Page 106 of Loved

"What about L.A.?" I asked, as we pulled to a stop at an intersection. I’d asked her a few questions about where she wanted to move while we were shopping. But she wasn’t giving me much back. She just seemed lost in thought. I knew she hadn’t been many places. Maybe we needed to do a bit of traveling before we could really decide.

She bit her lip as she mulled it over. "I think I want to stay on the east coast."

"Finally, now we're getting somewhere." I turned to her and smiled. "North or south?"

"North. I think I'd miss the snow."

"Me too." I put my foot on the gas when the light turned green. "But I don't want to go too far north. Tons of snow would be worse than no snow."

"You're probably right." She pulled her legs up onto her seat.

New York City really did seem like a good fit. But…Penny had told me that she preferred a back yard with grass and friendly neighbors. Central Park was beautiful though. And we could get an apartment overlooking it. We could get any apartment she wanted. But I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to pressure her.

"If we moved to New York, where would we live?" she asked.

I pictured my parents’ mansion on the outskirts of the city. That wasn’t the kind of life I wanted. Where there were so many rooms we never had to see each other. I wanted to be close to Penny. I could do cozy. "If we moved to New York, I think I'd like you to give the city a try. Maybe an apartment in Manhattan?" I tried to keep the hopefulness out of my tone. I was used to always getting what I wanted. But this wasn’t just about me anymore. I wanted her to be happy.

"Would that be weird?” she asked. “You know so many people in the city. I wouldn't know anyone at all. Tyler said he was going to interview for a position where he'd have to move there, but that wouldn't be until after he graduates. And he might not even get it."

I forced myself to keep a straight face. When the fuck had she been talking to Tyler? He was such a piece of shit.Breathe.Of course Tyler was choosing to come to New York City after graduation. He was hellbent on messing with me. But the city was big. We’d never have to see him.

I took a deep breath. "You'd know me. Penny, if we moved to New York, I'd still be hanging out with you all the time. I prefer spending my time with you." And she’d like my friends. She already liked Rob.

She pressed her lips together as she stared at me.

I knew I was doing a bad job of hiding my intentions now. She must know that’s where I wanted to move.

"You said you left New York because you needed a change. If you went back, do you think you'd be unhappy again?"

It was a valid concern. I had issues. I’d left NYC to help escape from them. And my brother had been here for less than 24 hours and I’d already drank more than she’dever seen me drink. But things were different now. NYC wasn’t the problem, I was. But I was doing so much fucking better. Because I had Penny now.

"I'm not sure I could possibly be unhappy as long as I have you,” I said. But New York was my home. And I had this feeling in my gut that my friends needed me. For once I wanted to be there for them. I was stable enough to help them now. When the roles were reversed, they’d been there to help me. I owed them. But if we didn’t move there, we could still visit. As long as I had Penny, everything was going to be okay.

Penny was quiet for a few seconds. "I think we should go to New York then."

I laughed because I wasn’t expecting her to say those words. Especially because we hadn’t talked about her main issue with NYC. "I thought you didn't like the city?"

"I liked it with you."

Yeah. Me too.I wouldn’t have considered going back originally. But when we’d visited together? It felt like it used to when I was back in high school. Before everything broke. I put my hand on the center console and she quickly grabbed it. I ran my thumb across her knuckles. "Is that really what you want to do?"

"NYCU has a beautiful campus. And it's only a 15-minute subway ride from Manhattan."

I smiled and turned toward her. "You've been thinking about this for a while?"

She shrugged. "I did a little research. And wouldn't it be easier to start a company there? With all your connections and stuff?"

"Connections and stuff?" I laughed. "I don't need investors. I can start it anywhere. I was starting it here. But yes, I probably would have had to go to New York every now and then."

"So let's just go permanently."

I couldn’t even hide my smile. "Is that really what you want to do?"

"Yes." She squeezed my hand.

"You're sure?" I was kind of waiting for her to say, “Just kidding.”

"I'm positive."

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