𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐘 || 𝐆𝐗𝐆 ||

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

Noa

"Why aren't you asleep? It's like two in the morning?" Zara whispers to me as I lay in her bed staring at the ceiling wide awake, she randomly woke up.

"I can't sleep." I look back at her and she moves onto her side and gently pulls strands of my hair behind my ear and I smile.

"You're so beautiful, Carter." She mumbles and I turn my head to look at her, she's watching me carefully with a smile on her face, there's a dim light from the light outside and we can both see each other easily. She also happens to be half asleep and I do notice her drifting off to sleep ever so often, but she wakes up seconds later.

"Come closer," I whisper and she shuffles over to me and I wrap my arms around her, she quickly rests her head on my chest and my heart races.

"Calm down, it's okay." She whispers and I chuckle which makes me laugh and smile, "I've missed you Carter, I have done for the past year you need to start talking to me more often."

"I will, even though we talk daily I will start talking to you more often." I smile and she nods and she kisses my chest and I gently rub her back.

"Sleep well, Carter." She says before falling asleep.

"Sleep well, Blondie."

~~~

It's really bad how I left without saying goodbye, I regret it. She was in a deep sleep and my mum called me saying I had to get home soon so I left Zara a note and my cardigan and began my drive home.

I pull up in front of the house and head towards the front door, it's nine in the morning so they're awake, my family wakes up around sunrise. Well all except Issac, he wakes up around now.

When I walk inside, there's a duffel bag packed on the counter, another few bags and I look over at my brother who is walking down the stairs.

"Ask mum." He says and points upstairs, I walk up the stairs and see my father in my bedroom. What the hell?!

I open the door even further and see him packing up my clothes and some other things.

"What's going on?" I ask and my mother looks at me, she is already in the room helping her husband with clothing.

"We are going out for a day." She explains and I look at the bags along the side, "Now take them downstairs, we are leaving soon."

I do as she says, I take the bags and take them downstairs and put them on the side with all the rest.

"Are you coming too?" I ask and he shakes his head whilst laughing, "Oh."

"Everyone grab the bags and come on," Naomi demands and everyone takes the bags and we all make our way out of the house, my mum gets into the driver's seat after putting a few bags into the bag like everyone else is.

My brother and father walk back inside, I watch them go in and look at my mum as I get into the passenger seat.

"What's going on? Why aren't they coming with us?" I question as I look at the woman who stays silent. She locks the doors. When she looks at me, there's nothing but sadness and a hint of regret in her eyes. But she didn't look at me for long.

~~~

We have been driving for around five hours now, I have no idea where we are going but my mum seems to know her way to get there. Music plays quietly as she drives me down a road surrounded by forest. I don't know where we are and I am not asking.

Another five hours pass of driving and we park outside of a building, it's a beautiful building to say we are now in Paris.

"Your grandmother and grandfather live here, they own the cafe below too and you are staying here until you can sort out whatever is going on between you and your brother, there's just too much tension and you constantly want to hurt him so you should stay here for a few months." My mum explains and I look at her in shock.

"You drove me to Paris so I can live here over me being annoyed with someone who is a shit person?!" I ask and she sighs and nods.

"I'll help you get your bags in, and then I am going home." She says and I shake my head and try to get out of the vehicle but it is still locked, "Noa, they are going to take good care of you."

"What about school? What about cheer? What about Zara and her practising because I know she's going to want me there. What about Zara in general? I can't see her and I didn't even get to say goodbye! What about all my friends? I can't just leave them all behind, I don't even have a school here!" I question, trying my best to stay calm but failing.

"You will be helping out with the cafe, you will love it! I allowed you to go on that date and sleepover at her house, that was your goodbye." She says and I shake my head as tears fill the rim of my eyes.

"I left her while she was asleep, and now I don't see her for a few months. We only just started things." I look at her, she's upset but sighs and unlocks the door.

She doesn't say a word, she just looks at me and I know she would want my help to load things into the building. I sigh and get out of the car, pick up some bags and turn towards the shop.

It's a corner shop, black window frames and very elegant, planted flowers below the windows and it's one story, the house being three stories high in a light colour. Plants are potted on the small balconies with a dark grey roof that's a curved and has a window in the centre. It's pretty, I can tell you that.

The doors are already open as we walk inside, I see my grandparents who I haven't seen in years, they smile at me and they look well.

"Noa, dear. It's been a long time since we last saw you." The woman wiped her hands on a towel and walked over to me, people just stay focused on their food and drinks.

Camille, my grandmother who is sixty-five years old and has aged well. She's always loved making drinks and helping others, she would tell me when I was a kid that I could own her cafe when I grew up. But I just deny her offers. The last time I saw her was at Christmas, we see each other at Christmas since the family only stays in Paris, so we fly over every now and then, or sometimes drive.

Then there's Louis, my grandfather who is sixty-six years old and like his wife, has aged well. The two met when they were teenagers, had my mum at twenty and have lived here all their life. His father originally owned the cafe but passed it down to his son when he died. He's an amazing man, very kind and he would teach me how to make the best toastie, I still remember it to this day.

"Come upstairs, we can give you a tour of the home."