He Planned Her Ocean Trip, I Booked a Different One Chapter 08

He Planned Her Ocean Trip, I Booked a Different One Chapter 08

My first week at the Valcrest office.

I sat at my desk, staring at the screen, going over last quarter’s financial reports.

My phone screen kept lighting up Then going dark. Over and over.

All Aldermere area codes.

Memorial Day weekend was over. Gavin should be back at the Aldermere apartment by now.

I picked up the phone, expression blank.

Hit decline. Then blocked the number.

The screen went black. I went back to typing.

Six p.m. I clocked out on the dot.

I pushed through the glass doors of the office building. The muggy evening air hit my face.

I was halfway down the steps when a figure lunged out of nowhere.

“June!”

His voice cracked-raw, wrecked.

I stopped. Looked up.

Gavin stood there, gasping for air. His eyes were shot through with red, his jaw covered in dark stubble.

His shirt was wrinkled, collar hanging open. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

I didn’t expect him to follow me here.

“June, your stuff-it’s all gone. Why?”

His eyes were wet. He stepped forward, reaching for my wrist.

“I messed up. I shouldn’t have left you at the station. I shouldn’t have brought Sully to Seabluff.”

“Come back with me. Please. I got home and everything was empty. I panicked.”

I stepped back. His hand grabbed nothing but air.

I watched him break down in front of me.

Felt nothing.

I moved forward, pulled the phone from his hand. Swiped the screen open, found the voice memo app.

The top recording was dated May first.

I pressed play.

The station noise flooded out of the speaker.

“May first, 2026. Day two thousand five hundred and ninety-one. June Miller and Gavin Cole are done.”

The recording cut off.

Gavin’s face went white.

His lips trembled. No words came out.

I shoved the phone back into his chest.

“Gavin. We are done.”

I held his gaze. My voice didn’t waver.

“You recorded it yourself. You confirmed it.”

“Grown-ups take responsibility for what they say.

I walked around him and headed for the subway.

I didn’t look back.

Gavin didn’t go back to Aldermere.

He checked into a hotel near my office.

Every morning at eight thirty, the front desk got a delivery of bagels and cream cheese.

Every noon, a dozen red roses wrapped in paper.

Every evening at six, he stood across the street like a statue.

I didn’t even glance his way.

The bagels went to the cleaning staff. The roses-plastic and all-ended up in the trash bin by the elevator.

And Gavin? I acted like he didn’t exist.

By Thursday, I was sitting in the cafeteria when my phone buzzed.

Another Aldermere number. No name saved.

I picked up.

June!”

Sully’s voice shot through the line-panicked, annoyed.

“Can you please talk to Gavin? Get him to come back!”

I said nothing. My face stayed cold.

She kept going. Her voice rose with every sentence.

“He didn’t show up after Memorial Day. He’s not answering calls, not replying to messages.”

“Our manager is furious!”

“I get that you two are fighting, but you can’t mess with his career!”

“If he doesn’t report back or explain his absence, they’re going to fire him for being a no-show!”

Her tone was pure blame-like losing his job would be my fault.

I let out a short, dry laugh.

“Sully, I think you’re confused.”

I cut her off.

“What happens to his job has nothing to do with me.

“You two are so close. You talk to him.’

I hung up.