Chapter 3

The whole way to the airport, I kept looking for a chance to tell Ethan and Brooke I might be gone for three years.

Every time I tried, one of them started talking about something else, and I lost my nerve.

In the cab, at the airport, and while we waited at the gate, they barely stopped talking.

They discussed their game strategies and the latest gossip online, laughing at things I didn't understand.

Actually, I wasn't completely excluded.

Every now and then, they'd ask me to pass them a bottle of water or open a bag of snacks.

That was about it.

Once we boarded, they finally put their phones away. With nothing else to do, they both fell asleep before I could get a word out.

Their heads rested close together, almost touching.

I watched them for a while, then swallowed the words I'd been rehearsing.

By the time we landed, it was late at night.

Brooke had left home in a short-sleeved top and a tiny skirt. The moment we stepped outside the airport, she wrapped her arms around herself and started shivering.

"It's freezing!"

She stamped her feet, trying to warm up.

I was about to ask if she was okay when Ethan took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"That's what you get for packing a bunch of useless stuff and forgetting a proper jacket, you idiot."

He grinned and tapped her nose.

Brooke blushed and swatted at him.

"Mind your own business!"

Ethan dodged her hand and jogged ahead, laughing.

"Too slow!"

"Ethan! Get back here!"

Brooke chased after him, laughing and calling his name.

I stood under the airport lights and watched them fool around like two kids who had forgotten anyone else was there.

I felt more and more like an outsider as I watched them.

By the time I dragged my suitcase over to them, they'd already hailed a cab and were waiting beside it.

"June, hurry up!" Brooke called. "Our ride's here."

Ethan took my suitcase and put it in the trunk.

Once we were inside, the two of them sat in the back and excitedly discussed the next day's plans.

"Whatever you want," Ethan kept saying. "I'm good with anything."

When they'd finally finished, he leaned forward and looked at me.

"June, is there anywhere you especially want to go?"

I glanced at Brooke's phone. Her itinerary was packed from eight in the morning until ten at night, with barely a free minute.

There wasn't much room for anything I might suggest.

I forced a smile.

"No. Your plans look great. I'll just follow along."

At the hotel, we checked in. Brooke and I shared a room with two beds, while Ethan had a room next door.

Sometime in the middle of the night, my phone vibrated on the nightstand.

I groggily reached for it.

Dana had messaged me.

[The team has developed a new version of the implant, and it may be more effective for your condition. If possible, I'd like you to come in earlier. The sooner, the better.]

I sat up, suddenly wide awake.

I'd almost forgotten that I still hadn't properly said goodbye to Ethan and Brooke.

I turned to wake Brooke and talk to her about leaving early.

But the bed beside mine was empty.

I blinked, then grabbed my phone and called her.

An automated message answered.

"We're sorry. The number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

I tried again. Nothing.

I went next door and knocked on Ethan's door, but there was no answer.

Worried, I pulled on a jacket and went down to the front desk.

"Hi. Have you seen my roommate? Her name's Brooke. I can't find her, and her phone isn't working."

The receptionist thought for a moment.

"I saw her heading toward the outdoor bar earlier with a man. You could try looking there."

I already knew who the man was.

I headed straight for the bar.

As I approached, I heard Brooke's voice carry over the music.

"If I'd told you I loved you before June did, would you have chosen me instead?"