Chapter 9 — The Promise
1572 Words
Toba was awake before his alarm.
He had barely slept.
The decision to return to Westvale had seemed simple the night before. Now that morning had arrived, he found himself staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything he would have to say.
He had been gone almost a month.
A month.
He reached for his phone on the bedside table.
Amara's name was still there.
He opened their messages and scrolled through the last few conversations. Most of them were ordinary—small jokes, complaints about assignments, arguments over something neither of them had cared about five minutes later.
He stopped at the last message.
He had been the one who said he would call.
Toba locked the phone.
There was no point thinking about it anymore.
He was going back.
At breakfast, his grandfather was already reading through the day's reports.
“You're leaving today?”
Toba looked up from his coffee. “Tomorrow morning.”
His grandfather lowered the newspaper.
“I thought you said you would stay until the end of the month.”
“I've stayed almost a month.”
“That isn't the same thing.”
Toba smiled slightly. “I have exams.”
His grandfather gave him a look.
“You've suddenly remembered you're a student?”
“I never forgot.”
“You certainly seemed to.”
Toba laughed under his breath.
His grandfather returned his attention to the newspaper.
For a few seconds, neither spoke.
Then his grandfather said, “You're better at this than I expected.”
Toba glanced at him.
“At Crownspire?”
“At understanding it.”
The compliment was quiet, almost reluctant.
Toba smiled.
“I told you I could learn.”
“You told me you didn't want to.”
“That too.”
His grandfather shook his head.
“You'll come back after your exams.”
Toba hesitated.
He had expected the request.
“I'll see.”
His grandfather looked at him over the top of the newspaper.
“That means no.”
“It means I'll see.”
“You've always been difficult.”
“I learned from you.”
That earned a brief smile.
It was one of the few peaceful conversations they'd had since Toba arrived.
But as Toba left the table, his thoughts were already somewhere else.
Westvale.
Amara.
He had spent nearly a month learning how to handle a company while somehow failing to handle one simple phone call.
He wasn't proud of that.
By noon, he had finished the last of the work his grandfather had assigned him.
He closed the file and leaned back in his chair.
For once, there was nothing waiting on the desk.
His grandfather had arranged for someone else to take over the remaining meetings until his return.
Toba checked his flight.
The earliest available one was the following morning.
He booked it.
Then he stared at the confirmation for several seconds.
Tomorrow.
He was actually going back.
Nathan found him later that afternoon packing.
“So you're really leaving.”
Toba looked over his shoulder.
“You sound surprised.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“Because you've been saying that for weeks.”
Toba gave him a look.
Nathan grinned.
“Relax. I'm happy for you.”
Toba folded another shirt into his bag.
“I just need to talk to her.”
Nathan leaned against the doorway.
“That's all?”
“What else?”
“I don't know. You're the one who disappeared for a month.”
“I didn't disappear.”
Nathan raised an eyebrow.
Toba sighed.
“Fine. I disappeared.”
“Good. At least you know.”
Toba zipped the bag.
Nathan's expression softened.
“You really care about her.”
Toba didn't answer immediately.
He thought about Amara laughing in the library. Her habit of stealing his pens and pretending she hadn't. The way she argued with him even when she knew he was right. The way she could make an ordinary afternoon feel less ordinary.
“Yes,” he said finally.
Nathan nodded.
“Then stop thinking about what you're going to say and just talk to her.”
Toba picked up his jacket.
“That sounds easy.”
“It is.”
“You're not the one doing it.”
Nathan laughed.
“Exactly.”
The following morning, Toba left before sunrise.
He watched the city disappear behind him through the car window on the way to the airport.
A month ago, he had left Westvale believing he would only be away for a few days.
He had been wrong.
This time, he wasn't making promises about how long he would stay.
He was simply going back.
The flight seemed longer than it should have.
Toba spent most of it looking out the window, occasionally checking his phone.
He opened Amara's contact several times.
Each time, he stopped himself.
He wanted to see her first.
He wanted to apologize properly.
He wanted to know if she was angry.
Mostly, he wanted to see her face.
When he finally arrived in Westvale, the familiar surroundings felt strangely unfamiliar.
Students moved through the campus carrying books, talking loudly, rushing toward classes.
Everything looked almost exactly as he remembered.
Except he had been gone long enough for it to feel different.
Toba walked toward the main courtyard.
He hadn't told Amara he was back.
He wasn't even sure how he would find her.
Then he spotted Sophie.
She was standing outside one of the academic buildings with two other students.
Toba slowed.
Sophie noticed him almost immediately.
Her expression changed.
“Toba?”
He smiled awkwardly.
“Hi.”
She stared at him.
“You're back.”
“Apparently.”
Sophie crossed her arms.
“You've been gone.”
“I know.”
“For weeks.”
“I know.”
“And you didn't call.”
Toba rubbed the back of his neck.
“I was going to.”
Sophie gave him a look that made him wish Nathan were there.
“You really haven't changed.”
Toba laughed softly.
“Is Amara around?”
The question erased the amusement from Sophie's face.
She studied him for a moment.
“Why?”
“Because I want to talk to her.”
Sophie looked away.
“She has classes.”
“Where?”
“Why?”
Toba frowned.
“Sophie.”
She looked back at him.
“You could have called her.”
“I know.”
“Then why didn't you?”
Toba didn't have an answer that sounded good enough.
Sophie seemed to realize that.
She sighed.
“She's been busy too.”
“With what?”
“Everything.”
There was something in the way she said it that made Toba curious, but before he could ask, one of the students beside her called her name.
Sophie glanced toward the building.
“I have to go.”
“Wait.”
She turned.
“Is she okay?”
Sophie looked at him for a long second.
“Yes.”
The answer should have relieved him.
Instead, Toba found himself wondering why she had hesitated.
Before he could ask anything else, Sophie walked away.
Toba stood there for a moment.
Then he looked toward the courtyard.
Students were gathering around noticeboards covered with announcements.
One poster caught his attention.
WESTVALE END-OF-SEMESTER FAREWELL
The date was only a few days away.
Toba stared at it.
He remembered how Amara had talked about the event weeks ago. She had wanted to attend, mostly because Sophie insisted.
He smiled.
Maybe he would see her there.
Or maybe he should find her before then.
He took out his phone.
This time, he didn't open her contact.
He walked toward the library instead.
It had been one of their usual places.
Maybe she'd be there.
The library was quieter than he remembered.
Toba walked between the shelves, scanning the tables.
Nothing.
He checked another floor.
Still nothing.
He almost laughed at himself.
Of course she wasn't going to be sitting in the same place simply because he had decided to come looking for her.
He left the library and stood outside.
His phone was still in his hand.
This time, he opened Amara's contact.
His thumb hovered over the call button.
He could do it.
He should.
But after nearly a month of silence, suddenly calling her felt harder than it had when he first left.
What if she was angry?
What if she didn't want to hear from him?
What if—
Toba shook his head.
He was overthinking again.
He put the phone away.
He would see her at the farewell.
He would talk to her then.
That evening, Toba returned home feeling strangely restless.
He had finally come back to Westvale.
He had found the university.
He had found Sophie.
But he hadn't found Amara.
He stood by the window of his room and looked down at the lights outside.
For weeks, he had imagined what it would be like to return.
Now that he was finally there, he realized something uncomfortable.
Coming back had been the easy part.
Facing Amara was going to be harder.
He smiled faintly.
“Tomorrow,” he whispered.
But this time, he wasn't talking about a phone call.
He was talking about seeing her.
And he had no idea that the farewell party would give him that chance sooner than he expected.
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