Page 143 of Booked on You
“I think you’re right. It’s a big decision.”
“And I know you’ll make the right choice.”
People come and go around us. The barista calls out more orders. The sun shifts lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the table.
“What’s going on with you? Any updates on your tour?”
“Yeah, I have to travel with that jerk. I already told my brother to talk to Landon. I just don’t know how I’m going to survive this. I want to quit.”
This makes me laugh because I know she’d never.
“You’ll survive. Who knows, maybe by the end of it, you’ll be friends.”
“Friends?” She lets out a harsh laugh. “Don’t think so. I will never be his friend. He’s an asshole. A complete jerk. And he will purposely make my life hell.”
“Will you be stopping in Charleston?”
A wide grin meets her lips. “Actually, yes. I’ll have to come visit you.”
“You say it like you know I’ll be there,” I tell her.
“You will,” she says. “I’m predicting it now.”
We continue catching each other up on our lives, and it feels good to be with Hallie. After two hours, we finally leave. When we step outside, Hallie hugs me so tight.
“Whatever you decide, I support you,” she says, then pulls away. “But for what it’s worth? I think you already know what you want to do. There are tons of moving companies you can find online that can help you pack all that shit up.”
I chuckle. “Thank you for being my bestest friend and talking me off the ledge.”
“Oh, don’t worry. Next summer, when I’m touring, you’ll hear from me a lot.”
“Promise?” I ask.
“Oh, yeah,” she tells me. “When you figure out what you’re doing, I want to be the first to know.”
“I promise,” I say.
As the sun sets, I walk home. This time, much slower than before. The city transitions from day to night, and sunlight still touches the tops of some buildings even though the sidewalk has dropped several degrees. The streetlights flicker on. Restaurants start filling up with the dinner crowd.
I go home and sit on the couch, then look around.
The truth is, I don’t want to be here.
I want to be in Charleston.
I want to wake up next to Ezra every morning.
I want to write in the cottage with birds outside my window instead of sirens and car horns. I want to cook dinner together in his big kitchen, meet his friends properly, and be there next Saturday when he gives his speech at the gala. I want to see his face when he talks about his mother and supporting young artists. I want to be the person he looks for and finds in the crowd.
Hallie’s words keep echoing in my mind.
Playing it safe and protecting myself has gotten me nowhere.
Meeting Ezra changed my life. He inspires me and makes me want to dream big. He makes me believe I deserve good things because he wants me to have those things. I lie back on the couch and close my eyes because I’m so damn exhausted.
I wakeup around seven with my back aching. My phone is on the floor beside me, and I pick it up. My hands shake as I look up my apartment manager’s contact number. I take three deep breaths before I press the number.
It rings once, twice, and right before I’m ready to hang up, he answers.
