Lucy:I'm scared.
Uncle Walter:Good. That means it matters.
Lucy put away her phone and took the metro back to her apartment.
Paris looked different now. Not like a temporary stop. But like a potential future.
She had four months to decide. Four months to figure out who Lucy Chen was when she wasn't defined by her grandmother's legacy or her relationship or her hometown.
Four months to choose herself.
It should have felt liberating.
Instead, it just felt lonely.
The flight back to Vermont was the longest of Jake's life.
He replayed the week in Paris over and over. Seeing Lucy thrive. Watching her with her friends. Realizing that she'd built a life that didn't include him.
He'd told her to take space, to figure out what she wanted. Had practically given her permission to stay in Paris permanently.
And he'd meant it. He didn't want to be the person who held Lucy back.
But that didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell.
Marcus picked him up from the airport, took one look at Jake's face, and said: "What happened?"
"I think Lucy and I broke up."
"What? Why?"
Jake told him everything as Marcus drove back to Timber Falls. About Lucy's life in Paris. About her friends and her happiness and how Jake felt like an outsider. About suggesting that maybe she should stay in Paris. About their mutual agreement to take space.
"So you broke up," Marcus concluded.
"I don't know. Maybe? We didn't say the words. We just—agreed to give her space to figure out what she wants."
"That's a breakup, man."
"Is it? I still love her. She still loves me."
"But you're not together."
Jake was quiet. Because Marcus was right. They weren't together. Not really. They were in limbo—not broken up but not together either.
"I thought I was doing the right thing," Jake said. "Giving her space. Not making her feel guilty about wanting to stay in Paris."
"You probably were doing the right thing. That doesn't mean it doesn't suck."
Back in Timber Falls, Jake's apartment felt emptier than ever. Lucy's toothbrush was gone from the bathroom—she'd taken it to Paris. Her coffee mug was still on the counter, but it was dusty from disuse. Signs that she'd been here. That they'd been together.
But were they still?
Jake pulled out his phone and texted Lucy.
Jake:Landed safely. Hope you're okay.
Three dots appeared. Then disappeared. Then appeared again.
