No Love Allowed(55)

The doorbell rang, making her flinch in her cocoon. Who could it be? Not Caleb. He didn’t seem like the try-again-after-being-rejected type. A soft shuffling to the door followed by a muffled conversation. Her mom was home. Shouldn’t she have been at work?

She closed her eyes again as the soft click of the front door shutting seemed to echo through the house. Had it always been this quiet? What Didi wouldn’t give for some music. Then again putting music on meant getting up. Not right now.

The side of her bed dipped as she was about to drift off again. A gentle hand touched her shoulder. Was it time for meds and food already?

“Didi?”

“Hmm?” she moaned.

Her mother sighed. “Don’t you think it’s time to get out of bed? You’ve been camping out in here for too long.”

In response, she burrowed farther into her nook.

The hand on her shoulder rubbed soothing circles over the comforter. “That was Natasha just now.”

Her ears perked up. “Oh?”

“She said you had plans of showing her your paintings? I didn’t know Nathan had a twin. She’s pretty.”

“Yeah,” she mumbled, her mouth dry from not speaking. The inside tasted like something had crawled in and died. She cleared her throat. “I was supposed to paint her.”

“Didi.” She sighed again. “You know that all I want is what’s best for you, right?”

Unable to find any comfort from her position anymore, Didi rolled onto her back. Her eyes blinked open until she locked gazes with the woman who had devoted everything to taking care of her. There were still lines of fatigue on that weathered face, but the purple splotches were gone from beneath her eyes. It seemed she had been catching up on sleep too.

“I know,” Didi said with a nod. “And you were right. I shouldn’t have agreed to Caleb’s proposal. It was one big mess.”

Instead of replying right away, her mom picked up a glass of water from the nightstand. Wanting a sip, Didi pushed up to a seated position. She took the glass with both hands and brought the rim to her parched lips. A moan escaped her after a grateful gulp of the cool liquid. Water had never tasted so sweet.

“What?” she finally asked when a pensive expression crossed her mother’s face. “Please don’t tell me you were fired for staying home too long.”

She blinked several times before smiling. “No. I’m still employed. I was just thinking . . .”

“Thinking?” Didi prompted, when it seemed like her mother wasn’t going to continue.

“I know you know neglecting to take your meds was reckless. But no matter how wrong I thought your relationship was, I can’t ignore the fact that you were happy. That he made you happy. I think I made a mistake in asking him to disappear from your life. And I think you’ll regret it someday if you allow him to leave. I don’t want to deny you the chance to be with him if that is what you truly want.”

“Mom . . .” Didi’s eyes welled. Was it possible that she had made a mistake by driving him away?

“You should have seen his face when he ran out of here.” Her mother’s lips quirked into a concerned frown. “I’ve never seen someone so broken and defeated. I honestly think Caleb’s feelings for you are real. The question is: Do you feel the same way?”

The hope in her voice brought Didi back to life like the green grass shooting up from the ground after a long drought ended by rain. “What day is it?”

They both glanced at the desk calendar beside her bed. A red mark circled one of the numbers. During one of their conversations, Caleb had casually mentioned when he would be leaving for his trip with Nathan. Didi had marked it as a way to remember when their fake relationship would be over. It was today.

“I want to go after him,” she said more to herself. Then she looked into her mother’s eyes. “I don’t want him to leave without knowing that I love him.”

Smiling, her mother took her hands. “I’ll drive you.”

“Really?” Didi’s entire face brightened.

She raised a finger and winked. “But not before you shower first.”

For the entire car ride to the airport, Didi imagined everything that would happen. Like in the movies, she would run out, search for the gate he was leaving from, and make a mad dash, catching him just as he was boarding. He would see her, drop his bags, and open his arms. She would fly into them and pepper his face with kisses. Then she would lean away and tell him she loved him and ask him to stay. His gaze would soften, showing her all the love he felt for her, and he’d say yes, that he would stay. They would kiss again, and the crowd would go wild. Clapping and cheering would drown out the thundering of their hearts.

Unfortunately for her, it wasn’t that cookie-cutter.

They got stuck in midday traffic halfway there.

When her mother finally stopped the car by the entrance, Didi couldn’t wait any longer. She made a mad dash. The doors barely had time to part when she ran through them. Airport security stopped her before she could go any farther. They’d probably seen her panic and reacted to it. They wouldn’t let her go, even after she’d explained that she was running after the guy she loved. From the skepticism on their faces, they must have heard that excuse countless times before.

“Please,” she pleaded, breathing hard from her sprint. Her body was still weak from being in bed for so long. “You have to at least let me check his flight schedule.”