The honesty in my voice surprises even me.
But it's true—I want her to come with me more than I've wanted anything in a long time.
"I..."
"This is one of those fuck it moments," I say, stepping closer."The ones where you can play it safe and spend the rest of your life wondering what if, or you can close your eyes, say yes and see what happens."
She's quiet for so long I start to think I've pushed too hard, asked for too much.But then she looks up at me with those eyes that have haunted every song I've written for the past eight months.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay."
"Really?"
"Well, I did choose dare, didn’t I?"She says with a smile, "So fuck it."
The smile across her face is worth every moment of uncertainty, every fear, every risk.
“Yeah, fuck it.”I say smiling back.
CHAPTER7
THE SPACE BETWEEN STARS
NORA
Stay.That singular word and his face when he asked me to stay, replays in my head.
Over and over again.
The memory of telling Camilla I was staying in Spain still feels surreal.Her face had cycled through shock, concern, and finally that fierce protectiveness that made her who she was.
"If he does anything stupid, I'll be on the first flight back here to kick his arse," she'd said, pulling me into one of her bone-crushing hugs.
That's the thing about Camilla—she was the type of friend who would take care of your name whenever you weren't in the room, who would fight battles for you even when you didn't know they needed fighting.
Now, sitting in the passenger seat of Nate's car, I watch him navigate the winding streets of Málaga as if he's lived here all his life.
His left hand rests casually on the steering wheel while his right points out landmarks.There's something different about him here, something lighter.The tension that used to live in his shoulders has eased, and when he smiles, it reaches his eyes in a way that makes my heart happy.
"That's where Javier taught me to play chess," he says, nodding toward a park dotted with stone tables.
His voice carries warmth when he mentions Javier's name, the kind of reverence reserved for people who've saved your life without asking for credit.
"You play chess now?"I ask, genuinely surprised.
He glances at me, that half-smile playing at his lips.
"Javier says chess teaches you to think three moves ahead instead of just reacting to whatever's happening right now."
His fingers drum against the steering wheel—a nervous habit that hasn't changed.
"Turns out that's useful for more than just games."
The city streets grow busier as we move through Málaga's heart—narrow cobblestone arteries pulsing with life.Tourists weave between locals carrying fresh bread and flowers, their voices creating a symphony of languages that bleeds together like watercolors in rain.
