Page 89 of Something Like Fate

“Guess I’ve become an expert over the years,” Teller says.

“I’ve lost count of how many elaborate gestures we brainstormed.”

“Sometimes I think it’s because of you that I won Sophie over.”

I shake my head. “No way. You were the best boyfriend, Tel. Most you came up with all by yourself. Like when you drove up and surprised her with a hot-air balloon ride for your one-year anniversary.”

“Still. You were instrumental in the planning.”

“I’ll happily take credit,” I say.

We’re quiet again. Teller’s gaze is searching but gentle, if a little awkward after everything that’s happened. I think we both feel it. Still, he’s giving me the space to speak if I want to.

“Caleb coming here was really romantic,” I finally agree. When I hear myself say it, I realize there’s no emotion behind it. It’s like I’m saying a scientific fact. Teller is completely right—Caleb showing up in the most beautiful place on Earth is probably the grand gesture of all grand gestures. Add the whole fate-and-soulmate thing in and it’s a true love story for the books. A story for future generations to swoon over. “I should be over the moon, gushing and giddy like I was when we first arrived in Venice. So why aren’t I?”

“Maybe you’re still mad at him?” It’s a fair deduction. I was angry when he first left, and I should still be mad. I have every right to be. But when I was with him today, that emotion didn’t quite feel right. What I feel toward him isn’t anger or frustration—it’s something heavier.

Guilt. Not just about what happened with Teller in Tuscany, but about the feelings I have for him now. The feelings that just won’t go away no matter how hard I try to push them aside.

But I can’t admit any of this to Teller, so I just nod. “Yeah, I think I’m still probably a bit salty over the whole thing.”

Teller leans forward. “Understandable. But he did make the effort. That has to count for something.”

“It does. But what if he leaves again? What if he’s still not ready?”Or worse, what if I’m not ready?

“I think you should at least hear him out. I don’t think he’d have come for you if he wasn’t ready,” he assures me. His confidence burns a little. As grateful as I am for his support, it feels a little cheap, Teller so easily passing me off to someone else after what happened between us.

“Yeah. It’s fate, right?” I say, trying to convince myself more than him. After all, I can’t argue with fate. Fate is forever. These misplaced feelings for Teller are fleeting.

He gulps. “Yeah. Fate.”

Ding.

My phone lights up.

Caleb: Can u talk?

“Speaking of fate. Caleb just texted. He wants to meet up now.”

Teller sits up and smooths his hair out. “Right now?”

I nod. “Right now.”

“All right, well, I won’t hold you back. Your future awaits.” He reaches for my hand, and as he pulls me up, I search his face. For something. Sadness? Jealousy? Anything. But there’s nothing there.

I ignore the dense forest of his lash line. The way I want to curl into him like he’s a pile of fresh, warm laundry. I ignore it all. As complicated as my feelings are for Teller, this is fate pointing me in the right direction. Teller was never supposed to be mine.

32

Caleb and I meet up at the Path of the Gods, a rugged pathway that connects Positano to smaller villages, offering panoramic views of the coast and the little villages and their quintessential pastel-colored buildings. The path is beautiful, filled with wildflowers and lush greenery. It takes a solid three hours to complete, giving us plenty of time to talk.

We ease in, spending the first half of the hike catching up. He tells me all about his adventures with Freddie in Naples, and I recount our time in Tuscany—or at least, a sanitized version.

“All right, so let’s be serious for five minutes,” he says, flashing me that sunny smile. It reminds me why I liked him so much to begin with. He parks himself on a flat rock, patting the space next to him.

“My record is four, but let’s try,” I say with a sly smile. I relish the feeling of the coastal air on my face, a welcome reprieve from the blazing sun.

“All right, I’ll make it quick. I owe you an apology. I’m sorrier than you’ll ever know,” he says over the echo of a group of hikers ahead.

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