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She shrugs. “Of all the places in the city. He had to be here.”
“Yeah, but you got to have the final word. That has to mean something, right?”
She lifts her eyes to the street ahead of us, squinting into the lights of the oncoming cars. “I didn’t have the final word though…did I?”
I remember Nick called out to her as she walked away. He’s just like the rest of us. He was referring to me, trying to convince her I’d try to use her the same way he did.
But it’s the furthest thing from the truth.
“You can’t trust a word he ever said to you,” I say with a bit of hesitancy I don’t intend.
Sophie shakes her shoulders as if trying to shrug off the topic completely. “Let’s be done talking about him. It’s time for me to move on.”
This time it’s my turn to stare at the ground as we walk. She’s right. Continuing to talk about Nick won’t do her any good. But she also needs to know that I’m not the guy he told her I am.
“What he said abou—” I begin.
“So, Leah already has plans to set me up with Dan’s cousin.” Sophie interrupts.
I quickly lift my gaze. Her big, warm eyes watch me anxiously, so I smile tightly and nod. “Dan, the bagel shop boyfriend Dan?”
“Well, he’s not her boyfriend yet. But yeah, his cousin is single. Lives in the city. It’s worth a try, right?” She shrugs, peering at me curiously.
I scratch my head, averting my eyes in defeat. “I’m sure he’s a good guy. And you deserve that.” My heart drops about fifty meters as I say it, but Sophie wants to move on. From Nick. And from me too, apparently. I can’t even blame her. In her shoes, I’d want a fresh start too.
But I don’t want her to move on. I want her to be mine.
She’s expressionless, gazing straight ahead. She nods and sucks in a deep breath. “Hey,” She turns to me with a small smile. “At least I made a really good friend at the end of all this, right? Thanks for that, Kai.”
I stare at her for a long moment. I have a thousand words on my mind, but none of them reach my lips. Is that really what you want, Sophie? To just be friends? It’s what I want to say, but instead, different words leave my mouth. They’re equally honest, but only reveal a fraction of the truth.
“You’ll always have my friendship, Sophie.”
TWENTY-THREE
Sophie
The sun shines brightly in the clear blue sky above the Conservatory Garden. Some of the trees are beginning to show little pink buds blowing gently in the breeze. We don’t have any shows today, and since it’s unseasonably warm, George let us have the afternoon off. Most everyone went home to relax or went out for drinks, but I’ve come to the garden instead.
It's a weekday in the late afternoon, so there aren’t many visitors in this part of the park. It’s just me, and the fountains, and the breeze. I stand in the place where Kai and I took photos a few weeks ago. I close my eyes and remember the warmth of the blanket wrapped around us. Our own little cocoon.
At the same time, my phone vibrates in my pocket, indicating a new text. I pull it out to see Kai’s name on the screen.
Kai:
You hungry? I’m thinking of grabbing something.
I type out a response.
Sophie:
Starving. I’ll come meet you at your hotel. Give me a few minutes.
Kai:
Where are you now? I can come to you. Tired of the restaurants on this strip anyway.
Sophie:
