“That’s the only option,” I correct her.
“Well…”
“Well, what?”
“You could show up in person and ask.”
I laugh. “It’s in San Diego, Anne. There are a few thousand miles between here and there.”
She purses her lips. “I’ve always kind of wanted to go to San Diego.”
I frown. “Why?”
“I heard their beaches are better.”
“Seriously?”
She shrugs. “I just want to find out if it’s true.”
“I’m not driving all the way to California to get an address for an old pen pal. Sorry – penemy.”
Anne looks taken aback. “Drive? Who said anything about driving? We could fly out tonight and be back before the end of the weekend.”
The thought of flying makes me nervous, but I don’t want to tell Anne that. “That sounds expensive.”
“I bet it’s not that expensive. Do you have anything better to do this weekend?”
“I have a date with my hot neighbor.”
“Oh, right. I forgot. Where are you going?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it.”
“You guys live in the same building.”
I think about how we were stuck in the elevator together. I had thought about sending him a text that afternoon, but I chickened out. I wonder if he’s waiting for me to make the next move, or if my behavior in the elevator freaked him out.
“Do you think I should cancel? Will it be weird if the date doesn’t go well and we still have to see each other in the lobby for the next month?”
“First of all, that’s a really stupid reason to cancel. And second, you’re buying a house next month. It’s not like you would have to face him forever.”
I stand up and gather my belongings, ready to head home. Anne is finished with her shift, too, so she follows me outside.
“You should probably figure out the details of your date,” she says when we reach the parking garage.
“Yeah, probably.”
“Or…”
“Or what?”
“Or maybe you could put it off until next weekend?”
“You really want to go to San Diego that badly?”
“It’ll be fun. Plus, I need an excuse to get out and do something this weekend. All I ever have to look forward to is meeting men I have no chemistry with just because we both swiped right on Tinder. I could use some girl time.”
I let out a sigh. I spent the last two years trying to get Luca out of my mind, and now he’s back, front and center. I never knew it could be so hard to get over someone I’ve never met in real life. But that’s the thing. He’s only ever been words on paper. I know that if I track him down, it will never be the same. Maybe that’s what I need.
