Page 48 of Naz & Roz

She was here now.

He was hers.

Nothing could be the same.

She didn’t want it to be, either.

Katya sighed, and drew Roz’s attention back to her mother. “I see.”

“What?”

“You haven’t asked him, have you? I bet you haven’t mentioned to him at all that you’re considering scrapping the audition, and instead of continuing your career, you plan to stay here in New York. Because this is where he is. You haven’t told him any of those things at all.”

No, she hadn’t.

Because what did it matter?

“It’s still my choice, Ma,” Roz said.

“It is,” her mother agreed, “but what if it’s the wrong choice?”

“That’s for me to figure out, too.”

Katya smiled softly. “It is, you’re right. I still think you should ask him, though, and explain. He might surprise you. You know …”

“What?”

She tried to keep the irritation out of her tone, but it was impossible. Her mother acted like Roz was cool, calm, and relaxed. That was Katya—she could handle anything. Roz wished she could say the same.

“You’re allowed to be in love, and still have your own dreams, Roz. All those dreams don’t have to only be for him.”

Was that how it worked?

Right now, it certainly didn’t feel like it.

Before Roz could respond to her mother, someone dragged Katya away to talk to someone else. Roz didn’t even get the chance to slip through the last bit of the crowd in the room to get back to Naz. Someone dragged her away, too.

Someone else to tell her just how much she’d grown up.

They had no fucking idea.