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“Did we hit a sore spot?” I asked gently.
Thea shrugged. “No, I guess Joe and I were serious, but you know how that went.” She
was twisting a napkin between her fingers.
“You never said much after high school about him,” Audrey commented.
Thea shrugged. “No point.”
Audrey looked at me and shrugged. I glanced at Thea. “High school is weird.”
Thea nodded her head enthusiastically. “Definitely. Anyway, back to you. Maybe it's uncomfortable, but I think it's serious for him. He hasn't had a serious relationship, either. You two are going to have to stumble through this one together.”
Then Audrey interjected the very question that tumbled through my thoughts occasionally. “Have you discussed if you plan to stay where you are? You seem to be handling the long-distance thing pretty well.”
“We haven’t talked about that. Ian’s got the business down there, and I'm here in Boston with a new position.”
“That might be a conversation you should have sooner rather than later,” Audrey said gently.
I took a deep breath, trying to ease the tightness in my chest. “I know.”
Thea’s smile was warm as she looked over at me. “I think Ian would move for you. He's talked about coming up here before anyway.”
“He has?” That surprised me, although I didn't say so aloud.
“We're all here now. Except him,” she replied.
A little hum of anticipation spun through me at that idea. I liked it here. I liked being near my friends, and I really liked my job so far. I wanted the option to stay here. But that definitely relied on Ian moving here if we decided to admit we wanted to take things to the next level.
Thea nudged Audrey with her elbow. “You’re the only one here who knows anything about a serious relationship as an adult.”
“This is stressing me out,” I added
Audrey’s brow furrowed when she looked over at me. “What?”
“I don't know what to do.”
“You don't know what to do about what?” Thea asked as she leaned forward.
“I’ve never had a serious relationship, and I don't know what to think. Ian and I are doing okay with the long-distance thing, but I’ve been just putting off thinking about it.”
Audrey pursed her lips, her gaze understanding. “Dallas and I didn't live in the same place when we first got together. Just take it one step at a time. You're here now. When the time is right, you’ll know it’s time to sort it out. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
I took a breath and swallowed. “Okay, I won’t worry about it right now.”
That was a big fat lie, and Thea’s lips twitched with a smile. “You're worrying.”
“Stop,” Audrey ordered her.
“Let's talk about something else. I've had enough talk of my relationship.”
Fortunately, my old friends were still good friends, and they let the topic drop. It didn't matter, though. Later, after Ian called, all I could think about was him. I missed him. I missed his voice; I missed him being here for the weekend. I was starting to rely on him and his presence in my life. This was just one weekend when we weren’t together, and I missed him so much it was a physical ache in my heart.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Ian
“How are you holding up?” my brother asked.
