Find My Heart - Chapter 41: Chapter 41

Joel
"He's what?"
"He's gone home," Cole said sheepishly.
"When? Why?" I said, feeling a pit of dred settle in my stomach.
I knew I shouldn't have left him. Every bone in my body screamed at me not to leave him this morning. But did I listen? No! And now he was at least another 3 hours drive away.
Sebastian had asked me to come into work this morning and Nathan had practically dragged me there. We just needed to fill in some more paperwork, and I had to message all the members of Flow to officially close down the group.
I'd been gone for just 5 hours. 5 hours that had felt like 500 without him by my side. I ached for him, desperate to feel the comfort I got from just being near him, and now he was gone. And my heart felt like it was breaking.
"Hey, Joel, it'll be ok," Cole said, lightly rubbing my back. "He couldn't remember what happened that night, and he has no idea that you were even there. You just need to go and talk to him."
"Yes, you're right," I said, suddenly jumping into action.
Three hours, that was all. Three hours and I could be in his arms again.
But how would he take it? I didn't want to just rock up and be all like, 'Hi Casper, remember me? The one who you said you never wanted to see again? Well, funny story, but it turns out I am your mate after all.'
Never mind, I had three hours to plan what to say.
"Can I come with you?" piped up a voice from next to me.
I turned to look at Cole.
"Hmm, is this because you want to meet Lyla?"
"No, I just want to be able to offer support to my friend. If I happen to see Lyla while I'm there, well that's just a bonus."
I narrowed my eyes at him, then passed him my phone.
"Call your dad. If he says it's ok, you can come."
I went upstairs and packed my things quickly. By the time I got downstairs, I heard Cole finishing his phone call, a huge smile on his face.
"He said I can go! My dad and Nathan are going to drive up later and meet us there."
"Great, hurry up and grab your stuff because I'm leaving in 5," I said, heading outside to put my things in my car.
In just 4 minutes Cole was in my car buckling up, a ridiculous, excited grin on his face.
"So," said Cole after we'd been driving for some time, "what are you going to say to Casper?"
"I have an idea," I said, taking my hand briefly off the steering wheel to feel for the pin that was in my pocket, "but I'm going to need some help."
Cole cocked his head slightly to one side, "how can I help?"
"Well, first, we're going to have to enlist the help of Lyla and Mark. Are you ready to meet your sister?"
I pulled into the small village that I grew up in, feeling overwhelmingly nostalgic.
I may have already been back to Blackwood Manor, but I avoided the village. I wasn't sure if I'd be welcomed, not by my family, of course they would welcome me, but I still wasn't sure how Casper would feel about me coming back.
Now it was different. Even though I was still nervous about his reaction, I was his mate. That had to mean something, right?
Word had got back to my mum and dad that I was alive and working with Sebastian against the hunters, but I hadn't had spoken to either of them myself since I left.
"Is it ok if we stop at my parent's first?" I asked Cole.
"Yes, of course you can," Cole said, and so I pulled into my old street.
It was like stepping back in time. Nothing had changed, well not really. I noticed a few new plants in the front garden, and it looked like Dad had finally got round to painting the gate which was now a dark green instead of brown.
I walked up the front path vaguely aware that Cole was following me.
I was about to knock when I heard a voice from inside,
"I'll only be about 10 minutes," my dad shouted, then the door opened.
"Oh sorry, I didn't...........Joel?!"
"Hi Dad," I said raising my hand to give a small wave.
"Joel?" he said again, clearly in shock.
"What's going on?" my mum said, coming to the front door. "Oh my goodness, Joel!" she said, throwing her arms around me and pulling me in tightly for a much needed hug.
My dad joined in, and soon I found myself being squeezed from all sides.
I closed my eyes and revelled in the feeling of warmth and love that radiated off them.
It made me both happy and sad. Happy because I was finally home, but sad because it made me miss Casper all the more.
"And who's this?" my mum said, pulling away and smiling at Cole who was stood awkwardly to one side shuffling from one foot to another.
I chuckled at his awkwardness.
"This is Cole. He's a friend and Nathan's mate,"
"Oh," my mum said, her eyebrows raising in surprise. "Nice to meet you Cole," my mum said before pulling him in for a hug.
My mum had always been that sort of person. Cole clearly wasn't as he flashed me a look of panic while standing with his arms pinned firmly by his side.
"Leave off him mum," I said laughing, "you'll scare him away!"
"He's Nathan's mate, surely nothing can scare him," my dad shot back without thinking.
"He's actually not that scary," Cole mumbled, and I gave my dad a stern look for insulting his mate.
"I'm sorry," my dad said clearly still amused, "you'll do him good Cole, I'm sure."
"Anyway, come in, come in," my mum said, ushering us both into the house.
It was so good to be home, yet it felt strange. Strange to be a guest in a house you once considered your own.
"I'm so pleased everything turned out well the other night," my mum said. "We've been living on our nerves for the past year. Anyway Joel, how've you been? Oh goodness it's been so long since we've seen you, and look at you, look at him Mike, he's not my little boy anymore."
"I've not been your little boy for a long time," I grumbled, slightly embarrassed by my mum's word vomit, but loving it all the same.
The front door suddenly flew open and an out of breath Lyla came bursting into the lounge.
"You're here!" she shrieked, throwing her arms round my neck. "You're back! Are you back for good now?" she asked.
"How did you know?" I asked suppressing my laughter.
"Mrs Rose saw you getting out of the car and she told Melvin at the shop and he told my mum who told me."
"Wow, I forgot what it was like to live in a village." I chuckled.
Lyla's gaze suddenly found Cole sitting frozen in the corner, his eyes wide like an owl's.
"Ah, yes," I said, getting up. "This wasn't as planned, but Lyla, this is your brother, Cole."
Lyla froze, and just stared at Cole with her mouth slightly open. I looked over at Cole who had the exact same look.
"Wow, you really are twins!" I said, laughing.
Cole seemed to snap out of it first, and stood up and walked over to Lyla.
"Hey," he said, "I've been dying to meet you, ever since my dad, no our dad told me about you."
"Yeah, mum only told me about you last week. It's kind of crazy isn't it?"
As I was watching them tentatively getting to know each other, my chest continued to get tighter and tighter.
How many hours had it been since I last saw Casper?
It was too many. Way too many.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I really need to go find Casper. Lyla, can you come and help?"
"Casper?" my mum said, "Why are you looking for Casper?"
"Errm," I said, not sure how to say it.
I saw Cole nodding at me to encourage me to continue.
"I'm, well, erm, I'm kind of his mate."
"What?!"
"How?!"
My mum and dad said at the same time.
"I haven't really got time to explain right now, but I will, I promise," I said, backing out of the door.
"Joel?" My mum shouted.
"Later!" I shouted heading out of the front door, with Lyla and Cole hot on my heels.
"So what's the plan?" asked Lyla.
"Shoot!" I said remembering something important. "I need to go and ask my mum for something, just wait here for a second."
I managed to get what I needed and extract myself away from her endless questions once more, and the three of us headed off to Blackwood manor, first to meet up with Mark, then to put my plan into action.