AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I react to the simmering ire, something dark and ugly and unexpected twisting in my stomach. “Ihaven’t been dating. I’m married, remember?”
Oliver says nothing as we reach the top of the stairs, and I wish I’d kept my mouth shut.
The crowds are thinner in this section of the city, more people leaving than arriving.
We walk past a long, warehouse-looking building, under a pedestrian bridge, and cross a street. Flat, dark water stretches ahead, a walking path running alongside it. And then Oliver pulls me left, and I see it.
“Whoa.” I stumble again on a crack in the sidewalk, more focused on looking ahead than what’s right in front of me. For a third time, Oliver steadies me.
When I look over, his grin is bright and wide. He looks thrilled by my reaction. “Cool, right?”
I nod, my gaze returning to the structure we’re walking toward. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. A floating island, constructed from dozens of massive, attached funnels that are pressed together to form a park hovering above the surface of the Hudson. Boardwalks lead from solid land to the raised topiaries, filled with the flow of foot traffic.
“How long has this been here?”
“About a year,” Oliver answers. “There was a company event here, right after it opened. Better venue than most of our parties. And I thought you might like it, from an architectural perspective.”
My throat tightens. No one in my life, the few who know I have any interest in architecture and the many who don’t, has ever made the effort to engage in it with me. To bring me somewhere simply for me to marvel over its construction. Due to my own secrecy and insecurity, I know. But still, the fact Oliver chose to do so means more than words can express.
“You thought right.”
We continue walking along the wooden board until we reach the edge of the park. Oliver says nothing, just lets me take everything in. He doesn’t drop my hand either. We stroll along the paved paths in silence, passing chattering tourists and brown plants waiting for warmer weather to blossom with new growth.
The funnels aren’t all the same height, so we have to walk up and down flights of stairs in order to explore the whole space. My toes pinch inside my heels, but I’m more focused on the scenery around us. Not just the park itself, but the Hudson River and the towering buildings lining both sides of its shores. Dusk has fallen, creeping toward night. Lights flicker on everywhere, bringing the city to life even as the day draws to a close.
There’s an observation deck at the top of the tallest funnel, overlooking all the winding paths we just walked. Oliver leans against the railing, looking up instead of at any of our immediate surroundings. The final strokes of sunset are fading, dimming like a dying bulb.
“I always thought it would be cool to be an astronaut,” he says, studying the sky.
“You’re not claustrophobic?” I tilt my head back too, so I’m witnessing the same sight.
He laughs. “Something about space…it’s mysterious. Dangerous. Massive. What you do doesn’t seem as important. I bet it all looks really tiny down here.”
“I can’t picture you as an astronaut. They don’t wear suits.” I tug on his jacket with my free hand. “Not this kind, at least.”
Oliver smiles. “My dad couldn’t either. He shot that idea down fast. But my mom took me to the Space Center in Houston.”
“That sounds nice.” I bite the inside of my cheek to stop the flood of questions that want to spill out. Oliver doesn’t talk about his mother, I’ve noticed.
“It was. But it was also kind of pointless. She and I both knew I’d go to business school and then end up at Kensington Consolidated.”
I nod, still looking at the sky. “In college, I majored in architecture along with business. Another three years of school to get my master’s didn’t sound very appealing when I was graduating. It was easier to start working for my dad, so that’s what I did. And I’ve thought about going back on and off over the years, but it was always easier just to stay put.”
“I’m glad you applied. Not surprised you got in.”
I smile, absorbing his faith. It feels good. Rare. “I haven’t told my dad yet. Just you…and my best friend, Rosie.”
“Did she tell you to go?”
“In a way. She mostly wanted to talk about you.”
“You told her about us?”
“I told her we got married. Not…anything else.”
He says nothing.
“She won’t tell anyone.”
