The salesman disappears back into the warm glow of the station interior.
Isolde stands there, hugging herself and staring down the tracks.
She can’t be here for me. Maybe she just wanted to leave the wedding early? But there’s no luggage, nothing but her and her phone.
She clutches her phone and starts typing. A second later, mine buzzes in my pocket. When I look at the screen, all breath leaves my lungs.
Isolde
I’m sorry.
I wait, staring at the screen, heart pounding. Then, more messages come, one after another.
Isolde
I made a mistake.
Isolde
I was scared.
Isolde
I have trust issues.
Isolde
But I mean it when I say, I’m ready to try. If you are?
Isolde
Please, stop hiding and talk to me.
I freeze. Sol knows I’m here.
She turns, and her eyes find mine.
I step fully out from behind the pillar. “How did you know?”
She glances around the deserted platform. “I sensed someone lurking in the shadows.”
I laugh. “You always were good at your job.”
“Yeah,” she says, taking a breath, “but I wasn’t so good at being yours.”
I let that hang—painful and true.
“Why are you here, Isolde?”
Her heels click on the old tiles as she draws closer. “You got my texts.”
“I did.”
“Then you know I came for you.”
“Sure, but what does that mean?” I hold her gaze, trying to hold myself together despite my heart pounding a mile a minutein my chest. “I was clear last night. We aren’t sneaking around anymore. If I’m not enough, then find someone who is.”
She licks her lips, gloss catching the outdoor light. I want nothing more than to taste her.
