“Let them wonder,” Dana said and winked at her. “I’ll be with you. I’m good.”
“It’s easy to say that, Dana, but maybe we should have dinner at my place again tonight.”
“Samara?”
“Yes?”
“I like it here.”
“Okay.”
“I mean, I like it,” she said. “I know it’s only been one day, but it’s how I always thought it would be.”
“What’s that mean, exactly?”
“You know how you were worried about you and me… being long-distance friends?”
Samara nodded and gave her a smile that told Dana she knew what she meant.
“No promises, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Maybe I could make it work here.”
Samara smiled wider and asked, “Yeah? Really?”
“How does it feel like this to me?” she wondered out loud.
“Like home?” Samara guessed.
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
“Because that’s how it feels to some people. No one else understands it. Some people come here and absolutely hate it. They never even want to visit again. But other people come here, and it’s just right. It’s always felt that way to me. I never really feel like I belong anywhere. I don’t know if that’s because of… you-know-what or something else entirely, but whenever I land in LA, I know I’m home. I honestly don’t want to live anywhere else. Vacation houses, sure, but as infuriating as this place can be because of traffic, tourists, and how expensive it is, it’s still where I want to be.”
Dana nodded and turned to look out the window again, smiling because Samara understood. Then, she felt it, so she looked down at her lap. Samara’s hand had taken her own, entwining their fingers. Dana looked at her to confirm that this was okay, and Samara gave her a soft smile before looking out her own window.
CHAPTER 33
Samara heard the sound of a phone ringing, but it wasn’t her ringtone. She opened one of her eyes and lightly shoved at Dana’s shoulder.
“Babe, phone.”
“What?” Dana muttered against her pillow.
“Your phone,” Samara repeated, rolling away from the annoying sound.
“What about it?”
“Dana, it’s ringing!”
“Oh, shit,” Dana said and reached behind her to get the phone. “Lainey, what the hell?”
“Why is your sister calling you at…” Samara looked at her clock. “Five in the morning?”
“What?” Dana asked.
“I asked why Lainey is–”
