I wipe my face again. "I don't want to make it harder for him," I say. "What if I tell him all of it and it makes leaving worse?"
Noah shakes his head. "No. See, that's the problem. You keep protecting him from your feelings. But that's fear, not love."
I stare at him. He softens. "You owe him honesty. You owe yourself honesty. Even if it's messy. Even if it hurts."
I swallow. "You don't have to fix everything," he adds. "But at least give him the truth."
I look down. "I don't want to say goodbye." He leans his head against mine. "Then don't," he says. "Say everything else instead."
He looks at me for a second. Then walks over and pulls me into one last hug. Tight. Neither of us says anything for a few seconds. "You good?" he mumbles into my shoulder.
"No."
He chuckles. "Same." We pull apart. He looks at me with that stupid, soft expression.
"Come on, I have to saymygoodbyes now."
We step out of my house and start walking toward Gio's. He reaches over and wipes under my eye with his thumb.
"There. Pretty again," he says, all smug. I roll my eyes, but it makes me laugh. "You cried too."
"Yeah, causeyoudid, bitch."
When we reach Gio's, Daisy opens the door to us.
Gio
They walk in and the first thing I notice is him.
Rava. Always those damn green eyes. But this time, they’re red, and a little puffy. Like he's been crying.
Still looks beautiful, though.
I glance away, quick. Try to play it cool. Probably just crying because Noah's leaving.
Yeah. That's gotta be it. Sweet little idiot.
But then he looks at me. And I remember what that little girl said at the beach.
Emiliana. It’s ridiculous. She's six. What the hell does she know? "Can I sit here?" he asks, quiet. I look at the empty spot next to me like I haven't been saving it for him all night.
I squint. "No."
He blinks, caught off guard. And then I smirk and grab his wrist, yanking him down onto the couch beside me.
"Idiot," I mutter, but it comes out softer than I mean.
He laughs, and bumps his shoulder into mine.
Then, of course, Lorenzo happens. "NoooOOOOAH!"
He launches himself at him. Noah yelps as he's pulled down into Lorenzo's lap. "What the—?!"
"My sun! My moon! My bisexual legend!"
Lorenzo sobs dramatically, cradling him. "Don't leave me with Romeo and Juliet and the human embodiment of domestic violence!"
"I heard that!" Daisy yells from my desk, rummaging through God knows what.
