“Kassa,” I groaned and undid her seat belt before pulling her across the bench seat and into my arms.
She tucked her head under my chin and buried her face in my shirt. The first sob seemed to be forced from her throat, making her entire body shake. If the military had heard those noises coming from her throat right then, they would have found a way to have them weaponized be
cause they were doing a damn good job of annihilating me. I pressed my lips to the top of her head, fighting back the lump in my throat that was growing bigger and bigger with each passing mile.
Jace gave me a look that let me know he was just as torn up as I was over having to leave her. For once, we could agree on something. Leaving this girl behind was the hardest thing either of us had ever had to do.
“Kassa, you know this is a good thing,” Alicia tried to reason with her, no better at handling her when she was so emotional like this than the rest of us were. She was blinking furiously in an attempt to keep her own tears held back. “Jace and Gray are going to rule the rock world after they fulfill their contract with First Bass.”
“I-I kn-kn-know,” she sobbed, her hands twisting in my shirt as she clung to me.
I was at a loss for words that would console her, and even if I’d had them, I wouldn’t have been able to speak them. Feeling helpless, I just held her. With each passing mile, the pain in my chest only increased more and more until I had to fight for each breath I took.
No one spoke until Alicia was pulling up outside the airport in the drop-off section. Leaving the car on, she got out with Jace, but I stayed where I was for the moment. Alone in the car, I cupped Kassa’s chin in one hand and forced her head up so I could see her pretty eyes. As I looked down into them, I noticed for the first time that her eyes were three different shades of blue. How had I never noticed that before?
“I’ll call you every day. Don’t get annoyed with me though, okay?”
She gave me a trembling smile, trying to calm herself but failing. “O-kay,” she whispered hoarsely.
“And we’ll see each other at Christmas. You and Alicia are flying out to visit and I promise I’ll have a hundred different presents for you.” I mopped up some of her tears with my shirt.
“That’s months from now.” More tears fell. “I wish I could come with you.”
“As soon as you graduate, you can move in with me and Jace,” I promised, aching for this school year to go by as quickly. She had just started her summer break before her senior year though, and it was going to be almost a year before she could come live with us.
My door opened and Jace reached in, pulling his sister out of my arms without giving me so much as a warning. Pissed that he had taken her from me, I climbed out of the car and thrust my hands into my jeans pockets as she clung to him. Jace kept his arms around her, rocking her back and forth as he murmured something in her ear. Whatever he was saying only made her start sobbing all over again. The only reason I didn’t punch him in the face was because he was fighting his own tears back.
“Don’t cry,” he finally muttered and stepped back enough to look down at her. “I love you, baby sis. I’ll see you soon.”
She didn’t even seem to hear him as she wrapped her arms around her middle and cried even harder.
I pulled her into my arms, holding her as hard as I dared without hurting her. Closing my eyes so my own tears wouldn’t escape, I pressed my lips to her ear. “Love you, little caterpillar.”
Her nails bit into my skin through my shirt. “Love you more.”
“Not possible,” I whispered and then cleared my throat.
It was time to go. We had to get checked in and through security soon if we wanted to make the plane, but I didn’t have the will to let her go. I could have held her for the rest of the day and not gotten my fill.
Alicia seemed to sense that and pried Kassa away from me. She fell against Alicia with a sob that seemed to come from her soul, and I could have gladly gone down on my knees then and there to make that sound stop. Instead, I picked my carry-on up and forced myself to walk away with Jace.
Before we reached the sliding doors to the airport, I paused and looked back, unable to stop myself from having one last glance at my favorite person in the world. She and Alicia were watching us, both of them crying, but at least Kassa wasn’t nearly bent in half from sobbing now. I waved, and she gave me a smile that trembled, but at least I got a smile.
All the hype I had been feeling about going out to SOCAL to start my career was gone for now. It was hard to think about all the things I had always dreamed of doing with my band when my heart was wet and soggy from Kassa’s tears.
Jace and I didn’t talk much as we went through security. Then he went off to get himself some coffee and something to eat for the trip, but I just stood by our gate, looking out the windows at the planes coming and going. I couldn’t get Kassa’s eyes out of my head. The hauntingly beautiful heartbreak I saw shining out of them had lacerated my heart, and now, it was bleeding into my chest cavity, making it impossible to breathe.
My phone rang, so I pulled it out of my pocket. When I saw her smiling face lighting up my screen, I had to swallow the fresh lump that had filled my throat before I could answer.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a voice that shook before I could even say hello. “I don’t want you to go thinking I’m not happy for you guys. Because I am. I’m so excited for you and Jace and the guys. You’re amazing and I know that everyone will see that and that you really will rule the rock world like Alicia said.”
“Kassa,” I said, trying to interrupt her, but she was talking too fast.
“I promise I won’t cry anymore. I swear it. It was just harder to say goodbye than I thought it would be.” She sucked in a deep breath and then kept going while I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. “You’re my best friend, Gray. I love you. Have a safe flight and call me later. Okay?”
Before I could answer, she hung up. After blowing out a breath, I laughed at the little whirlwind she had just caused in my head and called her back.
“Gray—” she started, but I interrupted her.