You've Got a Message, Baby
We're still ten minutes from home, and she's still talking.
"…and you will not believe what the waiter said to me in Nice—he was, like, blushing? Honestly, Seb, it was kind of cute. But then he asked if I was single, and I just laughed! I was like—sir, I have an eighteen-year-old son, and he gasped. Gasped! He thought I was your sister—"
Bzzzt.
My phone lights up in my lap.
I glance down casually.
[Demi - Heart Emoji]
> last night was fun. come over again tonight?
still wearing your shirt lol
miss u already, bad boy.
I freeze.
The world doesn't stop, but my spine definitely does.
Of all the times she could've texted. Of all the hours in the day.
Sky's hand reaches out and pats my thigh like I'm a puppy who just did a trick. "You're being so quiet, sweetheart. Are you tired? Jet lagged by association?"
I subtly angle my phone away from her and press the lock button. My jaw tightens.
"Yeah," I mutter, throat dry. "Just tired."
She tilts her head, sunglasses slipping down her nose. "You sure? You look pale again. Should I have brought vitamins instead of cologne and sneakers and—"
Bzzzt.
Another notification.
[Demi - Heart Emoji]
> also ur mom is hot af
she your stepmom or what lol
I slam my thumb down on the screen and mute the conversation.
Sky glances over at the sound. "Who's that?"
My heart stutters like a bike engine mid-stall.
"Just… Austin," I lie. I'm getting really good at that.
She smiles, blissfully unaware. "Tell him I say hi! And to drive safe! Oh, and not to forget sunscreen—"
I zone out halfway through her next sentence, guilt thick in my chest like smoke.
She has no idea. No idea that her son's the exact replica of the man who left her. The man she never talks about.
Rain Chen 2.0.
Same eyes. Same recklessness. Same hunger for things that ruin you.
The only difference is—
I actually give a damn about her.
Which is why she'll never know.
Because the moment she does…
She'll stop loving me like this.
And I'll lose the only real thing I've got left.