact.

"Prepare to feel like a kid again," She said. "Mom and dad always go all out and now that they've got another granddaughter to spoil, you're going to be elevated to posh brat status. Like, 7 Rings kind of boujee," She laughed.

I couldn't help but laugh too. "I'm excited. But uh, can we make a detour before we head off?"

"Where to?" She asked.

"I want to drop something off for Calum," I told her.

"That something being whatever you were writing?" She asked knowingly. A few days ago aunt Ash had come over to keep me company while I wrote like a madwoman trying to finish the short novel I wanted to complete before we left for Sacramento and Calum left for Cleveland.

"Yes," I nodded.

"Is that your declaration of love to him?" She questioned.

"I'm better with words on paper than actually verbalising stuff, I guess," I said.

My aunt grinned at me and I could tell that she was secretly proud of me for what I was doing. When she had come over I had taken a short break from writing and had filled her in on what had happened between Calum and I. Like the wise woman she is, she had given me the same advice that Kayli had and I was taking it.

When my aunt pulled up outside Calum's apartment building, I keyed myself in with the code I knew by heart and then made my way over to the mailboxes. I know that Calum's still in California because Kayli had let me know that she, he and Kane were flying out to Cleveland at twelve pm on the twenty-fourth so hopefully he'll check his mail before he leaves. If not, that's okay. I'll still be waiting when he gets back.