Some people could be kind of judgmental about blue-collar work. But Ramin had never been the judgmental type, and Noah was glad to see that hadn’t changed.
“I’m a disaster at building things,” Ramin said. “Except PowerPoint decks.”
“I bet you’re not so bad.”
“One time I put an IKEA shelf together backwards. Despite the pictures. And I’m still not sure where some of the parts were supposed to go.”
Noah chuckled. “Well, those Swedish pictures are hard to understand.”
Ramin gave a soft smile. Noah caught him rubbing at his tattoo again. He really wondered what it meant. “What—”
“All set,” Angela said.
Ramin jumped, like someone had just zapped him with static. Noah might’ve been a little shocked himself. Talking with Ramin felt like going back in time. Like he was in a different world, until Angela’s voice dragged him back to the real one.
“Oh. What’d you pick?”
“Chocolate.” She held up her cone. “We’d better go.”
She glanced toward Jake, who it seemed hadnotgotten seconds, and whose face was turning red.
Uh-oh.
Noah had expected the jet lag to hit Jake sooner or later, and probably even make him into a little monster for a while, but it looked like the meltdown was imminent, and Angela knew it.
“Nice to meet you,” she said to Ramin. “Say bye, Jake.”
Jake muttered, but Ramin knelt down and offered another fist bump.
Noah’s heart wanted to melt. Did Ramin have any kids of his own? He was so effortless with Jake.
“I’m glad I met you, Jake. Have fun in Italy.”
To Noah’s surprise, Jake cooled off enough to bump his little fist against Ramin’s. “You too.”
And then Angela was pulling Jake toward the door.
Ramin stood. Noah was frozen. He didn’t want to go. Didn’t want to say goodbye. Didn’t want to leave this perfect, random, magical moment.
But his gelato had turned to mush. And his son was waiting.
“I’d better go,” he made himself say.
“Yeah. See you.” Ramin’s eyebrows curved down, ever so slightly, like he knew it was a lie.
They’d gone twenty years never seeing each other in Kansas City. What were the chances they’d ever meet again?
But Noah’s son was waiting, so he lied as well.
“See you.”
five
Ramin
Ramin staggered back to his apartment in a daze. He only tripped on the cobbled stones twice.
Noah Bartlett, all grown up.
