I nod. “That makes a lot of sense.” And it does. I really don’t feel like this is simply a vacation romance, but I certainly don’t want to make any big decisions while on the high of contact with Malcolm.
“Well, like I said, my story may not be yours. I just wanted to caution you.” She pats my arm. “Best of luck, dear.”
“Thank you.”
I watch her slide away, and when I turn back Malcolm is standing there with our drinks.
“What was that about? Morvan is nice, but she’s a talker. I can’t believe she walked away.”
“She wanted to talk to me about her vacation romance. I’ll tell you about it later. In fact, I want us to talk about it.”
“Okay. How about one more dance after we finish our drinks, then I’d love to just be with you for a bit.”
“Perfect.”
As we watch the dance floor and finish our drinks, I make plans to slip into the bathroom after our dance and call Mai. I want to make sure I’m not about to make a big mistake.
46
Malcolm
Thecarisquietas I drive us toward my parents’, trying to think of somewhere we can end our night apart from their front porch.
I pick up her hand and place a kiss to it.
“You’ve kissed me a lot tonight.” She squeezes my hand. “Not that I mind.”
“I’m trying to memorize the feel of you in my hands and against my lips. I want to hold onto as much of it as I can so when you leave I can close my eyes and pretend you’re here.”
Makenna lets out a breathy, “Oh.”
“So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?”
She’s quiet for a moment. “This feels like terrible timing.”
Panic seizes me, and I slow the car. It’s late, and there’s verylittle traffic, but Makenna is now pulling even more of my attention than she did when I was kissing her hand.
I attempt to steady myself. This might now be something bad. “Now’s the only time we have. In person, anyway.”
She grips my hand harder, and I brace myself for what she’s about to say. Did I open myself up again for yet another woman to leave me?
“I think we may need to have some time apart to make sure this isn’t just a vacation romance.” She speaks the words so quickly, like she is trying to get it over with.
“Weareabout to have time apart,” I say, unsure where she could be going with this.
“Yes. I’m sorry. I meant … totally apart. Like no contact for an established amount of time. We can go back to our normal lives and make sure we still feel the way we do now when the time is up.”
I’m stunned. I’d imagined very frequent video calls, and random texting all the time about anything and everything. It was comforting to think that even if she was leaving, I could still see her sweet face and hear her beautiful voice.
“How”—I clear my throat—“how long?”
“I was thinking … two weeks? It’s about how long we’ve known each other.”
Two weeks. I can do anything for two weeks. Except go without water. And as dramatic as it sounds, I feel as if that’swhat’s been proposed.
“Okay.” I sigh. “What made you decide to do this? Something like this would have never occurred to me.”
“That woman, Morvan, talked to me about her failed marriage. She fell in love on vacation and should have left things on vacation. Instead, they spent a miserable year together. She didn’t discourage us being together, just suggested we be more careful than she was. And I think it’s smart. I hope,and think, that at the end of the two weeks, we’ll both be more than ready to reconnect. I’m betting we will have tasted life without the other and found it dull and flavorless.”
