Hope blossomed, but she approached it casually. “So, I will see you again?”
An odd expression crossed his face. “Wasn’t that the plan?”
“We all said we’d have a group reunion, but people always say those things and never see each other again.” She hated the vulnerability creeping into her tone.
“This week has changed me.Youhave changed me. I can’t go back to the shell of a life I was living.” He squeezed her hand. “How could I not see you again?”
“You’ll say bye before you leave in the morning?” She bit down on her lip, as if that could stop the emotions threatening to overflow.
His throat tightened. “Of course.”
“It’s late. You should try for a few hours of sleep before morning.” Ending the night was the second to last thing she wanted to do. Too many feelings whirled in a scrambled maze, overwhelming her. The telltale sign of tears burned her eyes, and the absolute last thing she wanted was for James to see her cry again. He’d seen it once, which was one time too many, though the circumstances were different.
“Good night.” He released her hand, brushed his palm over her cheek. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
She entered her room, sinking against the door after she’d closed it. She hadn’t expected tonight to be so hard, but how could she have when she only now realized how deeply she’d fallen for James? How would she survive the morning?
Kicking off her shoes, she sighed and then forced herself to change. She collapsed into bed, barely remembering her head hitting the pillow.
Sunlight streaming through her window woke her up the next morning. The warm rays made her smile until she realized something wasn’t right.
She sat upright and frantically reached for her phone. What time was it? Eight-thirty? How had she slept through the alarm she’d set. Why hadn’t she woken up when James knocked on her door? Or had he changed his mind and decided to not say goodbye? She couldn’t believe he would do that.
She tried calling him. His phone went straight to voicemail. He was on his way back to America. What must he think when she didn’t come to the door? She pressed against her temples, feeling sick to her stomach.
Get yourself together, Cece. She gave herself a peptalk and told herself she would see James again. She had to. They hada connection between them that couldn’t be denied. But why couldn’t she have said bye to him this morning? One last encounter in their fairy tale before returning to the real world.
Swinging her feet over the side of the bed, she got up. Despite her heavy heart, she knew she had to move and get ready for the day, or she’d wallow in self-pity, which would be beneficial to no one. Her original plans for the day included attending a service at the oldest continuous-serving church in Finlovia dating to the thirteenth century.
She took a shower and dressed in a wool dress that would be warm for her coldest day in Finlovia, with a projected high of forty-eight degrees. Still disappointed over missing James, she skipped breakfast. Maybe after church she’d be able to eat.
Too bad she’d had to wash her hair and take away the curls from last night. Her hair had a natural light wave, but she’d loved her style last night. She sat at the dressing table brushing her hair when she heard a rapping on the door.
“Be right there.” She laid down her hairbrush and went to open the door, forgetting to check who it was.
Her jaw dropped when she saw him standing there. “James?”
“May I come in?” He carried a white paper bag and two coffee drinks.
“Of course. What are you doing here? Not that I’m not glad to see you, but I thought you were on your flight already. My alarm didn’t wake me, and I never heard you knock, and I thought I’d missed you, and oh my, goodness, what are you doing here?” she repeated.
“I brought you breakfast.” He showed her the bag and drinks before coming in and setting them on the desk.
“You’re flight?”
He shrugged. “I missed it.”
“Why? How?”
“There’s something I should have done last night that I need to make right.”
“Wh—”
James cut her off with a kiss. A kiss that righted her upside-down world and made her forget everything but James and that moment.
They broke contact and pulled away while keeping eye contact.
“For someone who doesn’t like surprises, you pulled off an incredible one,” she said once she’d caught her breath.
