AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t know, but I don’t have to know. It’s not a decision I have to make alone. Whatever happens next, Bradford is going to be a part of it. I know that, and I know that we will figure out a way to make it work.
Finally, a new group of people appear on the other side of the security line. Will this be Brad’s flight? I examine the ones I can see, trying to decide if they look pretentious enough to come from the kind of place that had important fashion shows.
I don’t have to wait too long before I see him. I feel myself sighing in relief. I made it! He’s back!
I’m still not used to being this goofy. At some point, I suppose, the excitement of it all will wear off and this will all feel like routine. That sounds wonderful in its own way, really, but for now, I’m riding the thrill.
“You’re back!” I cry, grabbing him into a firm hug. He groans slightly, and I let up a little bit. “How was the show? And don’t say it was boring.”
“But it was boring!” Bradford protests. “I don’t know why people think fashion models have exciting lives. We don’t even get to look at the clothes; we just have to wear them.”
“You can’t just leave me and come back without any stories!” I reply. “I stayed around waiting for you. Now you’re supposed to reward me with glamorous stories about walking the runway and meeting with big celebrities!”
“A fashion designer told me my bone structure is very pre-raphaelite.”
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“Why do you think I know? He just kind of said it as he was walking out the door.”
I look at him carefully. “I think I can see it!”
Bradford laughs. “No, you can’t! You don’t know what it means either!”
“Of course I do. I only asked because I wanted to see ifyouknew what it meant.”
“Uh huh.”
We go back and forth and laugh some as we get to the car and climb in. As always, being with Bradford feels effortless. I don’t have to act tougher than I am, or different at all. We’re just being ourselves, together, and somehow, it works.
“I’m afraid that I don’t have any exciting stories to share with you either,” I admit, as he buckles his seatbelt. “I spent most of my time with Gorlag and Emily. Although I did do one thing with Glenda that we’ll get to in a little bit.”
“Really?” says Bradford. “I thought you were never going to talk to Glenda again after the whole tree thing.”
“Yeah, that’s something I’m trying to get better at,” I explain. “I want to get angry less and when I do lose my cool, I want to deal with it rather than just running away or letting it damage my friendships.”
Bradford gives me a smile. “That’s a really responsible way to look at it.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get too used to it. I’m still gonna be a horrible jerk who hates everyone. Just a less angry one.”
“Sorry, you’re always gonna be a huge softie,” Bradford tells me. “You can act tough all you want, but at the end of the day, that’s just the way it is.”
I find myself smiling at that compliment. I’m not totally sure why, really. Maybe it’s just nice that there’s someone who sees me that way.
Bradford looks at the road, slightly puzzled. “I notice that you aren’t taking us home.”
“We’ll go home eventually,” I say. “But first, it’s six-thirty, and I assume you haven’t had dinner yet. Sounds to me like the perfect time for a date night.”
The fact that he calls Green Haven “home” also makes me smile. Obviously there’s no reason he wouldn’t call it that. And yet, I find I think of it the same way. Something about the town just makes it easy to feel at home there.
“So you’ve planned a date?” Bradford asks. “Should I be excited?”
“Well, only if you love me,” I tease.
“Can I ask where we’re going?”
“Ethiopian restaurant,” I answer. “I didn’t expect there to be one anywhere around here, but apparently it’s good.”
“I’m not even sure I know what Ethiopian food is like,” Bradford admits.
