It’s a worthwhile goal for someone who has loudly pronounced since we were twelve that the only vegetable worth eating was a potato, fried and loaded with cheese and bacon.
I sigh into my own fridge, closing the door because there’s only so long I can stare at leftover pad thai and a yogurt and pretend I have an appetite. Benji’s flight is tomorrow, and concentrating has been impossible today. Every second closer to seeing him makes the butterflies flutter faster.
“Well, I found this recipe for a squash, prosciutto, and sage quiche that looks amazing, but I couldn’t find a premade pie crust at the store, so I grabbed this flan one, which is basically the same thing?—”
Let’s hope.
“Then I got home and realized I have no idea how to cook squash, and it looks like a baby pumpkin, but I didn’t want to do it wrong, so …” She trails off.
I drop onto the couch, twisting to set my feet on the corner of my bed. The benefit of living in a tiny studio apartment is that everything is within reach. It’s nice—in a cramped way.
“Let me guess,” I say, smiling. “You watched one video, then got distracted by the guy who cleans pools.”
“His voice is so hot,” she whines. Something hits the counter, and I’d put money on it being her forehead. “Save me from the sexy pool man, please.”
I snort. “Bet you wouldn’t be saying that if he were there.”
“If he were here, I would have barricaded the door closed so no one could interrupt us.”
I’m laughing when my phone beeps with an incoming call. My heart leaps. “Hang on. Benji’s calling.”
It’s been seventeen days since he left—yes, I’m counting—and he promised he’d be here tomorrow; I don’t have any details on when. It’s driving me nuts.
“Fine, dump me for your boyfriend,” Skye teases, but there’s no malice behind it.
“I just need his flight details so I can surprise him at the airport.”
Seventeen days of staring across the alley at his shop and not seeing him. Only Chester, the sweet nineteen-year-old woodworker who Benji has agreed to tutor, who drops by Benji’s store to accept deliveries.
But no Benji.
“The reunion sex had better be mind-blowing if you call out tomorrow and make me run the shop by myself.”
I can feel my ears heating. We tradeI love yous, and then I rush to answer Benji’s call.
“Hi,” I say. Do I sound calm? I think I could buzz right out of my skin.
“Hey, I was just thinking about you.”
I melt at the familiar rumble of his voice. “What a coincidence.”
Somehow, his voice gets deeper. “Anything you’d like to share?”
The butterflies give way to a series of fireworks that set off up and down my spine. I think if I tried to stand right now, my knees would give out. I’ve missed him so much.
“You still haven’t told me what time to get to the airport to pick you up.”
“And I keep telling you that you don’t need to do that.”
“I know I don’t, but I want to.” Because we’re dating now, and that’s the kind of girlfriend I want to be. Idon’t want to wait through baggage claim or traffic or anything else to see him. I need him here now.
“I know. It’s just … I won’t be there.”
My stomach falls. “Oh.”
A knock sounds at my door, but I can’t move. All I can do is stare at a fraying seam on my pajamas and wonder how I got this so wrong.
“I thought—I mean …” My voice catches.Say it. “Do you not want to see me?”
