“I already did. I thought I was taking a risk, practicing for when I’d apply to other jobs. I honestly didn’t expect to hear from them.” He pressed his lips together, and I could read the rest in his eyes. “But they called me for an interview on Monday.”
“That’s great.” I plastered on a smile, bracing for what he’d say next.
“And they made an offer yesterday.”
“Congratulations.” I focused on breathing. “When do you start?”
He brushed the hair back from my forehead. “I haven’t accepted yet. I want to counter for more time off and a little bit more money. I figure I might as well press my luck and let fate decide. But if they agree, it would be really hard to turn it down.”
“No. Of course.”
“But there’s one more condition that would need to be met.”
I was hoping he’d asked for remote-only, but what meteorologist had a home science lab? “What’s that?”
His expression tightened, and I recognized in him my own fear of simply saying what was on my heart, asking for what I wanted, but he laid it out. “You. I don’t want to go anywhere without you. Could you ever see yourself leaving Charlottesville?”
The question shouldn’t have surprised me, but I hesitated. I’d built my life here. My best friend lived a block away. I was about to embark on a new job. I loved Charlottesville.
But Chelsea’s ultimate goal was to get far away, and my new job was temporary. Hell, it wasn’t even my true calling. It was dream job adjacent, and I’d been living vicariously, surrounded by grad students, fixing other people’s writing, too scared to make the leap into the profession for myself.
The biggest question was simple: “If I said no, would you stay?”
He stared at our hands, intertwined. “I know it’s too soon to be planning so far ahead, but I’m at a crossroads, and when I look back, I want to know I took the right path. And since I want that path to include you, then if you said no, I guess I’d just try not to get fired.”
“But you’re miserable here.”
“I’ve been miserable in every job. There’s no guarantee I won’t be miserable in the next.” He lifted his eyes. “And I don’t want you to sacrifice your dream job for mine.”
The fictional future in my mind shifted, expanded, and I started to envision us together, starting a new life, somewhere completely different. “I suppose I could ask Kate if she’d consider letting me work remote. We’ve always communicated through email anyway.”
“Really?” He swallowed. “But if she says no, I can look for something else. Maybe I’ll find something else in a few months.”
I could hear from his voice that he’d be devastated to turn down this opportunity. “Copy editing isn’t my ultimate dream, Evan. And there’s a great MFA program in Boulder.” I’d been building my list all month—point number eight. Kate even offered to recommend me to whichever school I applied to. Boulder appealed to me for so many reasons.
His eyes lit up. “That’s exactly where the job is.”
I’d been too scared to make that big a move on my own, but it would feel more like an adventure if Evan were by my side. I liked the idea of taking that fork in the road together, seeing where it might lead. “That looks like an amazing town.”
“I was thinking I could fly out there while you’re in France, get the lay of the land.”
Right. Chelsea and I flew out in a week. It would be good to spend quality time with my best friend, but I wasn’t much in the mood to travel when decisions back home weighed heavy. Maybe this would be the time Chelsea finally made good on her threat to stay put in some foreign country and never come home, and then where would I be, without Chelsea or Evan? I thought back to that night in the laundromat when I’d felt so adrift and alone, and I knew one thing for sure. I didn’t care where I was, as long as I had company.
If it came down to Evan or Chelsea, the decision was easy. Chelsea and I would remain friends wherever we were. If our situations were reversed, I’d tell her to follow Bas.
“Whatever you decide, I’ll go with you."
He exhaled. “I know we’re just starting out, but now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to lose you, and if we share a vision, we can build a life together. Wherever that is.”
It was going to be fun making future plans with him, but for now…
“We’re together tonight. Let’s focus on the present.”
“Leave the past in the past?”
I grinned, thrilled that he still remembered our first night together. “And let tomorrow take care of tomorrow.” I grabbed the fabric of his shirt, trusting him with my heart and soul. The guy had just laid out a future roadmap with me. “And now, can I satisfy point number ten?”
“Kiss someone you like on New Year’s Eve?”
