Chapter 36: Drake

Drake’s eyes hungrily read over the words Lydia wrote him, he could feel his heart breaking once he got towards the end. Lydia loved him, but she didn’t think he loved her in return. How, after all this time, after all the chemistry between them, could she still possibly think that this was an act, a charade of sorts.

Drake immediately called the front desk, asking them to get a cab there immediately, he quickly packed an over night bag, and then pulled up flight info on his phone as he waited downstairs for the taxi. The earliest flight to New York didn’t leave for another hour. He still had time. If luck was with him, he’d make it to the airport before Lydia left. He couldn’t lose her. If he lost Lydia his entire world would shatter.

Drake began to pace the lobby floor. Where the fuck was that taxi he ordered. He had already been waiting twenty minutes in the lobby, and had spent at least ten upstairs getting ready before heading down. There’s no way it should take thirty fucking minutes for a taxi to get to a high end resort. He ran his hand through his hair, which had grown longer than the length he normally kept it. He inhaled a deep breath trying to calm himself down before he walked over to the front desk receptionist again.

“Is there an ETA on the driver yet?” Drake asked, his stress evident in his eyes.

“I’m sorry Mr. Whittenberg, like I told you five minutes ago. The dispatch told me their taxi driver was stuck in traffic, the was a terrible accident on the one way road that leads towards the resort.”

Drake knew which road the receptionist was talking about, and it unfortunately was the only road to take to get to the resort, just one way in and one way out. He turned and walked away from the desk, not wanting the receptionist to see the tears that were quickly forming in his eyes. He took out his phone and tried to dial Lydia again. It went straight to voicemail. She’d either turned off her phone or had put his number on do not disturb.

“Lydia, it’s Drake, Babe, I need you to call me back, please. Its important. There’s something I need to tell you. Our story can’t end like this. That picture, it’s out of context. Please just let me explain. I can’t lose you.” Drake said leaving yet another voicemail message, his voice cracking at the end.

By the time the taxi arrived, it was five minutes past the departure of Lydia’s flight. Drake sent a quick text over to Samuel letting him know that he was headed back to the states, but he’d try his hardest to make it to the Bahamas before the wedding. Samuel, of course being the most forgiving of spirits just responded back telling Drake to go and get his girl. Drake didn’t how how or why he was blessed with Samuel as a brother, but he knew he was damn lucky to have him by his side.

Drake booked the red eye flight back to New York as the taxi zoomed down the road heading towards the airport. The traffic was no longer backed up, almost every sign of the accident clear, only a few shards of leftover glass and metal remained, pushed off the road and into the bushes. Drake could tell by the remnants of the scene that it had been a fatal accident. He felt his hurt lurch in his chest. Once again a family was left with one of their family members snatched away from them, without a chance to say goodbye or adjust to them leaving this world. Drake swore right then and there that he would not let Lydia get away without confessing his feelings to her, he wouldn’t let her leave until he got a chance to tell her that he was in love with her and that he had been in love with her since the moment she sat in his foyer drinking Malbec with him. He would let her leave until she gave him the chance to say goodbye. Drake knew life was too short to not take chances, and with Lydia he was prepared to take that leap of faith.

Once he arrived at the airport, getting through security was a breeze, he was waiting by his gate within a matter of minutes, giving him thirty minutes of time to think and plan before he had to board his flight. He sent an email to Grace, asking her to book a car to meet Lydia at the airport. He also sent a text to Marvin asking him to track Lydia’s whereabouts; yes it sounded fucking creepy and a tad stalker-ish, maybe even an insy bit psychotic, but Drake wasn’t about to take the chance a losing his girl. New York was a big city and he didn’t want to have to go door to door in search for his Queen. Although he would if it was the only way he could get her back. He’d march to every door, carrying one of her damn heels, and try it on every eligible women, just like the Princess from Cinderella, if it meant Lydia would finally realize how dear to him she actually was. The last email Drake sent was to the hospital. He wanted the staff to alert him immediately if there were any changes to Ms. Hunt care. And he informed them that under absolutely no circumstances was anyone, beside himself, allowed to make payments towards Ms. Hunt’s medical.

Just as the first class tickets are called for board, Drake tucks his laptop into his overnight bag and boards the plane. It’s dark outside, and he’s hoping he’ll be able to squeeze in a few hours of sleep before he arrives at New York, but his nerves were too fried for that. His thoughts kept racing with what if questions, through out the entire night, finally he gave up on the idea of sleeping and had the stewardess bring him a rum and coke, with a side car of rum on the side, hoping that being slightly inebriated would help with calming his nerves.

By the time the flight landed Drake had a pretty good buzz. He turned his phone off airplane mode and was shocked to see that Lydia had actually texted him. Opening his messages he tried his hardest not to burst out laughing with tears.

***REALLY DRAKE! YOU THINK YOU’RE SO FUCKING CLEVER DON’T YOU. SENDING YOUR PEOPLE TO KIDNAP ME.***

And then the next one…

***Drake, I need you to understand that I am not just some property that can be bought. I LEFT. PLEASE GET IT THROUGH THAT BIG GOD DAMN BRAIN OF YOURS that I am not yours, I’ve never truly been yours.***

And the last message.

***Grace, she looks like a angel, but I swear this woman is Lucifer reincarnated. She’s dragged me to work with her, after waking me up at four fucking thirty in the morning, saying the best time to start your day is to wake up early and mediate. Then the old broad had the audacity to shove her finger into my chest and tell me to open my damn eyes. Clearly, she doesn’t understand our situation and that there is NO YOU AND I. That our entire relationship is one grand lie, that you’ll probably win most dramatic scene or some shit like that.***

Drake cringes a little when he reads the last part of the message. Her capitalization of NO YOU AND I made it perfectly clear that Lydia was one hundred percent over this relationship, but Drake had to take the risk, he had to prove to Lydia that she wasn’t just another notch on his bedpost. He would prove to her and show her that she was his girl, and that he was her guy. He needed her to know that she was end game for him. She was the woman he wanted at his side for every charity gala, that she was the woman he wanted to hold in his arms every night and wake up with every morning.

As soon as the flight attend gives the okay, Drake exits onto the tarmac and speed walks to the front of the airport. There waiting out front, stands Marvin with keys in his hand. As soon as Drake is seated in the car Marvin starts up conversation immediately about Amelia’s case. He wanted to know how far Drake had gotten into reading the file he had left for him, and if he’d been able to get more information from the other side. After being grilled and interrogated for what seemed like an hour, Marvin pulled up into Drake’s office building.

“Just be careful man.” Marvin replies, leaning over and tapping Drake on the shoulder, the closest affection Drake has sene that man use on anyone.

“And let me know id you need anything,” He glances down to my rock hard member, before looking into my eyes and winking at me, “You know where to find me.“

Drake puts that comment to the back of his mind, saving it to think about later. Right now he just needed to see his beautiful blond eyed beauty. When Drake entered his office suite, he burst out laughing.