“That’s for later,” he said solemnly, though there was still a glint of humor in his eyes.
She slid it into the back pocket of her jeans.
“Next,” he said.
She laughed softly and nodded to where his left hand was still hidden behind him.
When he brought it forward, it held a small, wrapped box adorned with a red bow.
She slowly reached for it, examining its red-and-white stripedpaper before carefully tearing it off to reveal a nondescript maroon box. Inside, she found a silver link bracelet with a compass charm attached to its center.
“It only has the one charm now, but I thought we could start filling it up with all the places we go,” he said.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. And it was, even as she tried to ignore the guilt that swelled in her chest again.
He smiled. “You like it?”
“I love it.”
“Good. Because I thought we could start in Argentina.” Then he pulled his phone from his back pocket, unlocking it before revealing what looked to be an email.
The screen was so bright, it took Anne a minute to read it. Then another to process the words. Argentine Airlines. Buenos Aires. One-way.
Her heart plummeted to the floor. “What is this?”
“Your Christmas present,” he said softly. “I got accepted into the NYU Buenos Aires program for next year. And I want you to come with me.”
“To Argentina?” she asked dumbly. Freddie had talked about NYU’s program in Argentina for the past two years, but it was always with wistful longing. He could barely afford tuition as it was; there was never a chance he could shoulder the added cost of a year abroad. Or, at least, that’s what she thought. She had missed a step, and she never missed a step. Now her brain was trying desperately to play catch-up.
“Not for the whole year, obviously,” he replied. “That’s why it’s one way; you can decide how long you stay. But after graduation, I thought you could take some time and figure out what you wanted to do next while I—”
“But I thought it was too expensive.”
“It is, but one of the professors in the environmental engineering department heard about the hydroponics unit I’m working on. He reached out and they want to give me a scholarship. I’ll be able to work with the local community to…” He paused when he caught her confused expression. “What?”
A cold wind whipped down West Third Street, pulling strands of hair from her ponytail, but she barely noticed. She unconsciously pushed them from her face as her mind began to spin with every eventuality. “Have you considered the additional costs? Is there on-campus housing? What about insurance? And the trips back and forth. And your parents…”
“How about ‘Congratulations, Freddie, that’s amazing!’?” He was still smiling, but there was a new line of concern between his eyebrows.
“Itisamazing, there’s just a lot to consider,” she said, working to curb the panic in her voice.
“Not everything has to be dissected ad nauseum to weigh its merits, Annie.”
But some things should, she wanted to say. Still, she couldn’t have that conversation again. Freddie thrived on the big picture, following his gut. It was one of the things she loved most about him, even though she could in no way relate.
“You didn’t even tell me you applied,” she said. The words came out before she could realize her own hypocrisy. She hadn’t told him about business school, either.
“I know, I’m sorry,” he said with a sigh, stepping forward and enveloping her in a hug again. “But honestly, I didn’t think I would get in, so I did it on a whim. And when the scholarship came through, I just thought, why not? You know I’ve always wanted to travel. I’m studying environmental engineering so I can do thatand do some good for the world. And you always said you wanted to come with me.”
A sharp ache ran down her chest. Over the past few months, they had talked about traveling the world together. Late-night discussions about all the places they’d visit someday, but it had always felt so far away, just one of a thousand different daydreams about what life would be like after college. An escape from the realities of the here and now.
“That was a possibility for the future, Freddie. Not a concrete plan.”
His lips flattened to a grim line. It was an expression she rarely saw, one that didn’t seem to fit his face. “Really? Well, that’s news to me.”
His white beard was still clutched in her hand as her mind raced. “A plan requires a defined goal, quantifiable steps to get there. I can’t just take off to Argentina next year on a whim—”
“Why not?”
