“Sometimes it just keeps them alone,” she says quietly. “Look at Papà and Elena.”
“I’m not—”
“They didn’t get where they are by playing it safe,” she says. “They chose each other anyway. Mess and all.”
I rub a thumb along the seam of my pocket. “You’re asking me to be careless.”
“No,” she says. “Look, I’m not telling you to fall in love. I’m just saying, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if you took some of that wall down.”
“I don’t owe anyone more than I have,” I say.
“You don’t,” she agrees. “But it’s only you who thinksthisis all you have.”
A muscle jumps in my jaw. “We done?”
Her shoulders drop, and herbreath puffs out.
“Yeah, Tio, I’m done,” she says quietly.
“Good,” I say. I look at the forgotten paperwork still in my hand. “I’ll file this by end of day.”
“Thanks,” she says, a bit dejected.
I feel a horrible kind of shame for dismissing her like that.
I walk over to her and tilt her chin up with my hands.
“I don’t like that you can see me as well as you do,stellina.”
She smiles at the old nickname. Little star.
“Tough luck,” she says softly.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “For brushing you off.”
“You didn’t brush me off,” she says. “You bristled. Different beast.”
“Then I’m sorry for that.”
Some of the tension leaves her shoulders. “Okay.”
“I’m not built for these talks,” I admit. “You know that.”
“I do,” she agrees. “Neither am I.”
“I hear you anyway,” I say. “More than you think.”
“I was hoping,” she says.
I let my hand fall from her chin. “You’re right about one thing.”
“Only one?” she asks, mouth tilting into a small smile.
“For now,” I say. “The wall. I don’t know if I can take it down.”
“At the very least, stop adding bricks,” she says. “Start there.”
“I can do that.”
