Page 66 of Trust Fund Baby

“Dammit.” He tightened his grip on it. “Seb, I think Hallie might have been telling the truth about her boss.”

“And she’s not answering your calls or texts?”

“I think she gave me her work phone number when we first met. She never gave me her personal.”

“Don’t you know where she lives?” I asked, taking another sip of my drink.

“That’s a great idea, Seb,” he said, already standing.

“Wait—you’re leaving now?”

“Yes.” He tossed cash onto the table. “You can come with if you want, but you don’t have to.”

I downed the rest of my drink. “Well, fuck. Of course I’m coming. What else am I going to do? This is far more entertaining than anything that’s been going on in my life recently.”

“Are you sure you’re not just tagging along in the hope that you’ll see Roxie?” he asked as we walked out.

“Now, why would you think that?” I said, smiling.

And that’s how I ended up in a cab on the way to Roxie’s apartment. As we settled into the backseat, I opened my emails on my phone. The screen’s electronic light cast a pale glow over the cab’s interior, and I was careful to keep it facing away from James.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard, hesitant at first. But then the words flowed—messy and raw, but real. I was taking my own advice. Being bold, despite it being futile, as she’d never read them. Even if I did see her tonight, I wouldn’t tell her this in person. But I knew I had to get the words out, even if it was just for me.

Subject: Maybe This is My Last Shot

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Roxie,

I’m not good at doing the right thing. You know that better than anyone. But I’m trying. Trying to be someone worth chasing, worth believing in. This time not just for you. But for me.

I miss you. More than I thought I could. More than I let myself admit. I think I always have. And probably always will.

I’ve spent years running fast and hard, chasing everything but what mattered most. And now? Now I want to stop running. I want to find my way back to who I was when I liked myself. Someone who dreamed big, who wanted more than just the next thrill.

I know this email won’t reach you. Just like the last one. But you’re the only person I ever felt like I could be completely myself with. The good, the bad, and the ugly … Maybe for the worst sometimes. So I’m going to try one last time to speak to you. It might be a mistake, but I’ll regret it forever if I don’t at least try to tell you how I feel. In person.

For once, I’m excited about tomorrow.

Sebastian xx

24

Roxie

I stared at the glowing screen of my laptop, my fingers poised over the keyboard as I refreshed the homepage of Eat the City—our brand-new website. We had no reviews yet, but the branding with some of my pictures was already up, and I couldn’t stop pulling it up to look at it.

It felt unreal, like I was finally achieving the dreams I’d had for myself before I ever left for NYU. I was no longer stuck in that art gallery just pretending to care about things that didn’t move me; no more hiding behind someone else’s art. This was mine. Our vision. Hallie and I had built this from the ground up, and every pixel on the page felt like a small rebellion against the life my family had always planned for me.

My grandmother would be so proud.

The day that Hallie quit her job because her boss published the article slandering James and attributed Hallie’s name to it, we decided that our first review would be of his family’s restaurant in Brooklyn—Rossi Pizzeria.

It wasn’t a ploy of hers to get him back. It’d actually been my idea, but I knew she liked the thought of it as a way to make amends with James and his family for the article, even if he refused to talk to her.

As we sat in the cab, Hallie glanced at me sideways. “So … have you heard from Sebastian?”