The possibility that I’d missed something important brought an unwelcome moment of panic.
“Anyway,” Ashley said, her voice drawing me out of that burst of social media dread before it could really take over. “It’s not as though Boston is on the other side of the country. Have you and this Noah guy talked about dating after you get home?”
Noah hadn’t mentioned it. And although I’d confided in him about a zillion other things, I couldn’t be the one to make that suggestion. I just couldn’t.
So much for my newfound independence and bravery.
“It’s just a fling,” I said.
“Really?”
“I mean—” My hands flailed around helplessly, not that she could see. “It is.”
“Okay. Fine.” Ugh, I could practically hear the eye roll. “Whatever. Fling away. I’ll want all the details when you get home.” But then her voice dropped, with a little hesitation. “Hey, um… There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Yeah?”
“Just…” She trailed off and went quiet for long enough that I pulled away to double check the call hadn’t disconnected.
Nope, still there.
“Ash?”
“Sorry,” she said quickly. Then, “It’s nothing really. I just miss you.”
That was a lot of build-up for a simple “I miss you.” But then I heard the door to the hotel room clicking open and then closing. Noah was back. “I miss you too, Ash. But, hey, I gotta go. We’ll talk soon, okay?”
If it was important, she’d tell me later, I was sure.
“Okay. Just…no more daredevil stunts.”
Calling the helicopter ride a daredevil stunt was a huge stretch. It pulled a laugh out of me. “Fine, no more helicopter rides.”
“I’m not talking about the helicopter ride, Looney. I’m talking about falling in love.”
“I’m not!” I bit my lip, my smile faltering slightly. And I wasn’t—because how could I fall in love with one guy when I’d just broken off my engagement? What kind of person could possibly move on so quickly? “I won’t.”
“Well, okay then. I mean it, though,” Ashley added with that faux-but-actually-she-kinda-meant-it stern voice. “Goodbye, Luna. Love you.”
“Love you too. Bye, Ash.”
I thumbed the end call button and turned to the door, where Noah was just standing there, looking…incredibly Noah-ish. He was leaning against the wall, having just slipped his shoes off in the entryway, terribly casual and effortlessly handsome.
“Everything okay with your mom?” I asked, rolling over on the bed so I could see him more easily.
“Yup,” he said, popping the “p.” He didn’t look tense or anything, so I was inclined to believe him. “That your sister just now, on the phone?”
“Yup,” I parroted back, popping it in just the same way he did. She warned me not to fall in love with you. The words drifted through my head, but of course, I didn’t say that part out loud.
I don’t know if I’m going to be able to keep that promise.
Didn’t say that part either. It was arguably the most important bit.
But Noah was walking toward me, eyes glimmering, skin golden and sun-kissed, and I didn’t want to think about our families or our futures right now. Neither did he, from the looks of things.
So, with zero hesitation, we flung ourselves right back into our fling—and made excellent use of another hotel room.
ONE MORE SUNRISE
