Her Rejected Mate

6 - Final Goodbye

Teagan

    As soon as my alarm went off, I shot out of bed like a rocket, but I didn't turn the alarm off until Tamara started groaning for the noise to stop.  At that point, I turned the alarm off and enthusiastically chirped, "Rise and shine, sis!  It's time to see the world!"

    "How in the f**k are you so peppy this damn early?" she grumbled in frustration.

    "How are you not?  We finally get to leave this pack!  Come on, Tamara.  I thought this was what you wanted," I whined at her.

    She incoherently grumbled something else, as she kicked the blanket off of her, then she climbed out of bed and stomped to the bathroom.  She was always a little moody when she first woke up, but she seemed especially moody this particular morning.

    I wasn't sure if she didn't sleep well, or if she was having second thoughts about leaving.  If it was the latter, it would have definitely been because of Dustin.  However, when she returned from the bathroom, she was more awake and there was a smile on her face.  

    I had no intention of changing since we would be in the car for the next three days, but I did go to the bathroom and brushed my teeth before I ran the hairbrush through my hair.  I knew if I didn't give my hair a good brush through, it would become a tangled mess in no time.

    By the time I rejoined Tamara in the bedroom, she had changed out of her satin pajamas into a pair of light gray sweatpants and a baggy, dark blue t-shirt that smelled like Dustin.  She was tying the shoelaces of her sneakers, while quietly humming one of her favorite melodies, and that made my smile widened.    

    I slid my feet into a pair of white flip-flops, then I grabbed my red cardigan and pulled it on.  With both of us ready to leave, we grabbed our blanket and pillows off the bed along with our purses and cellphones, then we headed downstairs.

    Our parents were standing in the kitchen drinking coffee, and they appeared to be plenty awake.  When we came into their view, they both flashed us a smile before my dad excitedly asked, "Are you girls ready to go kick some ass?"

    "Hell yeah," we both chirped in unison, and that instantly made our parents chuckle.

    After that, they hurried to finished their coffee, then we all walked together to my dad's suburban.  I wasn't the least bit surprised to see Dustin leaning against it, but clearly everybody else was a little surprised.

    Tamara rushed ahead of us and attempted to discreetly whisper, "What are you doing here?  We said our goodbyes last night."

    Naturally, we all could hear what she said, and I could see the wheels turning in my dad's head.  He didn't look at all pleased about Dustin being there, but he didn't say a word to him.  Instead, he walked past them and hopped in the driver's seat, while my mum got comfortable on the front passenger seat.

    As I got closer to Tamara, I heard Dustin affectionately say, "I had to see you one more time before you leave.  I need you to know that I love you, Tamara.  Promise you will come back to me if you don't find your mate there."

    Tamara dropped her stuff on the ground, then she cupped his cheeks in her palms and gazed into his eyes, as she warily replied, "I love you, too, Dustin, but I can't make that promise."

    "Please, Tamara.  Life won't be the same without you here," he pleaded with sincerity.

    I didn't want to intrude on their moment, so I tossed my stuff in the backseat, then I reached down and scooped Tamara's stuff into my arms.  After that, I swiftly climbed onto the backseat, but I left the door open in case Tamara needed to make a hasty escape from Dustin.  

    They exchanged a few more hushed words, then the sound of them kissing filled the quiet morning air.  After close to thirty seconds, I poked my head out to see Tamara pinned against the side of the suburban with her limbs wrapped around Dustin.  They were sharing a very intimate kiss, and it didn't look like they had any intention of stopping anytime soon.

    I cleared my throat, then I sassily stated, "Quit sucking each other's faces.  Tamara, it's time to get on the road."

    Tamara tightened her limbs around him, then she placed one more kiss on his lips before she mumbled, "I am gonna miss you, Dustin.  Take care of yourself."

    "You take care of yourself, and be careful during the battle," he immediately replied, then he gave her another kiss.  A second later, he carried her the few steps over and placed her on the backseat beside me.  

    The second he started to pull away, Tamara pulled him back to her and kissed him again, then she softly murmured, "Don't wait for me, Dustin."  

    As soon as the last word left her mouth, she gently shoved him out of the way and quickly slammed the door shut, then she buried her face in the palms of her hands.  I knew she was trying to hide her tears, which meant she was feeling some kind of way about leaving Dustin behind.

    When I glanced out the window, Dustin was still standing there, and he also had tears glistening in his eyes.  It was honestly kind of sad to see them both so upset, and it made me question if leaving was the right choice.

    However, my dad had no second thoughts, and he was quick to put the Suburban in reverse and get it turned around.  Meanwhile, I wrapped my arms around Tamara and pulled her down so she was resting her head on my lap.

    I could feel the moisture from her tears on my bare legs, and it was almost enough to break my heart.  I knew she had feelings for Dustin, but I hadn't realized the sheer magnitude of those feelings until that moment.

    Tamara continued to silently weep for the next few hours, while I gently played with her in an attempt to cheer her up.  She had always liked when I did that, but it didn't seem to be helping much.

    As soon as my mum glanced back and saw Tamara crying, she was quick to open our mind link and ask, 'What's wrong with your sister?'

    Right away, I linked back, 'I think she is in love with Dustin.'

    'How did we not know this?' my mum asked in disbelief.

    'You know Tamara doesn't like to talk about her feelings.  She didn't even tell me that, but it's more than obvious,' I informed my mum through the link.

    I heard my mum sigh from the front seat, then she turned around again and reached back to grab ahold of Tamara's hand that was resting on my knee.  After she gave Tamara's hand a little squeeze, she considerately asked, "Honey, do we need to turn around and take you back so you can be with Dustin?"

    Tamara sniffled a few times, then she cleared her throat and adamantly stated, "No.  That is not an option.  Dustin isn't my mate, and I need to put some space between us for both of our sake."

    "Okay, honey.  Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you with this transition," my mum thoughtfully replied, then she let go of Tamara's hand and faced forward again.

    My twin finally got her emotions under control after a few more minutes, then we spent the rest of the day talking about anything but Dustin.  We did our best not to go stir crazy on the ride, and my dad helped by making a few extra stops, so we could all get out and stretch our legs.