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He’s not happy. His eyebrows knit in a quick frown. “Can I ask where you’re going?”
“Florence.”
“Florence?” He peers at me. “Didn’t you just return from Florence.”
I ignore the question. “I need a couple of days,” I tell him. My mind is already made up. His approval or disapproval won’t change it. “Three at least.”
For a moment, he looks as if he’ll share the lecture that’s obviously hovering on the tip of his tongue. Then he sighs. “It’s going to be tight, but I’ll make it work.”
After he leaves me alone in my office, I spend a long time studying the lines of code on my screen, then I swivel my chair to face the window.
Am I right to go back to her?
Am I laying a foundation I can’t hope to maintain in the future?
I would at least try.
I’m going to try, Cora. And maybe we can take it one day at a time and let the future decide for itself.
CHAPTER20
CORA
“When is your flight coming in?” Marie asks on the phone. “Do you want me to come to the airport to pick you up?”
I’m staying with her in her shiny new apartment in the city until I sort out where I’ll live for my final semester. “No need,” I tell her. “I’ll arrange a ride.”
“Okay. I’m so excited you’re coming back. It’s been boring without you. I’m soooo excited about starting a new job and there’s no one to share it with. Except my parents. My mom calls every day.”
“They love you.”
“I know.” She’s quiet. No doubt feeling guilty about having parents when I have no one.
“As they should,” I add. “You’re the most lovable person in the entire world.”
“You make me sound like a puppy,” she grumbles.
“You are a puppy. A cute little scrumptious puppy.”
We both laugh. I’ve missed her, and I’m really looking forward to seeing her again.
“So...” She draws the word out. “Tristan is still in San Francisco?”
My chest tightens.Tristan. Tristan. Tristan. I miss him so much that sometimes it’s hard to breathe.
I swallow hard and scowl at my phone. “Where else would he be?”
“I don’t know...maybe I hoped he’d come back to be with you...something…”
“You’re such a romantic,” I say, forcing lightness into my voice. “It was a fling. Let’s be serious. He’s probably moved on to bigger and better things.”
Marie scoffs, then sighs. “Well, at least you had something interesting happen to you.”
Something brutal. Something beautiful, perfect, and devastating. I sigh. “I’ll call you when I land, Marie.”
“Aight.”
I spend my last days in the city revisiting all my favorite places and saying goodbye to the things that made the most impression on me. On my last day, after saying goodbye to Gino at the café and listening to him declare that he’ll never forget me as long as he lives, I walk to my apartment, saying a silent goodbye to the city around me.
