Page 128 of All Too Well
I smile. “We do. We love the theater, so we try once a month to catch a show on or off Broadway. I’ve gotten to see some pretty amazing actors when they’re testing a show.”
“Okay, what do you love the most?”
You.
I don’t say that. I at least have enough common sense not to blurt that out.
I sigh, trying to sum up in a few words what it is that calls to me. “It’s funny because the Admiral asks me that all the time. He hates it, which makes sense, right? There’s literal chaos everywhere. Lord knows that man runs a tight ship.”
“That he does. Okay, so far you haven’t answered the question.”
“You’re doing very good keeping this interview on track,” I inform him.
“Yes, and you’re trying to derail it again.”
“It’s only fair since you were literally the worst.”
Lachlan grabs my arms and slides me close so we’re nose to nose. “I was trying to avoid you so I didn’t end up doing exactly this.”
I kiss his nose. “I like this.”
“I like this too. Now tell me, what is the thing you love most?”
He moves me back down to the spot I was before. I exhale and let go with the first thing that pops in my mind. “I love the food, the way the city is alive all the time. I love that any given day you can run into someone famous who you love. I love that there’s always something to do or eat or see. I love that I’ve lived there for all these years, and I still feel like there’s so much more to see. It’s sort of an all-encompassing thing. What can I say, I fell in love with the city.”
“Listening to you talk about it sounds like it’s everything you want.”
It’s not. It doesn’t have him.
“It has most of it. Some things are missing.”
His eyes are on mine, and I can see the questions swirling. I want him to ask me what it is I’m longing for.
We can find a way, I know we can. Sure, it’ll be a lot and probably more difficult than either of us are prepared for, but it can still happen for us.
“Tell me about Caroline. What does she write?”
Definitely not the topic I was hoping for, but maybe he just doesn’t want to deal with my impending trip back home either.
“Caroline is the best. She’s a brilliant writer who writes much better articles than I ever will, and actually does a lot of sports pieces.”
“I doubt that. You’re a great writer.”
“How would you know?” I ask.
“I’ve read your stuff.”
My eyes widen. “You have not!”
“You don’t believe me?”
I shake my head. “No, I can’t imagine you sit around and read about hats and color choices based on the season.”
“I didn’t say I took the advice, but I read your stories.”
I’m not even sure what to say to that. “Why would you read them?”
Lachlan’s lips form a soft smile. “Because I wanted to feel close to you in some way. So when your brother talked about you working for the paper up there, I started getting them.”
