Page 89 of One-Star Romance

Natalie swallowed against a lump in her throat.

“But I don’t want to pressure you to do anything. I love you and am interested in your life even if you decide to never pursue a romantic relationship again.” Gabby’s tone was so sincere she had to be teasing a little bit, and Natalie’s heart lifted. Because here was a spark of Gabby’s old mischief. And a spark meant that things were getting better, starting to heal.

“I would swat you if you weren’t recovering from surgery,” Natalie said. “Now, shall I keep reading to you?”

“Sorry, this book is not holding my attention. Not its fault. Nothing I’m trying to read has been grabbing me.” She flashed Natalie a look, a slyness in her eyes, another spark. “Maybe I should finally finish Apartment 2F.”

“Oh Lord, don’t,” Natalie said. Words came to her mind as if they’d been there for a long time, so she just opened her mouth and said them. “I’ll write you something better.”

Gabby leaned back into her pillow. “Really?”

No. Even considering trying to write a novel again filled Natalie with anxiety. But Gabby was looking at her with hope. Sincere hope. “Well, maybe.”

Maybe she could. Open up a new, terrifyingly blank Word document and write something that tried not to impress people but to comfort them. Not in the mindless comforting way of Meant 2B, though, where a viewer never risked feeling anything. A story that was honest about life but approached it with warmth and hope instead of a cynical eye. The kind of thing they all wanted to read, needed to read, in such strange and uncertain times. Something to show Gabby that the narrative dominating her life right now didn’t have to be her story forever. The impulse solidified in Natalie’s mind, sending her imagination racing, her heart thumping with adrenaline.

She could start by writing this one just for Gabby. And if it turned into something more…well, she would see what happened.

Dammit, Rob was right. She wasn’t done trying after all.

“Not maybe,” Natalie said. “Yes.”

38

And then, somehow, it was time to go. She’d been at Gabby’s for two weeks, but her mother expected her back in Philly for Christmas, and then she had to return to Los Angeles. She could only trust Tyler to catsit Dolly for so long. Even now, she checked in with him every day to make sure he hadn’t accidentally left his door open, allowing Dolly to vanish into the night.

Her car all packed up, she hugged Christina and Angus, then held on to Gabby extra-tight. “We’ll see each other soon,” Gabby whispered. Then she gave Natalie a little push. “I think someone wants to walk you out to your car.”

Rob stood at the door, looking at her as if to memorize every detail. She linked her hand in his, and they stepped into the bracing December air. His palm was the one spot of warmth in the world. He drew her in closer as they approached the car, wrapping his arms around her in the driveway. She didn’t want to put an entire country between them. For one wild moment, she thought about saying, What if I didn’t go back to Los Angeles? or What if I got my cat and came right back? But you couldn’t put that much pressure on something new and expect it not to break. So instead, she said into his chest, “Thank you for bringing me a lot of happiness during what was otherwise an incredibly stressful time.”

He drew back and held her by her shoulders. His forehead was furrowed. “I think we should be in a long-distance relationship.”

The serious, no-nonsense way he said it startled a laugh out of her. “You want to be boyfriend and girlfriend all the way across the country, during a pandemic, when traveling is especially tough?”

“Yes.”

“After we’ve only had two weeks together?”

“Well, two weeks. But also, in a way, eight years.”

She felt light-headed. His hands still clasped her shoulders, comforting and solid. She blinked and stepped back, trying to gather her thoughts. “We’ve been in this strange bubble—”

“Yes.”

“And who knows how this will translate outside of it—”

“Sure.”

“And do you know how difficult and annoying all the logistics would be?”

“I do. On the other hand, we would be idiots not to try.”

Her eyes began to sting. She couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or from the pain of saying goodbye to him or because his certainty made her whole body fizz. After so many years of them fighting each other, now he was fighting for her. She was utterly moved and utterly terrified.

“I didn’t realize you’d become such a hopeless romantic.”

“And I didn’t realize you’d become such a cynical realist.”

“Excuse me!” she said, laughing. “I’m not a cynic!”

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