Rolling emerald fields give way to towering, blue-shadowed mountains that look almost unreal. I sink back in my seat, exhaling a slow, happy sigh that feels like it’s been trapped in my chest for months.
“If you told me we were just going to sit here all day,soaking in this view,” I murmur, feeling every last knot in my body begin to loosen, “I’d be all in.”
Aunt Rose takes a moment to appreciate the expanse of beauty beyond the window. She lets out a contented sigh. “You should see it here in the winter. It’s even more stunning.”
“I can imagine. Maybe I’ll come back during the winter holiday break this year.”
I haven’t even left yet, and I’m already planning on coming back.
The waitress arrives to take our drink orders. We both opt for water. Once she’s out of earshot, I clear my throat to get my aunt’s attention. “So, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
Her eyes widen, her lips parting as she gasps. “Oh god, are you pregnant?”
I laugh, shaking my head. “No! Although now that you thought I was dropping that kind of bomb, this conversation just got a lot easier.”
She raises an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk, and gestures for me to continue.
“Well, I ran into Knox at his sister’s café yesterday. We chatted for a bit, and he asked if I’d have dinner with him sometime.”
“Mm, go on.”
“I told him I needed to think about it. He really doesn’t know much about me or what I’m going through. I don’t even know how long I’m going to be here. I guess…I just want to know what you think.”
She looks at me for a moment, then asks, “Can you tell me what you know about Knox?”
“Honestly? Just the basics. Where he works, how many siblings he has. Our conversations haven’t gotten too personal, but what I do know, I like.”
She leans back in her chair, taking a thoughtful sip of her water. “I see. Well, I’m not going to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. Are you asking me because you’re having the same thoughts as I am?”
I chew on my bottom lip, turning her question over in my mind. “Would those thoughts be that I just had my heart broken and explicitly said Iwasn’tgoing to jump into something new with another guy?”
Her lips twitch into a smirk. “You said it, not me.” She pauses, watching me carefully when she says, “I’ve known Knox for years now, and I know you. Both of you are easy to love. That can either be wonderful or painful, Jules.”
I fiddle with my napkin. I know I’m not supposed to get attached. I’m not supposed to feelanythingafter what happened back home. Still, there’s something about being around Knox that quiets all the noise in my head. It’s not just that, though. It’s this overwhelming sense of comfort that comes with him, like the universe has decided to cut me a break and show me that maybe I can have something good again.
And besides, no one said anything aboutlove.
“Yeah, but it’s different here,” I say. “It doesn’t feel like I’m forcing anything. More like I’m just…letting it happen.”
She doesn’t say anything for a moment, then lets out a laugh. “You’ve got the heart of a poet, you know that? Just like your mom. That doesn’t mean you won’t get hurt.”
Yeah, I already thought that, too. Hearing her say it makes it much more real, though.
“Follow your heart, hun. Just be careful and make sure you have all the facts before making any decisions.” Her tone is light, but there’s something in the way she says it that sends an uneasy chill down my spine. Like she knows something I don’t.
I’ve already made up my mind, though. I just neededsomeone to reassure me that I’m not completely alone when the inevitable heartbreak comes knocking.
People move on. People change. Some disappear because of life circumstances, others by choice.
“Stop it.” My aunt’s voice slices through the gloom in my head. “I see your mind doing bad things. You’re going to be fine, no matter what you decide.”
I let out a relieved laugh. “Well, that’s creepy that you knew what I was thinking. Does the twin telepathy thing work on me, too? Show me your ways.”
Her laugh rings out, bright and contagious.
I take a deep breath, trying to sound as casual as possible when I ask, “Does that mean you’ll give me Knox’s number?”
She rolls her eyes, clearly seeing right through me, but still, she reaches for her phone without missing a beat and hands it over. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”
