He gave me a stern expression. “It will.”
I let out strident laughter. “Like it worked with you and Rai when he moved away? You guys were together for four years. Planning to get married. And you still called it quits. How do you think it will work for Andrew and me only after maybe another week?”
“You’re wrong,” William said calmly, but I could hear something—maybe hurt or maybe controlled anger—in his voice.
“I’m not wrong.”
“Oh my god! You’re so fucking stubborn,” William yelled.
WTF? Were we actually arguing about this?
“You’re yelling at me again,” I whispered—my brain was in shock at his behavior.
“I’m sorry. But you’ve started pissing me off. You have something good here. You guys have this great chemistry. Why push it away?”
“Because we’re too different!” I shouted. Twisting, I checked that nobody had heard us. Thankfully, most people had their noses in their phones, minding their own business. “I’m a girl from a trailer park,” I hissed. “His family will never accept me. You know what? I’m done talking to you about this.” I jumped to my feet ready to leave, but William grabbed my hand, reeling my ass back down on the bench.
“Adriana, I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did.”
I turned. “What mistake?”
“It was me. I broke Rai’s heart.” William glanced up at the blue sky. “He begged me to go with him, but I said no. I was afraid. When he told his parents he was gay, it didn’t go well. They were hoping for a nice Japanese girl and not a white boy.”
“I remember that, but it happened in like the first few months of your dating,” I said in a low voice. “And they were fine afterward.”
“Yes, they were, but they wanted him to have a partner from the same culture. When he moved, I let him go because I was too chickenshit, worrying his family wouldn’t accept me. And guess what? Rai is now married to a Turkish swim instructor. Very much not Japanese.” William sighed. “I came across his Instagram account several weeks ago. Rai’s mom and dad were on either side of them, smiling and hugging. That could have been me.”
My heart was breaking all over again over what William had gone through. I looped my arms around his frame. “I’m sorry, handsome.”
He leaned his head to mine. “It’s water under the bridge. Please don’t let your fears get in the way of something that could be wonderful. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out, but you shouldn’t give up without a fight. You want Dr. Thor Hammer, don’t you?”
Of course, I did. Who wouldn’t?
“Yes. He’s like nobody I’ve ever met.” The last part came out with a dreamy sigh.
Could it work out between Andrew and me? Him living in Cambridge and me in Atlanta? Could we find a way to be together? The first year would be challenging since I would be busy with my store, but it would get easier once I got a grip on things. We could spend the holidays together. He could visit me, and from time to time I could get away to visit him. Money would be tight for a while, but I was trained to save. Each month I could put cash aside for an airplane ticket. A small hope slowly rose in my chest, the same sensation I’d felt when I received the UGA acceptance letter, got an offer at Salzburg Wine Distributing, bought a building in Roswell downtown, and when Andrew kissed me for the first time. The hope that something great was about to happen in my life.
It was hard to believe that two weeks ago, I had sworn off all men, and now I was falling in love like a complete fool with a man after just a few days.
“I must be seriously deranged to say this, but fine, I’ll give it a try.”
William kissed my temple. “I shall thank Andrew for finally breaking your dry spell and reminding you how nice it is to be in love. Now, are you going to finish your cake?”
I pushed my sunglasses further up on my nose and passed my cheese and coconut dessert to him. “It’s all yours.”
* * *
Andrew was in the center of a paper mess on the floor when I returned to his room.
“I brought you food,” I said, closing the door behind me. I wore a floral cyan blue sleeveless dress I’d bought earlier that day while strolling the streets with William. It had a deep V halter neck and was smocked snuggly through the bodice, with a wide circular skirt.
Andrew smiled, and my heart felt as though it might burst from my chest. I put the food on the desk and walked over to him. He reached his hand out to me. In one motion, he caught my wrist and pulled me down into his lap. His soft yet firm lips found mine and warmth ran down my spine at the contact.
“I missed you,” he said, his mouth against mine.
I smiled and drew back. “You did?”
His eyes skimmed over my face, and he scooped a lock of hair off my cheek and looped it behind my ear. “Yes.”
