“What did I say about blaming yourself,” she scolded, with a little frown and then smiled. You don’t have to be the strong one.
I kissed the tip of her nose and hugged her tighter. “I still don’t know how you managed to not talk to anyone. I never understood why you never texted me back.”
“I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. If I kept quiet, then everything would be fine. If I started texting you would have asked why I didn’t speak, wouldn’t you?”
I nodded. Of course, I would have.
“And I did text you back, every night. I just didn’t send any of them.” She reached across me and grabbed her phone from the bedside table.
I took the phone and looked at what she was showing me. There was a huge list of text messages in her outbox, all to me. I looked up at her in shock. She replied every night even though she could never send them. Flicking through the newest ones, I saw her declarations of love and her telling me how happy she was.
“I love you, Cole.”
Closing my eyes, I smiled. I never thought I would get to hear her say that.
“I love you too.” I replied, pressing my lips to hers.
I tried calling Oakley again, but it went straight to answerphone. The second time today. She had spent a little more time with her mum and brother and a little less time with me. Of course, I didn’t mind, but I just wanted her to let me know she was okay.
“Cole, you need to come downstairs now,” Mia shouted breathlessly. I jumped off my bed and practically ran downstairs. What the hell was going on?
“What?” I questioned, and looked up. Oakley, Sarah, and Jasper were standing in by the front door. They were all crying, and so was Mum, Dad and Mia.
“What’s going on?” My heart stopped. No one had said anything, but their expressions told me it wasn’t good.
Oakley took a deep breath and stepped towards me. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “We’re moving, now.”
“Moving? Where?”
“To my uncle Pete’s.”
“Pete,” I repeated. Sarah’s brother. The one that lived in Australia.
“I can’t stay here any more. None of us can.” She shook her head and added, “There are too many bad memories. I love you so much, Cole, and this is killing me, but I have to go.”
“You can’t.” I shook my head, trying to make sense of what she was saying. They were moving halfway across the world. She was leaving me.
“Don’t. Don’t, please.” I closed the distance between us, wrapping my arms around her, and touching my forehead to hers. “I love you. You can’t go. You can move in here if you can’t live at yours, or we can go somewhere else, to a different town. Oakley, you can’t just leave. Please,” I begged desperately.
She clung to me as she cried her heart out. Oh God, she’s really doing this. “I owe you so much, Cole. You gave me my life back, and I will never stop loving you. If there was a way I could stay I would do it, but there isn’t.”
She pulled back, and I tightened my grip. My chest tightened, and I could barely breathe.
“Please. No. Don’t do this, please, Oakley, please,” I rambled, holding her tighter and never wanting to let go. “I’ll come with you.”
“You’re life’s here.” She pulled away just enough to look me in the eyes. “You can’t give up your life, not for me.”
I shook my head, frowning at how stupid she was being. “You are my life.”
She sobbed and closed her eyes. Tears spilled over and poured down her face. Do something, Cole. Don’t just let her leave, I yelled at myself. Pressing my lips to hers, I kissed her with everything I had. She kissed me back and held me as tight as I held her.
“I love you,” she whispered, and started to pull away.
Panic coursed through my veins.
“No. No, don’t do this,” I pleaded. Her hands gripped mine and pulled them off her. My vision blurred as I started to cry. Stop fucking crying and make her see sense!
“Don’t.”
She walked backwards and mouthed ‘I love you’ before walking to her Sarah’s car. I couldn’t move. I stood at the front door and stared in horror as she got into the car.
Neither of us looked away from each other as Sarah started the car. I was vaguely aware of my parents and Mia standing around, but all I could focus on was Oakley crying in the back of the car.
I watched numbly as their car disappeared. My heart broke further with every inch of distance that was put between us. Everything hurt so much. It was as if I was being stabbed all over.
I loved her so much. More than anything in the world. Enough to let her go.