“We don’t know.” I tried to sound upbeat, but my voice fell flat. “We’re just taking it one day at a time.”
Chapter 39
Tuesday morning, I stood outside our apartment door with Jaime, and we waved as Zoey and Marissa backed away. I couldn’t help but cry. We promised to stay in touch and I hoped their relationship would make it. When they turned the bend around the building, I wrapped my arms around Jaime’s waist and hugged him. The cold weather settled on his shirt and chilled my cheek.
Walking back into the warm apartment, I grabbed his hand and led him into our bedroom.
“This is it. Our last night together.” Pressure to make our last moments perfect hung over me. I stood in the room with my back pressed against his front and wrapped his arms around my torso. Flipping around, I flung my arms around his neck and leaned into his shoulder.
“It’s your last night. What do you want to do?”
“I want to go out with a bang,” I said. “But not too much of a bang. I have a flight tomorrow so I can’t be hungover.”
He kissed my lips. “Have you said goodbye to Owen?”
“No. What’s he up to tonight?”
“How about this? We’ll grab dinner together with whoever you want to say goodbye to. And then you and I will walk around the city one last time. We’ll pop into pubs, grab a drink, listen to music, and head home for an early night.”
I grinned at him, excited to see how the night would unfold.
“I’m glad we’re alone. I’d like to spend some time with you before you leave.” He didn’t have to say what he hoped to do. I saw the mischief in his eyes and couldn’t help but return the look.
“Sounds perfect.” I kissed him again, still ignoring the elephant sitting on my chest.
That night, we took a taxi into the city center. The bright Christmas lights hung across the pedestrian street creating a spider web of light. It had flurried earlier, and a light dusting outlined the buildings with glitter.
For a Tuesday night, more people than I expected milled around the pubs and restaurants. “Everyone must be done with school,” I said. There was an air of celebration as people roamed throughout the city. “It’s beautiful.” I took out my camera and snapped a shot of the evening scene.
I turned toward Jaime and snapped before he could realize. The bright flash blurred our vision, and he blinked at me.
“Here.” He grabbed my camera, spun me around, and stretched his arm as far as it could go. The viewfinder faced away from us, and Jaime got into position. “I hope we’re in the frame. Say cheese.”
“Cheese,” I grinned, and he pressed his face against my ear, his breath tickling my neck. He clicked the button, and I blinked away the black dots from the flash. Checking the counter, I had twenty photos left.
We met Owen and Aoife at the fish and chip shop. A long line of people spilled out the door and into the street, and I danced in place to keep my blood moving and my toes from freezing.
“Rory, when do you leave?” Aoife asked.
“Tomorrow. My flight is around lunchtime.”
“Good luck tomorrow. It was great meeting you.”
“Thanks. It was great meeting you, too.” I meant it. She wasn’t my favorite person at first, but she grew on me. I trusted Jaime when he said there was nothing between them.
We weaved our way into the small chippy and ordered fish. The fried fillet hung over the edges of our take-away boxes and the cook pressed the lid down, forcing it to close. Grabbing a table in the corner, we ate our food. I focused on every bite, not wanting to forget the fresh, delicious food in Galway. Salt and vinegar from the hot, crispy fries attacked my nostrils. A burst of tang attacked my taste buds, craving more.
We settled into a casual conversation about Christmas and the holidays. “You going home?” Owen asked Jaime.
“Yeah, for a few weeks. Then I’ll be back until graduation.”
“Have you thought about graduation?” Aoife asked. “Have you looked for any jobs?”
Jaime’s head shook, his mouth full of fish. “No, I have some ideas, but haven’t looked into them yet.” Under the table, he squeezed my thigh, and I wondered if I had influenced his ideas.
My lips curled and we made fleeting eye contact.
“What was that?” Aoife asked.
