Page 17 of His

“Closure.”

“Yeah, I guess. Yeah.”

“You’re much better at communicating, by the way.”

“Thank you. I’ve been working on it. When I realized you were alive, I knew I would get you back, and I knew I needed to be the best man I could when I did. I need to be the man you deserve. I’m working on it.”

“Good. I like it.”

“I like you.”

Eleven

Sabine

For the next two hours we talk about everything. What happened in the hangar, what happened between him and me. We laugh, we cry, we hold hands.

“Come back with me,” he says, sliding his now-empty whiskey glass onto the table.

I laugh, but when I look at him, his expression is stone cold.

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yes. In fact, I’m not leaving here without you, so you don’t have a choice.”

“Well there’s the demanding asshole I once knew.”

“I’m serious, Sabine. And I know, in your heart, you feel the same. No matter how screwed up the scenario, the universe brought us together and nothing’s going to tear us apart again. Life is tough. Let’s punch it in the face together.”

“Uh . . .” I gesture dramatically around the room. “I own this house, I have a car, I have bills, I have things here, I can’t just?—”

“You’re right,” he deadpans. “I certainly don’t have the financial means to take care of all that for you.”

“Astor, you’re crazy.”

“About you. Pack your stuff. I’ll tell them to have the plane ready in an hour.”

He grabs my hand to pull me off the couch but I yank it away. “Where am I going? To the house you share with your wife?”

“Yes.”

I laugh maniacally. “Oh okay, so we’ll just all live together in one happy polygamous relationship.”

“Sure, let’s take some of the south with us.”

“Stop it, I’m serious.”

“Listen, I don’t know, but I know I’m not leaving here without you. We’ll tell Valerie you’re the new housekeeper or something?—”

“Boyyy,” I mockingly raise my hand to slap him.

“You won’t clean a thing, geez, I’m just trying to think of anything.”

“You have lost your mind.”

“Sabine, she doesn’t know you. Not your name; couldn’t pick you out of a lineup. It could work. Hell, I’ll build you a house next door until we figure it out. Just please, come with me. You can’t stay here another minute. Your hair obviously can’t take it.”

“I like my curly hair.”

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