Page 80 of Pining for You

“Oh, Bosley.” She lets out the tiniest ironic laugh. “Look, there’s something else you should know. I appreciate how sensitive you’ve been about next year, wanting to make sure I don’t feel left behind. Obviously I hate the idea of us all being apart. But we approach our anxiety about the future differently. I think you try to hold on to what we have until the future comes. For me, it’s more about planning for what is unavoidable. Being away from you guys is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through. So I had to be proactive.”

My heart aches at the thought.

“Okay, what does that mean, exactly?” I ask, though I’m not sure I want the answer.

“Honestly, at first I didn’t want to admit how scared I was about you guys leaving. But then one day, I was talking to Seichi…”

“Awww!” I start, but she holds up a Don’t even hand.

“Just listen, Bosley.”

I mime lip-zipping, and let her finish.

“Anyway, I told him what I was afraid of, and he really listened, and then a few days later he let me know he told his father, which was like, horrifying. But… something kind of amazing came of that conversation, and, well, tomorrow is my last day at Cooper.”

“What?” It’s a good thing we’re in a crowded bar, because I shout the word so loud that Diya looks around to see if we’ve caused a scene, but thankfully no one notices.

“B, I love the farm, you know that. But Seichi’s dad offered me a job. A really cool one. For his gardening business, he asked if I’d be willing to spearhead a whole new project—an operation to reduce unnecessary tree removal and promote long-term canopy growth. We’re going to focus on native tree restoration and help people choose species that will survive changing weather patterns. I’m calling it the Tree Health & Longevity Division,” she says with a two-handed flourish, like she’s holding up a sign. “I’ll get to start in the spring, but I’m going to take the next few months off to really prepare for it. It’s… kind of a dream.”

At the word dream, she literally lifts up on her tippy-toes. She’s practically levitating, and her eyes are glowing, she’s so happy, so I really want to show up for her with commensurate enthusiasm—despite that I don’t quite feel it.

“Damn, Diya, that’s incredible!” I eke out with as much gusto as I’ve got, and give her a high five that turns into another hug.

“Thanks, B,” she says mid-hug, but something else dawns on me, and I pull back.

“Wait, why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Honestly? I was afraid you’d be mad at me.”

“What? Why?” I ask reflexively.

“B,” she says, and just stares at me. “We all know you’re not exactly a fan of change… or things not going according to, uh, script.”

I frown now, because is it so unreasonable that I just want us to be together?

“Well, I’m not trying to control everyone—I just want us to stay close, ya know?”

“I do. And we all do, B, really. But it’s just… we all have ideas for our own characters too, I guess.”

I pause, trying to reconcile how much I love Diya and want her to be happy, with the fact that she thought her sharing her happiness would make me mad. Then something else occurs to me.

“Man, I’ve been getting you all wrong lately. I figured you might be freaking out over not getting back tonight. But I guess it’s a little less critical that you keep your job at Cooper…”

“Wellllll, you’re not entirely wrong about the wanting to be home part,” she says. “I was hoping to see Seichi.”

“Yes!” I shout, cheering up at this pivot. “I knew it! You love him!”

Diya’s light brown cheeks flush poinsettia red. “Okay, settle down,” she says. “Love is a little extreme. But… I guess I do have a thing.”

“A crush,” I clarify.

She shakes her head, but her smile says one thousand percent.

“The precursor to love. A prerequisite for the master class.”

She rolls her eyes. “Anyway, we were supposed to hang out tonight. Well, technically tomorrow morning. Like two a.m. so we could measure the barometric pressure before the storm.”

“Holy shit, Diya. That is the nerdiest, most…” I pause, and she looks so vulnerable after finally admitting this, I can’t tease her anymore. “… most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”