32. Izzy
32
IZZY
After Violet and I stopped crying—at Isaac's request—the three of us spent the evening brainstorming ideas for where I could travel. Norway is at the top of my list so that I can see the northern lights, but I also want to visit some places in Europe and Asia. Violet said we could all go to Pakistan together, and she would ask her mum about it. Even though I haven’t made any solid plans, I’m looking forward to seeing the world.
As soon as we say goodnight and I go to my room, the first thing I do is text Noah. It’s later than we usually talk, but there are no calls or texts from him. I push down the uneasy feeling in my stomach and hope he’s gone out to dinner with the rest of the team and is having too much fun to text me.
Izzy
Lots of stuff to tell you!
Call me when you’re free
I get ready for bed by showering and changing into one of Noah’s hoodies, but when I check my phone again, there’s still no response from him. It’s late, so maybe he got back from dinner and went straight to sleep. He’ll text me in the morning when he wakes up, and I can tell him everything then.
When I lie down, I face the right side of my bed, like I’ve done every night for the past week. But for the first time, I don’t fall asleep to the sound of Noah’s voice in my ears.
* * *
As soon as I wake up, I check my phone. Still nothing.
The worry that I’ve been forcing down since last night sits heavy in my gut, and I text Luke to try to get any kind of update. He calls me a few minutes later.
“He left yesterday.” Luke’s voice is somber. “He had a family emergency in Korea, so he flew straight from here. I dropped him off at the airport and told him to let me know when he landed, but I haven’t heard anything else from him since.”
My ears ring as Luke speaks, not believing anything he’s saying. I can’t think of a single thing to say, my mind racing with a thousand possibilities of how bad something had to be for him to leave early and fly all the way to Korea.
“Give him time, Izzy,” Luke says before he hangs up.
A few seconds later, I hear Isaac’s phone ringing, and I know it’s Luke. I stay frozen in my bed, listening to the muffled sound of his voice and the heavy sigh he lets out.
Izzy
I’m sorry
Please just let me know you’re okay
I don’t hear from Noah for a month.