“Yes. Yes, it is… Our story is like a shadow living on the wall, growing darker, longer, and fading before starting a new life the next day. Sometimes it’s gone because there is no light. And sometimes it’s soothing, when that light is bright, and we both need it.”
“I like it,” he says.
“I like it too…” I murmur, my voice trailing off.
A few moments pass.
“Where were you this evening?” I ask.
He focuses on me again, his eyes sliding to my lips.
“We met a few people who work with us on a development project in Miami.”
“A different one?”
“Yes. A different one.”
“You didn’t share a ride…”
“No. We went to the hotel, and Kai asked us to come here without him. He had some business to take care of.”
I process the information.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
His eyes move around the room briefly.
“Yeah… Yeah. It was some personal business.”
“I see,” I say, unwilling to go deep into it. “Well… I guess we’re leaving tomorrow?”
He shoots his eyes to the table.
“It looks that way.”
He smiles at a thought he doesn’t share with me.
“Are you going to miss this place?” he asks, looking at me.
At first, I grin. And then the memories of these past few days flood my soul, and I study them thoughtfully.
All the little hours of pleasure, the uncertainty, and the ups and downs. Some truly unexplainable moments, and some that were heart-wrenching.
“I will…”
I look away for a second to gather my thoughts and regain composure. Thinking about what happened is not as easy as I thought it would be.
Maybe being wrapped in his arms while sorting through my feelings and reviewing the moments I have lived with him only makes things more difficult.
“I think I’ll miss our little hotel room,” I say, injecting a morsel of hope and humor into our conversation but smiling wryly, unable to hide my feelings for him.
“I’ll miss it too,” he says. “Some of my best memories were born out of spending time with you in that room,” he adds and finishes abruptly before pulling away from this moment of raw honesty as fast as he can.
He glances away just as the music shifts again, and people dance alone this time.
“That’s our cue,” he says, walking me to the table.
He joins Kai and Robert Walker while I slide into his seat at the table so I can talk to his friend.