When the opportunity in New York came up, Remi was the first to encourage me to take it, even though it meant we’d be apart.
Originally, he was supposed to visit for a couple of weeks, but then Professor Hawthorne, his supervisor, dumped a pile of extra work on him at the last minute.
So now, he has to stay behind.
I know how much Remi owes that man. He’s the one who helped secure his scholarship, who guided him through the hardest stretches of his PhD. But sometimes, I honestly can’t believe how much Remi puts up with.
Then again, he’s got a plan. He wants to teach physics at university one day, and that means finishing his doctorate and keeping Hawthorne happy. I’d hoped to still be in London when Sebastian arrived. I wanted to greet him, hug him, and introduce him to Remi in person. But the timing didn’t work out.
He’ll be landing while I’m already in the air, halfway to New York.
I really hope they get along. Though, truthfully, I can’t think of two people more different than Remi and Seb.
All I can do is cross my fingers and hope Remi doesn’t eat him alive, at least not before Seb finds his own place.
I’m not entirely sure what Sebastian’s plans are. From what I gather, he’s here for the summer, enrolled in a specialization course in concert technique. His agent, May Morris, probably has his calendar packed with recitals and events.
Hopefully, I’ll manage to catch one when I’m back. I’m meant to spend a week in London before he returns to Paris.
Mostly, I just want to see him again. To talk. Properly this time.
To finally understand why he left.
SEBASTIAN
I’ve just landed at Heathrow, and the simple fact of being back on British soil already makes my stomach twist.
Coming back to London might not have been my brightest idea, but staying in Paris felt like slowly drowning.
The anxiety was getting worse, creeping in at the edges of everything, and I knew if I stayed any longer, people would start to notice. And that’s something I can’t afford. Not right now.
I move briskly through the endless corridors of Heathrow, heading for baggage claim, trying to summon the calm I’ll need to face what’s waiting for me.
When I asked Maddie if I could stay with her for a few days, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I just wanted to see her again.
Even after four years apart, she’s still one of the people I care about most in the world. But now, walking through this airport with the weight of jet lag and second thoughts settling in, I’m beginning to realize I might have underestimated what I was walking into.
I couldn’t have known she’d be flying off to New York just as I arrived. Or that I’d end up sharing her flat with her current boyfriend, a man I’ve never met, and who, let’s be honest, probably isn’t thrilled about hosting his girlfriend’s ex.
I’m genuinely relieved that Maddie’s found someone who makes her happy. It softens, just a little, the guilt I still carry for the way I left her. But that doesn’t mean I know what to expect from her boyfriend.
I’ve no idea how much Maddie’s told him about our past, but I doubt he’s particularly thrilled to have me staying under their roof. Honestly, I should probably start looking for another place, slip out quietly before things get too tense.
For now, I just hope he’ll be civil. I already feel completely off balance, and the last thing I need is to feel unwelcome on top of everything else.
The truth is, I could’ve gone straight home to Stratford.
It’s been months since I saw my parents, since they flew out to Paris to watch me perform with the symphony.
But I wasn’t ready to face them. Not yet.
The idea of spending a few days with Maddie before facing my family felt like a lifeline.
Not that seeing her again doesn’t make me nervous.
It does. More than I’d like to admit.
But deep down, I know I can still count on her, my best friend. Despite everything that’s happened, I’m certain she still cares about me... even if I don’t deserve it. After the way I left, it would’ve been completely fair if she’d never spoken to me again.
