The Aspen trip I took with Ethan and Alicia never made it onto the blog; I only posted photos of the places we visited and a few recommendations. I prefer keeping my personal life private, never exposing the kids. Colin couldn’t join us either, Montgomery Clifford & Co. was on the brink of a hostile takeover, and he couldn’t spare a single day away.
After receiving the USA Today proposal three years ago, the blog stopped being a priority, though I never abandoned it completely. If I write for one of the most widely read newspapers in the country, it’s because of the audience I built through A Small World.
Now, I post only occasionally. The one who keeps my blog alive, secures sponsors, and makes sure the whole thing doesn’t fall apart is my best friend from high school, Mark—an absolute tech genius. Just thinking of him makes me smile.
He’s been in San Francisco for months now, working on some ultra-secret project, and we hardly talk anymore. I reach for my phone and type a quick text.
Me:Miss you. Drop a hello sometimes so I know you’re still alive.
Less than five minutes later, his reply lights up the screen:
Mark:I’ll be there before summer ends. Tell your jealous husband he’s going to have to share you with me again.
I send a gif of a little girl sticking her tongue out and laugh, the sound carrying through the still sunroom.
As soon as I set my phone down, another message appears. I smile, expecting Mark… but my stomach drops when I see the name.
Colin:Emergency meeting with a client in Tokyo. Not sure what time I’ll get home, or if I can make it back tonight. I love you.
It’s nearly ten. I sigh, swallow the sting in my throat, and start typing.
Me:Make sure you eat and take care of yourself. I love you too.
I can’t quite explain my reaction to his text. It’s happened before, and somehow it never gets easier. With the memories still lingering warm and bright in my mind, the contrast hits harder.
It’s bittersweet… realizing just how much things have changed.
Chapter 09
not that boy anymore
Cecily
I wake to the faint rustle of Colin moving around in the closet. By the time I push myself upright, he’s already stepping out, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
“Oh, you’re awake.” There’s a flicker of surprise in his tone, like he hadn’t expected to be caught in the act of slipping out before dawn.
I don’t answer.
“You’re heading out this early?” I ask instead.
He runs a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I want to get at least an hour in at the gym before work. Haven’t managed to go once this week.”
“Not even on the days you came home after I was asleep?”
The frustration that crosses his face is brief but clear, a deadlock we’ve fallen into before, his schedule swallowing everything in its path.
He leans in, pressing a kiss to my lips, then to my forehead. “I love you. I’ll see you later.”
When I don’t answer, his thumb sweeps gently along my cheek.
“You’re not going to say it back? What if this is the last time you see me? You wouldn’t want me to leave without hearing it… just once more.”
The words sink deep into my chest. Even imagining something happening to him knocks the air out of me. I don’t know who I’d be without Colin. Not really.
“Don’t say things like that,” I whisper. “I love you. Drive safe.”
Satisfied, he gives me one last kiss before heading out.
