“Early,” he adds, and I laugh.
Sybil’s likely in Aus, seventeen hours ahead of us, which will make an early morning call from us, middle of the night for her.
I hand him my beer. “Cheers, Arch.”
“Yeah.” He gulps down the beer I’ve hardly touched.
Doesn’t matter. No amount of alcohol could have touched the convo I had with Cal that’s on repeat in my head. The more it plays, the more I think Piper may be right about me running.
My reason was valid. I ran from Cal to avoid breaking him.
Problem is, I’ve landed right back in the only place that ever broke me, and I wouldn’t mind having someone as steady as Cal to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
And, as if reading my mind, a message pops up from him.
Chapter 19
Cal
It’s late by the time I work up the nerve to text Frankie.
You okay?
I don’t expect her to answer, but dots immediately appear under my message.
Alright. Cheers. In L.A. at Archie’s.
I breathe a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t answer if she was with her ex. I guess I was more worried about that than I realized, even after she told me it was over between them. Kayla told me the same about her ex, but it wasn’t true.
I remind myself what Mom told me—Frankie’s not Kayla—then text her back.
Glad you made it safe. Planning to seeyour dad?
Not sure yet.
Good luck
I type, then pause before adding
I miss you
I hit send before I can change my mind.
Dots appear. Disappear. Reappear.
Then, finally, a message.
Miss you too.
I smile.
Another message quickly follows.
Good night.
I don’t have an opening to say anything more than my own good night.
Except it’s not. I toss and turn all night, wondering if it’s too late to convince Frankie to come back. There’s a distance between us that goes beyond miles. I feel it in her short answers. Hergood nightfeels like more of a goodbye than her kiss earlier today.
