“Why are you acting weird?”
“I’m not acting weird.”
“Is this about Leighton?”
I look away as a breeze blows leaves across the tracks. We’re the only two standing on the platform.
Daniel sticks his hands into his pockets. “Look,” he sighs. “If you really want to talk about this…”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Then why are you so upset?”
I stare at the tracks, unsure what to say. The scene of them in the hallway keeps replaying in my head. Why has he never mentioned Leighton before? I know I shouldn’t let this bother me, but I want to know. “How long have you been seeing him?”
“A few months.”
“So you kept him a secret all this time,” I say.
“I wasn’t keeping him a secret,” he says, shaking his head. “I just didn’t know what it was. We were just friends at first. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Then why didn’t you mention him?”
“Because I wasn’t sure how you would react, okay?”
A silence passes. I stare at the ground, feeling like a complete idiot for not seeing this coming. We’ve spent so much time together these past few years. What did it all mean to him? Did I misunderstand everything? I can’t stop myself from asking this. “Why did you kiss me that night on the rooftop?”
Daniel lets out a breath and says, “I just wanted to. But it wasn’t supposed to mean anything.”
“Then why did you do it?”
“Maybe it was a mistake.”
I wish I’d never asked the question. There’s a terrible pain in my chest, making it hard to speak. “Yeah. Maybe it was,” I say back.
I turn away, wanting to disappear from all of this. For some reason, Daniel stays with me on the platform. It feels like an infinity before a beam of light shines through the tunnel. I look at Daniel one last time, hoping he tells me none of this was true, that he’s always been in love with me, too. But he doesn’t say another word. So I step onto the train, letting the doors close behind me.
I wish I hadn’t come here tonight. I wish I’d never even met him.
Nine
The marquee lights shine like a carousel. It’s been a fewdays since I last saw Haru. I keep staring at the street, hoping he shows up again. Every bicycle that passes makes me think he’s somewhere close. I’ve been visiting the places we went in hopes of running into him. I even stopped by the café we met at on the way here. But he wasn’t there again. Now I’m just standing outside the theater before work. I wish there were a way for me to call him. Ask him when we’re going to see each other again.How much longer do I have to wait for you?
I give it a few more minutes before I head inside. It’s my first week working the box office. I’m dressed in the standard uniform, a white collared shirt with the same bow tie I wore from my last job. But instead of serving hors d’oeuvres, I’ll be selling tickets from behind a glass window. I spent all of yesterday onboarding with the assistant manager, learning about their new show that’s opening this week. It’s calledMr. and Mrs. Eloise,about this couple who fake their wealth to climb up the social ladder in Manhattan.
The box office is located to the right of the lobby. Long marble counters are sectioned off by marble pillars. As I head through the back, I see two people around my age sitting at a table by the wall. A girl with blond streaks and a guy withjet-black hair and blue eye shadow are chatting, sharing a bag of M&Ms. I’ve been curious about who else would be working today. As I set my things under the counter, they both turn their heads in my direction. Their blank stares make me go still.
“Are you supposed to be in here?” Blue Eye Shadow asks.
For a second, I question it myself. “I think so. I just started this week.” Some blinks are exchanged, but no one says anything. Maybe I should introduce myself first. “My name is Eric.”
“Ericwho?” he asks.
“Ly.”
“Do you go to the Art Institute?” asks the girl, crossing her legs.
“No.”
