“Okay, then. If Ella’s moving too fast, tell us what’s really going on.”
Abby shook her head. “I would if I could. But to tell you the truth, I’m not really sure. Jet’s only been back a little while, and this is a really chaotic time for him, what with all of the band drama going on. I don’t think he knows what his own future holds, or what he wants for himself, let alone what our collective future holds, and what he wants for us.”
“And how about you?” Ella asked, her voice serious. “That was all about what he wants. What about what you want?”
Abby nodded “True. I guess I haven’t really given that much concrete thought either. I mean, I’ve wondered about it. Pretty much constantly, in fact. How long is he going to be in town, will this be an ongoing thing or is it just a vacation fling? Stuff like that. But that’s different than actually figuring out for myself what I want.”
“Very different,” Gen agreed.
Abby sighed and stared off into the distance for a long moment. The cheery, festive atmosphere in the mall felt a little abrasive, it was in such stark contrast to her quiet, contemplative mood.
There were no malls in Valentine Bay. It was far too small. Even this relatively modest mall was a thirty-minute drive. The closest really nice one was two full hours away. Because of that, Abby wasn’t used to the loud crowd chatter, the hustle and bustle, the bright lighting, and the overwhelming piped in music, which had now switched to Little St. Nick by The Beach Boys.
The whole thing was kind of an assault on her senses. Even still, it didn’t take her very long to come to a conclusion. She turned to her two friends. “Yeah, I think I know why I haven’t thought about what it is that I want, and haven’t spent any time trying to figure it out.”
“Why?” asked Ella, leaning forward.
At the same time, Gen leaned back in her chair and intoned, “Oh. Do tell.”
Abby shrugged. “I didn’t have to. I already knew. I’ve always known it deep down, I think. I want Jet. In fact, maybe that’s all I’ve ever really wanted.”