Page 42 of Home Between Homes

The whole day had been like that. On and off, weighing possibilities. I kept wavering between leaving Seastone for good tomorrow or at least talking to Dany, his father, or whoever was in charge of recruiting. Whenever my mind wandered to the thought of setting foot in a clinic again, my heart raced—but the same happened with the thought of leaving Jack. No matter what option I played through, it always ended in misery. If I left and started at the FDA, there would be four hundred miles between us, making a relationship nearly impossible. If I stayed here and worked as a veterinarian, there was probably a hundred percent chance that the job would drive me to the point of burnout in no time.

On top of that, I had a debt to pay off. I hadn’t even secured the position here in Seastone yet, and small-town clinics tend to pay much less than those in denser areas. The FDA job was a safe choice. I’d have regular hours, some paid time off, a decent salary, and I know my parents would be happy to have me live closer to them again.

I ran my index finger along the edge of my collar, pulling it back slightly to help me breathe.

As hard as it was. We had one night left—twelve hours to spend together and enjoy to the fullest before we had to go back to our lives.

The ring of the landline echoed through the house. Maggie lifted her head at the noise, searching my face for an answer.

“Don’t look at me like that. I don’t know who’s calling.” I dried my hands and rushed to the front door to pick it up. “Hello?”

Static was the only thing that greeted me.

“Hello?” I asked again.

“Hey, Noah.” I knew that voice all too well. “It’s Jack.”

The corners of my mouth turned up. “How’s work?”

As if the connection was slow today, it took Jack a second to answer. “Busy. Went to the grocery store three times, and with the roads only partially plowed, it took forever to get to everyone.”

“I can imagine. I don’t know how Dany drove his truck so smoothly. I glided over the road like it was ice,” I laughed.

Jack didn’t join in. “Noah?—”

Static took over again.

I pressed my ear deeper into the receiver as if that would help. “Jack? Are you still there?”

“Yes, I am.” He was breathing heavily, so much so that I could hear it through the line. “Noah, I’m... I’m at my apartment right now. I was going to take a shower and then come over.”

“Take your time. I just started cooking. It’ll be at least another forty-five minutes.”

“Please don’t hate me, Noah.”

My heart sank into my stomach.

Jack paused as if waiting for a reaction from me, but after five seconds, a sniffle broke the silence. “I think it’s best if I stay at my place tonight.”

Everything was spinning around me.The premonition I had earlier wasn’t just a figment of my imagination. Whatever we had was over. We were given one week, and that was it. Whether we saw each other tonight or not, it wouldn’t change the outcome.

I clung to the speaker as if it were him. My lips trembled. “That’s… okay,” I replied, but as soon as the words left my mouth, I knew it wasn’t.Why did he want to take this last moment away from us?I shook my head to get rid of the feeling.Forcing him to come over, if he didn’t want to, would only make things worse.

“I’m sorry, Noah.”

“No, don’t be. I’m just glad you at least let me know.”

Jack’s sniffling grew louder, leaving no doubt that he was crying. I wanted to comfort him and tell him he had nothing to be sorry for. But when I opened my mouth, my lips refused to move.

“Noah,” Jack whispered. His voice broke. “I can’t take this. I’m sorry...”

He wasn’t the only one.Why did it have to end like this? Over the damn phone? Why couldn’t we have one last chance to show each other how much this week had meant? And why did I keep silent about it?“Let me at least tell you one thing,” I forced myself to say. This was probably the last opportunity I would get. I couldn’t stay silent.

Jack didn’t answer. All I could hear were his attempts to stifle his sobs. Since he didn’t end the call, I took it as a sign that he was willing to listen to what I had to say.

“I like you, too.” Having missed the chance earlier, I had to tell him now so I could at least leave knowing he knew. “I enjoyed being snowed in with you a lot, Jack. You’re a good guy. Even though we only had this one week… I think it was the best relationship I ever had… and I’m grateful… for every second…” I gripped the console with my left hand as teardrops trickled onto the wood.How the hell could this be it? This wasn’t the sweet ending to this week I had imagined.

The other side fell silent.

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