She swatted me. “I hate that song.”
I held up my hands in defense. “Would I be a miserable person to say I hope you stay right here?”
“One day, I won’t be here anymore. I’ll go on vacation with Elizabeth, and I won’t come back.”
I studied her. “So why not just take a trip if you’re bored?”
“I do that.” She bit her lip. “There’s more to it than simple wanderlust, but it sounds stupid.”
I leaned in to give her my undivided attention. “What?”
“I don’t want to be a tourist all the time. I want to immerse myself in another culture. I want to live in another world. I want an experience.”
It sounded to me like she wanted to run away, like she hoped to leave herself behind.
“You should come to Richmond and meet my family if you want an experience.” I had to laugh at the image that gave me. Chelsea and my mom in the same room. The only question was: who would survive? Ma would grill Chelsea about her futureplans, and Chelsea would break Ma’s brain when she confessed she had no intention to marry.
Then again, Ma would feed her for days. And Chelsea would gush over my mom’s cooking.
“I bet your family is awesome.”
“I’d love for you to meet them.” And suddenly, I actually did want to take her there, for my family to get to know her. How could they not love her? She’d fit right in. “They’re not so far away. Maybe down the road?”
“Down the road, literally or figuratively?” She chuckled, but her face clouded again. “I’ll never understand why you aren’t jumping on that job in Greece.”
“You and my family both.” It came out more bitter than I’d intended.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything.”
“It’s okay. It’s an ongoing point of conflict. To hear my mom talk about it, I live too far away to visit enough. She’s never come out here to see me. But Greece? They’ve regretted their whole lives that they never took me.”
“Why didn’t they, then?”
“My parents are first-generation American. They went back home regularly at first, but it’s expensive. And I’m the baby. By the time I was born, they’d have to take five kids with them. Even if they wanted to send only me, they had other financial burdens. Five kids in school. Music lessons. Sports fees. Tutors. Saving for college. It wasn’t feasible.”
“So they never go home?”
“They do now, and family visits us here occasionally. My uncle Kostas—the hotel tycoon—comes over with my grandmother every few years. I’m an adult now, and it’s up to me to go there, but I have no reason to. I have a job here, and it’s my life, my decision.”
She shook her head. “You’re baffling. I couldn’t imaginepassing up on the opportunity to get put up for free in Greece and live there among a real family.”
“Maybe. If you were there with me.” I laughed so she’d take me as corny, not creepy.
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously. That would be my dream come true.”
Given my limited options here, her dream might become my reality. Charlottesville had become a dead end, but I couldn’t exactly slink back to Richmond, tail between my legs. My dad would never let me forget how I’d tried and failed. At least if I went to work for my uncle, I’d earn back some of his respect.
Chelsea’s contagious wanderlust actually made the idea seem more palatable. I loved that she was open to exploring far-off destinations. I started to hum the theme toAladdin, and she swatted me again. That only encouraged me to break into the chorus: “A whole new wo-o-o-rld.”
She hopped up like I’d taken things too far at last and made an elaborate show of stretching. “Thanks for coming over. I hope my food was at least edible.”
Message received. I shouldn’t have expected her to want more.
“Hey, I have to work Friday night, but maybe Saturday, we could catch a movie?”
“Oh, movies are on the list.”
I froze at her remark. I’d shamelessly scoured her list for opportunities to spend time with her. Was that the first time she’d suggested using it as an excuse to see me?
