Rose pressed send and stared at the message she’d just sent. She shut her eyes for a beat and when she opened them, she saw three little bubbles on the screen.He’s typing back. But as quickly as the bubbles had appeared, they disappeared, leaving her staring at her own message again. It happened twice more as she sat there, until they finally disappeared and never reappeared again.
It’s over. She put her phone on the bedside table and snuggled down under the covers, thankful for Jessica’s ludicrously comfy bed. Tomorrow she would book her flight back to London, and then she would enjoy every day with the girls and Jessica, exploring New York and being part of their lives. Then it was time to return to reality, and see if her old firm would have her back.
When Rose awoke, she stretched and blinked at the light streaming through the white linen curtains. She’d forgotten to close them fully the night before, and as much as she would have preferred to pull the covers over her head and pretend she wasn’t awake, she was. The house was quiet, and she reached for her phone, deciding to lie quietly in bed and read the news until the girls were up.
Her phone showed a new message and she clicked on it, at the same time as propping her pillows up behind her. When she sank back into them, she looked at the screen again.
The text was from Benjamin.
I miss you, too.
Followed by:I wish you were still here.
Rose felt as if her heart had stopped beating as she reread his messages. He’d replied hours after she’d sent hers, and the second message had only been sent a few hours ago. And she knew then that if she’d been waiting for a sign or some big romantic gesture, then this was it.
She’d been so scared that what they had wasn’t real, that he didn’t care enough to stop her from leaving, when in reality they’d had a fight. An argument that could have been resolved by an honest discussion about how she was feeling. He’d been hurt and so had she, but she could see now that they’d both overreacted.
Rose typed back before she lost her nerve.
I wish I was still there, too.
She didn’t have to wait for a reply this time.
Then come home.
Home. The word terrified Rose. Because she no longer knew where home was, and the more she’d had time to think about it, the more she realised that home had been wherever her mum was, wherever her family were, and that she no longer had anyone to go back to.Maybe Argentina could be home.
Rose decided to stop overthinking everything as a pool of excitement spread across her belly, and she opened a new browser on her phone and looked up flights, finding one departing New York for Buenos Aires in just over four hours. With traffic and security at the airport it might be a stretch, but Rose knew that if she didn’t go now, she might lose her nerve completely.
She jumped out of bed, plugged her phone in to charge and quickly packed her things, tying her hair into a high topknotand pulling on sweatpants and a comfy jumper. She could get changed into something nicer later—right now, she had a plane to catch.
Rose checked she had everything, put her phone in her bag and opened the door, looking back at the elegant room she’d been staying in and knowing how lucky she’d been to have Jessica’s house as her refuge when she’d needed it.Maybe I have more than one home now. Maybe I don’t have to choose.
‘Where are you sneaking off to?’
Jessica’s voice took her by surprise, and Rose found her standing in the hallway with a coffee in hand.
‘What are you doing up so early?’ she asked.
‘Catching up on emails before the girls wake up.’ Jessica looked her up and down. ‘You’re leaving?’
‘He texted me back,’ Rose said.
Jessica’s face broke into a smile and she held out her cup so Rose could have a slurp of her coffee.
‘Then what are you waiting for. Go!’
Rose hesitated, taking another sip of coffee before passing it back to her. ‘I’m not being crazy and impulsive?’
‘You most certainly are. And given that you’ve never been either of those things in your life before, I think that’s the universe telling you this is exactly what you should be doing.’
Rose was so nervous she felt she might actually be sick, but Jessica was right. She was going back to Argentina, and she’d never felt so alive and excited in her life before.
‘Tell the girls I love them and I’ll see them again soon.’
‘You know I will. I love you, Rose.’
Rose threw her arms around her friend, coming dangerously close to sloshing coffee all over her. ‘I love you, too.’
