“If all these people here had their hearts floating like a balloon above their heads, how many do you think would be full, deflated, or burst?”
“You are an amazing person. I never stood a chance, did I?”
“Of what?” I asked.
“Not falling in love with you.”
My breath caught in my throat, and it took me a while to recover. I knew my reply didn’t carry the lightness I wanted to convey.
“Well, I am pretty awesome.”
“You sure are.”
Max kissed me tenderly. It was a kiss that made me want to rip my chest open just to check there was still a heart beating inside.
I didn’t think there would be; after all, I’d given it all to Max so it would be traveling on that airplane back to Manhattan. I just hoped one day I could be reunited with it again.
Diogo arrived with his family shortly after. I watched as Max turned into the caring nurse, reassuring Diogo’s family that he’d be safe in Manhattan and that he had a family in the Liberty Center.
His uncle was in the process of working out a transfer to his company’s Manhattan offices. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take long.
* * *
I drove from the airport on autopilot. I couldn’t remember if the traffic was light or heavy, if I had the radio on as usual or not.
The image I had permanently etched on my mind was of Max’s face as he’d gone through the departure gates with Diogo.
The look in his eyes had told me everything he was feeling.
I knew we would see each other again, but it wouldn’t be the same.
We would just be friends whose best friends were a couple. Friends that had a shared history. But that was that.
When I opened the door to my apartment, Max jumped into my arms, and that was when I allowed myself to finally break apart.
I fell to the ground on my knees, holding my cat to my chest, letting the tears run free.
I jumped when a pair of arms pulled me into an embrace. I hadn’t even realized I’d left the door open.
The embrace was familiar; but while the arms, the aftershave, and the feeling of comfort were right in so many ways, it wasn’t what I wanted in that moment.
“Alex.” My voice was strangled and muffled against his shirt. “What am I going to do now?”
“Shh, let’s go sit on the sofa.”
Alex helped me up and guided me toward the living room.
The view from the balcony no longer had the same appeal.
I used to sit on the sofa looking out, but now all I could see was Max and I making love on the rug right in front of the balcony after seeing the sun setting in the distance.
Alex put a glass of cold chocolate milk in front of me.
“I haven’t had chocolate milk since forever.”
“Chocolate milk makes everything better. Remember when you studied reallyhard for that test and then when you got to class, you realized you’d studied for the wrong subject?”
I remembered it. Days and days of studying my most hated subject, chemistry. I’d still done well in the test since it was history and I’d been obsessed with ancient Greece and Rome, but I’d come home furious with myself.
