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He nods, understanding, then tears the letter in two. I watch through watery eyes, feeling a weight being lifted from my shoulders.
“All gone. Now get ready while I go put this in the shredder.”
Before he can get up, I move, leaning over to wrap my arms around his shoulders. “Thank you. And thank you for letting me come here.”
He hugs me back, kissing the side of my head. “I wouldn’t want it any other way. Love you, cuz.”
I pull back, giving him a watery smile. “Love you too.”
Once he leaves, I take in a deep breath and pull myself together.
*** *** ***
Levi, Mark and I rush over to Nero, trying to avoid getting soaked in the heavy pour of rain. The sky is dark, the clouds a dark grey, promising another dreary day.
Seeing Jordan standing under shelter outside Nero, I wave and head over to her.
“Hey. I’m so sorry I’m late. We got stuck in traffic on the way here.”
She smiles warmly at me. “It’s fine. I’ve not been here long myself,” she says, then looks over my shoulder. “Hey.”
I glance behind me, completely forgetting Mark and Levi. “Jordan, this is my cousin, Mark, and his boyfriend, Levi.”
She waves. “Nice to meet you. You joining us?”
“We’ve got some stuff to do, actually, but if you’re here when we’re finished, we’ll join you. And it’s good to meet you too. Thanks for showing Emma around. We were going to do it but forgot we’d booked our holiday,” Mark explains.
“Sounds good. And I didn’t mind. It was actually me who recommended the option to the school board. The first day I was supposed to start classes ended up with me getting lost and ending up in museums after mistaking them for a university building. Most of them look the same.”
Levi laughs, nodding. “I hear ya. I took a few business courses there for part of my college course and had to ring my teacher for directions. It was embarrassing.”
Mark shrugs. “I used Google Maps.”
I giggle, shaking my head at him. “Go test out the new sports drinks. I’ll see you later.”
“Call me if you finish before I get back.”
I roll my eyes. “All right.”
“See ya later,” he tells us, then faces Jordan. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Jordan tells him sincerely, smiling.
When they start off down the street, I call out to Mark, waiting for him to turn around. “Don’t forget to get your Google Maps up.”
His laughter echoes down to me, making me smile. He walks backwards a few steps, saluting me, before turning back around. A few girls stop and gawk and him and Levi, checking them both out and whispering to each other.
I spin around to face Jordan, taking a deep breath. “Hot chocolate?”
She moans, her eyes rolling to the back of her head, making me chuckle. “Now you’re talking. I’ve been craving one all morning, one with lots of marshmallows and chocolate powder.”
I’m still smiling as we walk inside, stepping up to the counter and ordering our drinks. “I’ll pay—to say thanks for showing me around.”
“Thank you. I’ll get the next one,” she tells me, winking.
When she goes to sit down at a table near enough centre in the room, my palms begin to sweat, and my knees start to shake.
“Um, Jordan, can we, um… can we sit in the corner, maybe the one by the window?” I ask her nervously.
