I thought about how I’d get them to Preston. But it didn’t matter, because Micheal was his architect now. “Yeah, that’s good. He can get in touch with you when he’s ready to move forward.”
He looked at me. “Are you sure you want to give up so quickly?”
No, I didn’t. But maybe it was for the best.
“Doesn’t matter what I want anymore.”
Michael nodded. “Okay. I’ll take them with me.”
“Make sure he builds it, Michael. He may want some changes now. He might even want new plans.”
“Why would he want new ones?” he asked, confused.
“Because that building…” I had to stop and breathe. I swallowed down a lump so I could finish. “That building is him and me. It’s what brought us together.”
“Oh,” he said, understanding the gravity of the situation.
A fresh wave of tears were on the way, and I had to get out of the car.
“Thanks for everything. And for being my friend,” I gutted out.
“I’ll always be your friend,” he said. “I’ll check on you tomorrow.”
I nodded and got out.
When I got to the front door, I sent my mom a text to let her know I was outside.
It wasn’t long before she opened it and took one look at my face.
“Sweetheart, what happened?” she asked as she looked me over. “The last time you were this upset was…”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Oh honey. Do you want to talk about it?” She hugged me to her and held me while I cried. When I could get control of myself, I pulled away.
“I think I wanna go take a nap. We can talk later.”
She gave me a small smile. “Okay, sweetheart. I’ll be here when you’re ready to talk.”
I climbed the stairs to my childhood bedroom and quickly found some sweats and a t-shirt to change into. Tossing my clothes on the chair, I crawled onto my bed and cried myself to sleep.
* * *
I stayedwith my parents for three days before I went back to my apartment. Over those three days I’d talked to my parents until I was talked out. I couldn’t talk about Preston any longer. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him. Everywhere I went reminded me of him.
I desperately needed to get out of town, so I called Nicole.
“Can I come stay with you for a while?”
“Of course. When are you coming?”
I smiled. “I was thinking today.”
“I was hoping you’d say that. Buy a ticket and let me know when to pick you up. You’re going to love Southern California.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’ll text you my flight information.”
“Good. Do it now.”
