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“How did that go?” he asks, pulling away from the sidewalk onto the main street.
“Good, thanks.” I immediately whip out my phone again and peruse my inbox for any updates. It was better than ‘good’ actually, but I can’t afford for anyone else to know the details. Not even Isaac.
“Straight back to the Key?” His eyes watch me through the rear view mirror but, again, I avoid them. I have trouble thinking straight when they lock with mine.
“Yes please. I just have a few more things to tie up before tomorrow’s show.”
He’s quiet for a few minutes. “The last one. How are you feeling about it?”
I take a breath and look out of the window at the bright sky, the luscious palms and the crystal ocean stretched out around us.
“Nervous,” I reply, honestly. “A little sad.”
We both fall silent.
After a few minutes he speaks again. “And the last day of your teenage years,” he says with a slight smile. “Does it feel significant?”
I laugh inwardly. “Yeah, it does.” It will feel significant for a whole lot more than that, I think to myself. Just one more day to finalize the rest of my life.
We travel the remaining way without speaking, and when we pull into the parking lot on the Key, a man is waiting for us. He’s young but disheveled, wearing his signature houndstooth jacket and grey slacks, his dark hair somewhat unruly.
“Who’s he?” Isaac asks, immediately.
“Just someone I’m working with,” I reply. “I need to speak with him privately.”
“Aurelia—” Isaac warns with an exasperated sigh.
I’m about to open the door but I stop and turn to face him, hoping my face convinces him to trust me. “You don’t need to worry about this guy. He’s the same one I met before and I came back, didn’t I?”
He holds my eyes, the memory of that afternoon flashing between us both. The first kiss followed by the first crushing rejection. He’s the first to look away and I push the door open. The man nods and walks backwards to a black Silverado. I hear Isaac’s feet on the gravel but I don’t look back. I slide into the passenger seat and wait for the man to get in the other side. Then the doors close and I block out everything else around me, including Isaac.
