A row of emojis appeared.I’m so proud of you. You finally got the courage to go for what you want.
Thanks. I have to go. She’s here.
CALL ME LATER
Lizzie shoved her phone in her pocket and stood up. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Sarah looked relieved to see her. “Did you wait long?”
“Nah, I just got here.”
Sarah unlocked the building door and they walked inside. The hallway was empty. Sarah immediately pulled Lizzie close and kissed her. Deep and desperate, like she’d been holding it in all day.
“I missed you,” Sarah whispered against her mouth.
“It’s been like eight hours.”
“Too long.”
They kissed again and Lizzie’s back hit the wall. Sarah’s hands were in her hair, on her waist, everywhere. This wasdifferent from the professional distance they’d maintained all day. This was real.
A door opened down the hall. They broke apart instantly. Sarah stepped back, putting space between them. An elderly woman emerged from an apartment carrying a bag of trash.
“Good evening, Mrs. Yang.”
“Hello, Sarah.” The woman smiled at Lizzie. “And who’s your friend?”
“This is Lizzie. She’s interning at the hotel.”
“How nice. You young people work so hard.” Mrs. Yang headed for the stairs. “Have a lovely evening.”
After she disappeared, Sarah let out a breath. “Sorry. I just—”
“I know.” Lizzie squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. I get it.”
They went inside Sarah’s apartment. The door barely closed before they were kissing again. But Sarah pulled back after a moment.
“Are you okay? Your mom must have been freaked out about the storm.”
Lizzie nodded. “I finally got through to her this morning when the cell service came back. She was pretty panicked. Not about the storm itself, more that she couldn’t reach me. You know how moms are.”
Sarah looked at her and smiled, but it was that sort of forced smile that hide something more than it revealed. It occurred to her that Sarah had never really talked about her family.
“Jasper called her and calmed her down. They had a video chat while I was still on the island. He explained where we were and that we were safe.”
“That was nice of him.”
“Yeah. It was kind of cute, actually. She said they were laughing and talking like old times. I think maybe the old spark might be reigniting.” Lizzie smiled at the thought. “They were good together. I always hoped they’d figure it out.”
Sarah was quiet for a moment. “What about your dad? Does he know you’re okay?”
Lizzie’s smile faded. “My dad died when I was six. Car accident.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” Lizzie looked at Sarah. “What about your dad?”
“He died when I was young too.”
