I take the seat next to her and spin her by the knees to face me.
“I want you to come with me.”
“To Manhattan?”
“Yeah. We can raise the baby there, and there will be so many more opportunities as they grow up. I can fly you back here anytime to see your family and friends or them to see you, whatever you want.”
“That’s how badly you want to go back?”
“I do.”
The silence kills me. What else can I tell her about where I’m from?
“Yeah, Wyoming is great, too, but the East Coast, being near the water, is just refreshing. I know the people there have a bad rep for being cranky, but they are all pretty great. It’s a place filled with dreams and goals. The whole vibe is motivating.”
That’s what you go with?
“I’ve never been.”
“Well, maybe that should change.”
She falls silent again, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that I ruined the night, but I couldn’t keep it from her any longer. Waiting this long was risky as it was. I should probably stop while I’m ahead, and she hasn’t outright said no.
“Should we take these snacks into the living room with milk?”
She nods, but I’m not sure she knows what she’s nodding to. She seems in a daze.
Still, she stands and moves to the couch.
I watch her for a moment.
Her reaction wasn’t what I thought it was. She almost has no reaction, and honestly, I don’t think that’s a good sign.
What will I do if she doesn’t want to come?
CHAPTER EIGHT
Mark
Another week has flown by and I’m really enjoying my time with Syd, but I can tell there is some unspoken vibe between us since I told her I wanted to move back to Manhattan. I should have rehearsed what to say or at least thought ahead about it more rather than blurting it out.
I don’t think I sold her on the idea very well.
Anyway, when I came back from coffee with Ms. Coraline, who is leaving this afternoon to visit her sister in Florida through mid-May, I wasn’t surprised that Syd had already left for class.
Taking her lead—and maybe I might find her, because let’s face it, I’m drawn to her—I head toward the campus library to study.
I definitely am not expecting to find Winston sitting at the first table.
“Hey,” I basically whisper as I sit across from him. “Do you come here a lot in the morning?”
He nods. “Something about the setting makes me focus better.”
I could see that.
“What about you? I didn’t even know you knew where the library was.”
I let out a soft laugh. “I guess we all have different ways of studying.”
