Page 104 of Chasing The Alpha's Son
“I’m really glad you came,” he says.
“Me too.”
It’s early in the morning and only a handful of people have come to see us off. The storm has passed, but it’s still cold and misty out front of the chalet. To my right, Mia is hugging Olivia and whispering in her ear; Mia’s eyes look red and I don’t think it’s because we all got up stupid early. I feel like I have something of an idea of what they’re going through. The uncertainty, the pain of not knowing when you’ll see this person you feel so connected to again even though you’ve just met.
I shake Morven’s and Astrid’s hands, and when Olivia, steely eyed behind a pair of blackout sunglasses, ducks into our car, I head over to Mia and say one last goodbye.
“You’re a star,” she says. “I’m rooting for you.”
I laugh and grin. “And me for you.”
Katie, Todd, and Simon are already in their car waiting to leave, and Jasper is saying one last goodbye to Morven, doing his diplomatic best, so I wave to Mason and Mia and hop in my car.
Somehow we’ve ended up in the same formation we did on the way out here. Only this time Jasper will be riding alone. Or maybe not…
Just as we’re about to leave, the front door of the car opens and Jasper hops inside.
“Let’s go,” he says, half to the driver and half to no one in particular.
I stare at the side of his head, and I swear he grins just a little.
The plane feels emptier than when we first set off, even though the only person missing is Clayton. Once again I’m the last to board. Olivia has taken my spot from the way over in the back of the plane and is wearing big headphones while texting. I wonder to whom! Katie takes a spot with Todd and Simon.
“You want to join us?” she asks.
But then I see Jasper across from me and I smile and shake my head.
I take a seat next to him and he looks up.
“You excited to get home?” I ask. “I bet Jodie missed you over Christmas.”
He laughs. “I think she was too busy playing on the new trampoline my dad bought her.”
“Nah, she’ll be over the moon to see you. I bet you missed her too.”
He taps his armrest as his face turns thoughtful.
“What about you and your parents?” he asks. “Excited?”
I think for a second about his question. I am excited to see my parents—I’ve never not been around them at Christmas before. But then I start to think about the conversation I think I’m ready to have with them, the conversation Iwantto have with them. And nervous moths start flapping about in my stomach.
“Yeah, it’ll be nice,” I manage.
“Are they picking you up?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
“Text them, tell them not to,” he says confidently. “I’ll drive you home.”
“Sure.”
Face flushing, I pull out my phone and text Dad. When I’m done, the plane is taxiing out to the runway, about to take off, and Jasper is pulling out a laptop.
“Do you mind?” he asks when he spots me staring at it. “I have college work I’m behind on.”
Okay, I wasn’t expecting we’d chat for the whole flight, but maybe more than two minutes.
“Ah, sure,” I say.
