“You’re the one who said he was Swedish.”
“What about his phone?”
“Oh, that was true. He really did forget it.”
“And your migraine?”
“It was real, it just didn’t last that long . . .”
“The truth comes out!”
“He’s just a friend, Daisy. I could even introduce you to him. I’m sure the two of you would hit it off.”
“I can’t believe this.”
“He works nights, like you do. He’s a bit gauche, but he’s very funny, just like you. He’s American, he lives in Paris, and he’s single—another thing you have in common.”
“And you don’t fancy him yourself?”
“Well . . . I guess I should saynearlysingle.”
“No way! Forget it. I’ve had it up to here with guys who are ‘nearly single.’ Why don’t you start setting these tables instead of setting me up?”
Mia didn’t wait to be asked twice. She grabbed a pile of plates and began placing them on tables. Daisy went into the kitchen and started peeling vegetables.
“You should at least meet him,” said Mia.
“No!”
“Why not?”
“Because first of all, it never works like that. Second, because he’s only ‘nearly single.’ And most importantly, because you like him more than you’re willing to admit.”
Mia turned toward Daisy, hands on her hips. “I think I’d know how I feel about someone.”
“Is that so? Since when? You cross the city to give him his phone back, you lie like a teenager, you go with him to the Opera and—”
“No, nottothe Opera—onthe Opera!”
“What?”
“We didn’t go to see a performance, he took me up on the roof—to see Paris at night.”
“Either you really are completely naive or you’re lying to yourself. Either way, leave me out of it.”
Mia frowned.
“Get to work!” Daisy yelled. “The customers will be here any minute.”
At two a.m., Paul was still struggling with the last line of a paragraph when he decided to call it a night. He checked his email again and, his pulse quickening, finally found a reply from Kyong, which he printed out. He liked to read her words on paper, as it somehow made her seem less virtual. He picked up the hard copy from his printer tray and waited until he was in bed before starting to read.
Soon afterward, he turned off the light and hugged his pillow to him.
At three a.m., Mia was awoken by the vibrations of her phone. She grabbed it from the bedside table. The nameDavidappeared on the screen.
Her heart began pounding wildly. She put the phone back on the table, lay down again, and hugged her pillow.
12
