Unscheduled Departure Read Online Free

familiar ringtone sounded on my phone, his picture popping up on the screen, along with his name.
    "See?" he said. "At 12:06 I was driving. I didn't call you. Whoever that Private Number was, it wasn't me." He tapped his phone and the ringtone stopped.
    I stared at my phone and rubbed my forehead. My stomach roiled and an ache throbbed behind my eyes. "I don't understand. I heard—"
    "Let me listen to the voicemail."
    "It...got deleted." I met Finn's unreadable gaze and knew how it sounded. Weird. Crazy. But I had heard him. It was Finn.
    Wasn't it?
    "I don't know what's happening," I murmured, my hands trembling as I brushed the hair away from my face. "I know what I heard."
    "Ro," Finn reached across the car to grab my hand, wrapping it up in both of his. "It's okay."
    "But—"
    "We'll figure it out," he said, eyes wide and earnest. "I'm right here. We're together and we'll figure it out, I promise." He kissed my finger with a smile. "But after you sleep, okay?"
    I forced a shaky smile. "Yeah. Okay."
    "You want me to walk you up?" he asked.
    I shook my head. Suddenly, I wanted to be alone. To go to sleep. To not think about all of this for a while. "I'll be fine. I'll call you later?"
    "Okay." He leaned across the seat to kiss me. "Sleep well."
    I nodded and got out of the car, waving at Finn and only letting my smile fall once he drove away.
    I wasn't convinced. I knew what I had heard, and no matter what Finn said, it was him on that voice mail. I wondered if maybe the message was old— one I'd missed. I couldn't imagine how that might have happened, but I wasn't ruling it out just yet.
    Because the alternative was one I wasn't quite ready to explore: If it was a new voice mail, and it was Finn who'd left it, that meant he was lying to me.
    And I had no idea why.
     
    3:22 PM
     
    I blinked against the afternoon sunlight filtering through the gap in my bedroom curtains and stretched, surprised that I'd slept for so long. My stomach growled, reminding me that I'd skipped lunch, and I fumbled on the nightstand for my phone, hoping Lindsay would be up for an early dinner.
    I scrolled through my texts, but she hadn't responded so I texted her again.
    Starving and looking for an early dinner. Hitting the diner in 20. You in?
    I rolled out of bed, figuring she'd join me if she was free and was just slipping on some shoes when my phone rang.
    Private Number.
    My stomach dropped and I hesitated, staring at the screen as the phone buzzed in my hand, the sound seeming to grow louder with every ring, echoing around the otherwise-silent room. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, tingles racing down my spine as my thumb hovered over the answer button.
    What was I doing? What was wrong with me? Afraid to answer my own phone?
    It was ridiculous. I knew it was ridiculous, but I sat frozen for a long moment before I jolted, suddenly frantic, and pressed the call button with a trembling hand.
    "Hello?" My voice was a cracked whisper. I cleared my throat and spoke a little louder. "Hello? Finn?"
    "Hi, it's me . . . can you hear me?"
    "Yeah. Yeah, I can hear you." I let out a soft laugh. "I can believe I was so freaked out. I thought—"
    "Rowan? Can you hear me?"
    "I'm here. Finn?"
    "Crap. This connection is terrible. Um. . . If you can hear me—"
    "I can hear you!" My heart pounded. I wanted to reach out and touch him, frantic for some reason I couldn't put my finger on.
    " —just wanted to let you know I'm here."
    "Finn?"
    "—wiped, so I'm going to try and get some sleep and I . . . uh . . guess I'll call you later. Maybe tomorrow, okay? Love you."
    The call ended and I fumbled with the phone, hitting the call back button in desperate hope.
    "Your call cannot be completed as dialed . . ."
    A blend of fear and fury swept through me. What the hell was going on? With shaking fingers I scrolled through my contacts to Finn's number. Where was he calling me from? Why was he calling me? What was happening?
    My phone buzzed with an