“Rana, I’ll sell my car if I have to. But I’ll pay for your tickets. Money will not keep me from seeing you again. Are you sure you can only stay a week? That’ll fly by so fast, and I feel like I need more time with you.”
“I don’t know how much time my boss will give me.”
Even though he looked disappointed, he took a deep breath in and said, “I understand.”
When we returned to Landon’s, I went to his room for some privacy. I called my boss to apologize for the way I’d left and told him that I was dealing with a family emergency across the country. He agreed to grant me the week off without pay.
Explaining my absence this week to Lilith was going to be harder.
I dialed her next and waited while her mother put her on the phone.
“Rana? Why are you calling me? You never call me. Are you in jail?”
That made me chuckle
“No. Everything is fine, but I wanted to let you know that I won’t be there tomorrow.”
“Great. I’m working on a paper about you and just wrote about how you never cancel on me.”
Shit. That really sucked.
“I’m sorry, Lilith.”
“Whatever. It’s fine. Anyway, why can’t you come?”
“You’re never going to believe this.”
“What?”
“I’m in California. I came to visit Landon.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Are you getting married?”
“No.” I laughed.
“If you do get married, I’d better be the flower girl.”
“Okay. That’s a guarantee.”
“I’m serious, Rana.”
I laughed. “You don’t need to worry about that, but okay.”
“Did you see any movie stars? Are you gonna be on TV?”
“No, and no…I certainly hope not.”
“When are you coming back?”
“In a week. I promise to come take you out as soon as I get home.”
“Is he as handsome as you thought?”
“Very.”
“Aren’t you gonna be sad to leave him?”
Closing my eyes, I said, “Very.”
“Are you stupid?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“I just wanted to see if you would answer with ‘very’ again. You already said it twice in a row.”
“Smart alec.”
“Are you gonna cry when you have to leave Landon?”
“I’m not sure. It’s possible.”
“Will you bring me back something?”
“Sure. I’ll bring you back a piece of California.”
“Not like sand in a Ziploc bag. I want a real gift. You should get it soon before you’re too sad to remember.”
“Okay, I’ll find something cool. I promise.”
After we hung up, the last call I made was to my father. Apparently, he’d freaked out when he arrived at my apartment for breakfast and didn’t find me there. He told me he’d started praying to Saint Anthony, patron saint of lost things, so that I would be found safe.
When I explained where I was, he offered to wire me money, which I told him I would definitely need to take him up on for the plane ticket home, even though I knew Landon would insist on paying for it.
Landon stood up from the couch after I emerged from making the phone calls in his bedroom. “Everybody covered?”
“Yes. Everyone that matters now knows I have not gone missing.”
“And Lenny is therefore not the prime suspect,” he joked.
“That’s very true.”
“Your dad is cool about you being here with me?”
“Yeah, actually, he really is.” I smiled. “He’s sort of dying for me to start dating.”
He laughed but then his expression turned serious. “Will you tell me why you haven’t?”
Unsure of how to answer, I said, “I already told you that when I was a teenager, I made the mistake of associating with the wrong guys. And now, as an adult, I seem to attract men who are only after one thing. I just decided I would be better off alone. Every time I think about putting myself out there, it just seems daunting. So, I haven’t.”
Landon apparently could see right through me.
He ran his hand along my hair and tucked a piece behind my ear. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”
I stayed silent.
“Did someone hurt you?” My lack of response caused him to draw his own conclusion as he said, “It’s okay. I don’t expect you to tell me everything overnight. But I do want to know.”
I closed my eyes as he cupped my cheek. When I opened them, I turned the tables and asked, “Have you told me everything there is to know about you?”
“No, I haven’t,” he answered without hesitation. “And I’m not going to take things to the next level with you until I have. That’s why I’ve been sleeping on the couch. But I think this week should just be about getting acclimated to one another—who we are now—rather than making false judgments based on how the past defines us.” He slid his hand down my arm. “I’m serious about not wanting to fuck this up. What do you say? How about we live in the present for at least a few days…take it slow…just enjoy life…and get to know each other in person as friends. Deal?”