He pulls backand frames my face with his hands. “Mel, I love you. I have ever since that morning I woke up on your couch and you told me to stop being such a fucking mess. And I’ve never stopped loving you, wanting you, needing you. I gave you space because it’s what you asked for, but it damn near killed me.”
“Really?”I ask, hope blooming inside me.
“Yeah.Really. Without you, nothing else matters.”
“So, no more space?”I ask, smiling.
He nods.“Well…no more than necessary, I guess. I mean, in a little over a month you’ll be in D.C., but that’s just physical space. And as long as I know you love me, I can handle a little long distance.”
“You don’t have to, though,”I say. “I mean, even if I took a job out of state, I think we could make it work. But it turns out I really love this town. And I love working with the people at the senior center. Brenda’s retiring, so I applied for her job. And I got it. Glenna and Dorcas are thrilled. I’m officially a Hooker.”
Will beams.“You, Mel Cohen, are my favorite Hooker.”
“She’s a hooker?!”his mother asks, her voice echoing down the hall. “Oh, Wade, isn’t that precious? It’s likePretty Woman! You know how much I love that movie.”
A secretary comesfrom somewhere and herds us all out, no doubt for noise violations. Everyone’s going their separate ways—back to class, back to work, back to the hotel for Wendi and Wade.
Soon it’s just Willand me. The November air is cool, and I wrap my coat around my body. It doesn’t ward off the chill, so when Will reaches for me, I happily fall into his embrace. We link arms and start the walk back. When we reach the edge of campus, he looks at me and I smile.
“We havea whole week to make up for, and I am not about to start worrying about roommates or the fact that one of these days, we’re going to shake your bed so hard it falls through the floor. Mind if we go to my place?”
Will shakes his head.“You should know by now, Mel, anywhere you’re going, I’ll be right there with you.”
