I recognize that look on her face, the something’s missing ache behind her eyes.
“It’s more than that, though,” she adds, her voice softening. “It’s not just a vibe. It’s this constant ache telling me I left the best parts of me somewhere else. Two parts, actually.”
“Two?”
She huffs a laugh. “You and Elias.”
That draws me up straighter. “Elias, huh?”
“I have a crazy idea.” Her smile turns shy, but the glimmer in her eyes says it’s real. “I’m considering putting in for a transfer. Soul Sync Australia has open positions.”
She pauses.
“I may want to move to Sydney.”
I blink. “Wait, do you mean full-time? With bags and furniture and feelings?”
Violet laughs. “Yes, full-time. With bags. And possibly feelings.”
Her eyes search mine through the screen. “Are you really happy there?”
I don’t hesitate. “I’m beyond happy. The life I’m building here isn’t just some fairy tale I stumbled into. It’s real. I’m rooted. Challenged. Loved. But I’d be lying if I said that being this far from you didn’t hurt.”
Violet doesn’t speak right away. She doesn’t have to. I see it in the way her smile shifts, in the way only your best friend can hear what you don’t say out loud.
“That’s been the hardest part. Everything else, I’ve figured out. But missing you?” I shake my head. “That part doesn’t get easier.”
Violet’s lips curve, a little sad, a little hopeful. “Then maybe we do something about that.”
“Do you think you could leave your whole life behind and start fresh in a different country?”
Violet leans back, eyes flicking upward, thinking. “I had hoped that sleeping with Elias again would scratch the itch I had. But it wasn’t casual—not for me. Being with him in Sydney was good. It felt right.” She pauses, tracing the rim of her glass with one finger. “But how will I ever know if he’s the one if I’m not with him to explore our connection?”
“Have you told him you’re considering moving?”
She winces. “Absolutely not. He’d assume I’m doing it for him.”
I lift a brow. “You would be doing it for him.”
Violet groans. “Exactly. That might freak him out. I don’t want to ruin what we had—or what we could have—by making it weird. What if he thinks I’m chasing him across the globe because I’m some lovesick lunatic?”
“Or maybe he sees you as a brave, emotionally mature woman who knows what she wants and goes after it.”
She narrows her eyes. “I liked it better when you were just choosing between hydrangeas and ranunculus.”
I smile. “Do you want me to feel things out with Elias for you?”
Violet perks up. “Ooh. A secret mission?”
“Exactly, using spy-level skills.”
Her grin is quick and real. “Full-on interrogation mode but in the most subtle way?”
I smile. “All right. I’ll casually grill my soon-to-be brother-in-law about his long-term romantic intentions without making it sound like I’m on assignment.”
She points at me through the screen. “Exactly. Perfect.”
I shake my head, half laughing. “But no pressure or anything.”
