“Huh?”
“By not talking to Francesca, by leaving her alone and dooming myself to an eternity of what ifs. I’m doing the right thing, right?” Saying it out loud didn’t convince me of anything. I sounded stupid. As a Lawyer who relies on very specific analytical skills and a sharp attention to detail that wasn’t great. “AmI an idiot?”
Beth rubbed at her eyes, yawned, and kicked her legs out from under the covers. “You mean, for not immediately marrying the hot Italian? Probably.”
I slumped into the cushions I’d tossed into a pile on the floor the night before. Beth sat staring at me in disbelief as I hada meltdown.
“I’m going to text her.”
“Absolutely not.” Beth jumped from her position and ripped the phone from my hand at lightning speed. I hated that she could do that, she’d always been so agileand nimble.
“What the hell?”
“You’re not texting Francesca. Anything you say whilst you’re in this weird mood isdangerous.”
“Beth, give me my phone back.” The next two minutes resembled our university sorority style pillow fights, except there were never any actual pillows involved, or sororities; it was just a fight for who got the last slice of pizza, and shealways won.
“Holly—stop acting like a crazy person!” She scrambled free and launched herself onto the bed to safety. “Hear meout. Okay?”
“Fine.” I rubbed at my arm; the red mark was already glowing. She was freakishly strong.
“I think you need to take the next two weeks to think about what you want. Don’t make decisions based on a 4 a.m. phone call from Paula, who, let’s be honest, is a blabber mouth and adds extra drama into every story.”
It was true. I loved Paula, but she was a blabber mouth. Just last year she was told in the strictest confidence that Jason, one of the other paralegals was dating Mr. West’s daughter. The next day everyone in the office knew. Apparently, Mr. West didn’t even have a daughter, and Jason was having an affair with Mellissa from two floors down; his wife who worked on the same floor wasn’t too pleased when she found out.
“What if it’s too late? What if I’ve spent the last twelve months avoiding the love of my life?” It was a long shot. I’ve read enough books and watched enough movies to know when you know you know.
“Does she feel like the love of your life?”Beth asked.
I shook my head.
“Well then, another couple of weekswon’t hurt.”
“I hate that you’re always right.” I smack my hands into the pillows like a child.
“You see this phone? I’m confiscating it.” She tucked it into the waistband ofher pyjamas.
“You are joking, right? I’m not a child,” I said whilst sulking—like a child.
“I don’t care. It stays with me until you can be trusted to use it appropriately.”
I could jump on the bed and wrestle her for it, but she was pregnant, and she’d still tangle her body in a way that would make MMA fighters recoil, and then beat my ass as always.
“Fine,” I admitted defeat.
“Glad we cleared that up. Let’s get some breakfast and figure out what we’re doing with our day, shall we?”
Beth skipped off towardsthe kitchen.
I followed.
It was time to plan an itinerary. Distractions were exactly what I needed.
CHAPTER FIVE
We drove from Beth’s apartment in Hatagaya to a place called Asakusa; the journey was only twenty-five minutes. Asakusa was known for being the spiritual heart of Tokyo. Our first stop was Senso-ji Temple. Picture big red pillars, giant lanterns, and a bustling crowd of tourists. We didn’t stay in the vicinity for long; the crowds were overwhelming.
Instead, we took a trip through the neighbourhood of Ueno. Beth dragged me down a shopping street called Nakamise.
