Page 135 of Only Lovers in the Building

Lily: Where’s the lie, though?

Ben: Have you ever met someone and felt an instant connection?

Lily: I don’t recall.

Ben: Is that right? Should we refresh your memory?

Lily: I plead the Fifth.

Ben: Let’s try this. What was your first impression of me?

Lily: That’s easy. How can I get this bartender to take my order?

Ben: It was a busy night!

Lily: I waited a long time.

Ben: Want to know what I was thinking when I first laid eyes on you?

Lily: Yes, please.

Ben: Bummer. Our time is up. Join us next week when we discuss polyamory. Get into it.

Lily: Don’t tease them. This is the last episode of the summer.

Ben: Sadly, it is.

Lily: The idea of hosting this podcast was so daunting, we nearly turned it down. I can’t believe it went by so fast.

Ben: We had fun.

Lily: Yes, we did. And from all the comments, we’re confident our listeners had fun, too. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for joining our summer love book club. I know I will never forget it.

Ben: I want to thank you, Lily, for making this possible. I’ll never forget this experience.

Lily: [Pauses] That’s very sweet.

Ben: Our time is up, for real this time.

Lily: Bye, everyone. Remember to give love a chance.

Chapter Thirty-Six

From the recording studio, they drove straight to the building. Ben parked at his reserved spot in the garage and cut the engine. “I have to see Noah about the watch,” he said. “The appraisal is in.”

Lily could not face Noah right now. He’d take one look at her and just know. “I’m going for a walk,” she said. “I’ll meet you later for a last swim?”

“Why last?” he asked with a tight smile. “The pool isn’t going anywhere.”

“Who knows? What if it rains tomorrow?”

“It’s not like you to be so pessimistic.”

She took one look at his face and knew what he would say next. Do you want to talk? The answer was no. There was nothing to talk about. Her flight was booked. Dr. Jake had scheduled a walk-through. The time for talking was over.

“Say hi to Noah for me, please.”

Lily climbed out of the car and walked away briskly. She exited the garage through a side door, stepping out onto a busy corner. Midafternoons in Manhattan were chaotic, but Miami Beach had its moments. Tourists raced past on foot, on Vespas, or in sexy little sports cars. The city drew people from all over the world looking for fun. When they returned to their lives, they’d annoy their friends with accounts of their time in the sun. I spent a week in Miami . . . Unreal! they’d say. As if the city were a fictional place and the locals, paid actors. Ben, Kylie, Noah, Roxanna, Sierra, Nicolas, and Jeremy were as real as anyone, and so was her love for them.