Chapter 34: Goodbye

Matt was trying to come up with a plan to skip town so his crazy mistress couldn't find him. He started by buying a new cell phone with a completely different phone number. I helped him look up cheap ways to travel. He didn't have much in the way of luggage and I lived close to the train station, so we thought maybe the train would be the best way for him. I would drive him there in my SUV at nightfall so no one would see him. Luckily he had been in my backyard when I found him, so the paparazzi lady who was always in the front of my house never saw him.

"Is there anything else you need?"

"No, I don't think so. I have my wallet, phone, the ticket, and the food you gave me. Thank you so much for helping me, Sicily."

"Don't mention it. I don't want anyone to be a prisoner. You deserve your freedom."

CLICK-CLICK-CLICK. WHOOOO!!!

We heard the train arrive, its wheels clicking on the track. There was a large burst of air as it stopped, pulling into the station. The train honked, signaling its arrival. '8:00 PM train to Silicon Shores ready for boarding,' a voice announced through the loudspeakers. Matt looked into my eyes. He looked a little sad, but grateful as well. "Goodbye, Sicily. I will never forget you."

I gave Matt a big hug. "Goodbye, and good luck." He grabbed his bag and I watched him board the train. A wave of nausea came over me and I darted into the bathroom. After cleaning myself up, a pang of sadness hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought it would have been easy to let Matt go, but it wasn't. Had I fallen in love with him?

Ooh, baby. Tennan was sitting on the couch without a shirt on. I wanted to climb on top of him and run my fingers through his fiery orange hair. Mmm.. Does his hair feel as soft as it looks or is it crunchy with gel? What does he taste like? Would his fangs get in the-.

"Did everything go as planned?"

Tennan's deep voice startled me out of my fantasy. I nodded.

"What's the matter?"

I stood there dumbfounded, not really knowing how to answer his question. I didn't have to because he answered it for me.

"You fell in love with him?"

His voice was closer, and I realized he was now standing in front of me. He always moved so fast. I nodded again, silent tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Will you hold me, Tennan?" I whispered, my voice barely audible as it fought to leave my lips. I didn't want to say those words because I didn't want him to think I was trying to hit on him again. Instead he reached out to me and pulled me close to him. He let me rest my head on his chest while he stroked my hair.

"It's days like this that I miss Austin the most. I wish I could be with him again. Are you sure you can't bring him back yet?"

"I know. I'm not trying to be a jerk, Sicily. He really will die if I bring him back now."

"But why?"

"The curse is trying to kill you by making you lose hope. I screwed up the chain of events the day I saved him. It's like I threw a monkey wrench into its plan. It wants to kill off all the people you love who stay with you, hoping to lead you towards suicide. The more I help you restore hope in your life when bad things happen, the better your chances are of surviving."

"Ok. Tennan, thank you for putting up with me. I know I am difficult sometimes."

Tennan walked me to my bedroom. He stopped at the door. "Good night Sicily."

I smiled and waved at him. I grabbed Austin's pillow out of my closet and threw it onto the bed. Crawling under the covers was comforting. The sheets were soft against my skin as I laid down. I pulled Austin's pillow towards me and hugged it, crying myself to sleep. Several hours later, I was woken up by the urge to hurl. I hightailed it out of my bedroom.

It turns out Matt had left a little bit of himself behind. I was pregnant again.

"Sicily, this came for you in the mail."

Tennan handed me a small envelope with a return address from Silicon Shores. Inside was a picture and letter.

When I read it, I cried because I knew I could never see him again.

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Guest Starring: Matt Humphrey by winterbaby20