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ALISSA: Thanks for inviting me.I had a great time too. It really inspired me, and I’ve been writing this morning.
He smiled.
DANE:That’s great.
Reply bubbles popped up, then disappeared several times before another message came through.
ALISSA:Can I ask you something?
Dane sent back ayes, and her next reply came in soon after.
ALISSA: Yesterday was a date, right?
He chuckled to himself. Who had he been kidding? It had been a date since the moment he asked. Why had he thought that he wasn’t falling for her?
DANE: Yes, it was absolutely a date. And I’d like to go on more of them.
She sent back a smiley face emoji, its cheeks pink.
ALISSA:I would too. I have to get going. See you in a bit.
He put his phone down and turned back to his computer. Their conversation last night had inspired him too. Alissa had gotten to the root of a lot of the things he had been thinking about: his passion, finding it again, getting the most about what the area had to offer. The magazine was going to be the perfect addition to the area. It was the exact kind of writing he loved reading and writing.
He grabbed a pad of paper and a pen since writing his ideas out by hand always produced better ideas. After writingmagazine ideasat the top, he got to work, his hand moving as fast as it could as ideas poured out of his head.
Eventually his computer pinged with a new message, distracting him from his work. The email wasn’t important, but Alvin’s unread message caught his attention. Before he could second-guess himself, he finally opened it.
Hi Dane,
I know the last time we spoke, things weren’t going well between us. That’s kind of an understatement, isn’t it?
To cut to the chase, though, you were right about everything you told me the day you quit. Without you, things have hit bumpy waters.
Dane blinked. He’d guessed that this could be what Alvin’s email was about, but now that he was seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe it. Alvin hardly ever admitted he was wrong like this. Instead of feeling a flush of satisfaction, he just felt his mood dip. He read on.
I know that you’ve left to start a paper up in Rhode Island. I’m sure you’ll have the vision to take you wherever you want to go. But if you decide not to pursue that, I’d love to have you come back. We can discuss co-ownership of the paper too.
Give me a call whenever you get this. You know my cell number.
-Alvin
Dane sat back in his seat, slightly numb. Did he regret not opening this sooner? It would have given him the confidence boost that he needed before Alissa came along. But now he was confident on his own and feeling sad for Alvin. Dane almost laughed. If his past self saw him now, feeling bad for Alvin despite the way things had fallen apart, he wouldn’t have believed it. He wouldn’t have believed that his future self was beginning to like this place, either.
He dialed up Alvin, waiting for him to answer with a knot in his chest. Alvin picked up at the last ring.
“Dane! I’ve been waiting for your call,” Alvin said.
“Yeah, I’m sorry for the delay. Things have been busy.” Dane raked a hand through his hair.
“I bet.” Alvin cleared his throat. “Listen, did you give any thought to what I talked about in my email?”
“I have. And as much as I appreciate it, I think I’m meant to be here,” Dane said.
Alvin didn’t speak for several beats.
“Ah.” Dane could feel Alvin’s disappointment despite not seeing his face. “That’s not what I was hoping to hear.”
“I know. But it’s the truth. Things are working out here. Running smoothly.”
