Glen recommended Molly, and after numerous rounds of interviews and meetings with the network, she’d gotten the call—she would be the new host ofLove at First Sail. We had celebrated like we were in college again, getting drunk at some karaoke bar the night she got the news.
But the next day we celebrated with Morgan, who really only wanted to go shopping, and Molly bought that kid anything and everything she wanted. Because, for once in her daughter’s life, she could afford to.
That night, we ordered take-out and watchedGilmore Girlswhile cuddled up on the couch. I may or may not have cried into my popcorn once or twice at the realization of how empty my life had been just a few months ago, and how full it’s been since Molly—and Morgan, too—came into my life.
The doorbell rings, and Molly and I both shout in unison, “Come in!”
From the foyer, we hear the heavy front door bang open, then click shut. A moment later, Sora appears in the doorway, a bright smile on her face.
“Hey, Sora!” Morgan exclaims, motioning for her to come sit next to her. Ever since our little group formed post-season, Morgan has taken a considerable liking to Sora. They talk about manga, TV shows I’ve never heard of, and bands whose names are completely foreign to me.
“Sorry I’m late,” Sora says ruefully as she slides in next to Morgan, grabbing a plate and piling it with several slices of pizza. She drops her phone on the table, face up, and I notice a social app open to theLove at First Sailfeed, collecting every post about the show as it happens in real time.
I glance between the phone and her, then ask, “Anything new?”
“Not really,” Sora says, locking the phone so the screen darkens. “I think the world has finally moved on to something else.”
Relief floods my body.
In the week since the finale, all anyone’s wanted to talk about is Duncan’s proposal, Molly’s redemption, and what was going to happen next for them.
But now, I just want to turn my brain off.
That, and Nolan only has a few days left of his vacation, then he’s heading back to Italy for another month aboard the Gemstone. So, I want to make our time together worthwhile.
I want to talk aboutourfuture, instead of someone else’s.
“Things will heat up again in a few weeks, when they announce Molly’s new role,” a deep voice says from behind me, and I jump, turning to see Nolan walk into the room.
I hadn’t heard the front door, nor had I been expecting him. Not that it mattered. I didn’t carewhyhe was here, just that he was. My cheeks warm at the sight of him. Even afterthree months of dating—some of it long-distance—I still get those nervous butterflies whenever I hear his voice or see his smile. He just feels likehometo me, and I never want to let go of that feeling.
Nolan runs his hands through his black waves—which are a little longer now than when we first met—probably trying to tame the strands that were whipped around in the uncharacteristically windy weather LA has been having lately.
“Hey, Nolan,” Molly says, giving him a little wave and a friendly smile. I stand quickly and hurry over to him to wrap my arms around his neck, breathing in his scent and reveling in the warmth of his body as his arms encircle me firmly.
“Hey, baby,” he whispers into my neck, and I melt, giving him a kiss on the cheek before we break apart and sit next to each other at the table.
“Sorry, sorry!” another deep voice calls out from the foyer, and I swivel my head to see the familiar face of Freddie, the Lunar Lounge’s mixologist, as he enters the room. “This eedjit made me park, and I can’t figure out how to drive in this backward country,” he grumbles.
I notice Sora’s eyes widen, and a blush instantly blooms across her cheeks before she snatches her phone up and taps away on it, as if she just got the most important email of her life. I quirk a brow as she looks up to catch my gaze, then she clears her throat and mutters, “Oh, hi, Freddie.”
“I thought you were heading to the airport today?” I ask, my gaze ping-ponging between the two of them as Freddie sits as far away from Sora as possible.
Nolan and I exchange a suspicious glance.
“My flight’s in a few hours. Figured I still had some time to give you a proper farewell,” Freddie explains good-naturedly.
When Freddie found out Nolan was visiting me in LA for the finale, he made the last-minute decision to tag along, saying that he had never been to America before. But based on how Sora and Freddie have been acting around each other,something tells me there’s more to that story than he’s letting on.
I make a mental note to bring it up the next time Sora and I talk. Which won’t be for a while in person, as she’s leaving tomorrow for London to assist on another reality TV dating show. I’m happy for her. She’s come a long way from the nervous newbie I met on the plane a few months ago.
“So, Chloe, am I going to see you back on the ship for next season?” Freddie asks.
Nolan puts his hand on my leg, a comforting reminder that, whether we’re in the same place or not, he’s always there.
“No, I’m afraid not,” I say. “I’m heading to your home country, actually.”
Freddie’s eyes widen. “Yeah? Why’s that?”
