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“Yes.” Her voice came out hoarser than she would’ve liked. She cleared her throat. “I guess it is.”
Blake looked down. His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Farrah, I—”
That slight hesitation caused her heart to gallop like a ra
cehorse upon hearing the starting pistol.
“I—” Blake’s jaw clenched. “Goodbye.”
Farrah deflated. What did she expect? That he was doing to drop to his knees and say how much he loved her and what a huge mistake he’d made? Life wasn’t a book or a movie. It was silly to think otherwise.
She climbed into the cab, unable to look at Blake any longer. She was about to close the door when he spoke again.
“Do you hate me?”
Her head jerked up in surprise. Blake’s jaw remained tense as he waited for her response.
Did she hate him? She had reason to. He broke her heart, made her believe they’d be together forever when she was just another notch in his belt, and ruined her last few months in Shanghai. At the same time…
“No.”
His eyes flared with surprise. “No?”
“No.”
Blake caused her more pain than she could’ve imagined, but he’d also made her happier than she thought possible. He confirmed True Love did exist, even if it was unrequited, and that made all the heartbreak worthwhile.
One day Farrah would find someone who’ll make what she had with Blake pale in comparison, and maybe then she’d forget about the blue-eyed boy in front of her. But Blake would always be her first love, and for that, she could never hate him, no matter how much she wanted to.
“I’m sorry.” Blake’s stony expression cracked. His eyes shone with regret, sadness, and something Farrah couldn’t identify. “For everything.”
“I know.”
They stared at each other for the last time. The air between them was heavy with broken promises and unspoken words, but their time had run out. Not everyone gets a happy ending, and not all loose ends get tied up in real life. The only things they could take with them were the memories.
“Do they actually work for you?”
“Excuse me?”
“Your cheesy pickup lines. Do they actually work for you?”
“Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me about your dad.”
“I think you drive me crazier than any person ought to. And I think I might die if I can’t be with you.”
“You will never lose me. I will always love you. Always.”
Farrah smiled a sad smile. It had been good while it lasted. “Goodbye.”
She closed the cab door and settled into her seat. She kept her eyes forward as the driver pulled out of the courtyard.
They didn’t make it to the main street before the skies opened up and droplets of water splattered against the windows like crystal tears.
Farrah leaned her head against the glass. She could just make out the buildings that defined Shanghai’s skyline through the rain: the Pearl Tower, the Jinmao Tower, the World Financial Tower.
It had been a morning of heart-wrenching farewells, but now she had to say the hardest goodbyes of all: to Shanghai and to the person she was here, in this place and time, knowing she’ll never be this way again.
Goodbye, Shanghai. Until we meet again.
