Page 27 of One More Weekend

After a second, she shrugged. “It just feels pointless.”

“Jen, we’ve talked about this. You’re totally lovable.”

She rolled her eyes. “Not that. Just dating. I haven’t gotten a job yet and if I won’t be here anyway, even hookups feel like a waste of time.”

My chest tightened at the reminder. It was easy to convince myself that all of this, these elaborate dates and our more frequent outings, were just convenient benefits of having Jenna home more. But I’d started them to get her to fall back in love with this city, hoping – no, praying – that she’d stay just a little longer.

And the longer I kept it out, it felt like it was having the opposite effect. Every trip felt like a nail driven into the coffin and I was holding the hammer.

We broke through the woods into the rose arch, a small, circular section with a path through the middle. Each bramble had a flower blooming at the top.

The smell of roses was unavoidable, drifting into the sections surrounding it.

“Right. Yeah. That makes sense.” I finally managed, trying my best to be neutral.

Biting her lip, Jenna turned to look at me. “Do you think it’s crazy to leave?” From the look on her face, I could tell she’d been desperate to ask me.

I took a deep breath, knowing as her friend that I owed her the truth. “It’s not crazy. It’s an expensive city and you’ve been short on luck. Do I think it’s jumping the gun a little? Maybe. But it’s your life and your finances. If it makes you nervous to sign another lease without a job, who am I to argue with that?”

Laughing, I shrugged as we walked ourselves out of the Rose Arch. “I mean, fuck, you’ll probably be in less debt than I will be so don’t listen to my financial takes.”

It’s not like I’d had the best models of financial success. My dad was a deadbeat, barely able to hold a job. And as a single parent, my mom could never get ahead. She did her best but there were hard times.

“I just wish I could be more comfortable with not knowing what’s next.” Jen gestured toward me, knowing I’d grown up with more instability. Of course it was hard but I was far more prepared to have a creative job where money wasn’t always consistent.

Nodding, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

Jenna took a break from the conversation to look around the Cherry Esplanade in front of us, pink petals from the blooms still lingering around the grass at their roots.

“I bet this looked amazing last month.” Her eyes flicked from tree to tree, her mind able to envision the glorious flowers at the tops of each cherry blossom that followed perfect lines down the long corridor.

The reality of Jen leaving was starting to set in, these dates becoming more and more of a goodbye to this city.

If I wanted to voice my opinion, the window was quickly closing.

I leaned closer to her and whispered, “If you’re still here next year, I’ll bring you back to see them.”

With a laugh, Jenna smiled at me. “Then we’ll definitely have to come on a free day because I might still be broke.”

18

JENNA

It was alreadydark by the time we got back to our apartment, stopping for a few slices of pizza on our way upstairs.

The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens had somehow been more stunning than I’d expected and having Sy there to tell me all about each section was a special treat. Even if some rando had taken me for a date there, the experience with Sy would have eclipsed it in a heartbeat.

We walked in the door laughing, both of us happy to be home and rest our feet.

But just before I sat down on the couch, my phone buzzed from my pocket. Pulling it out, a picture of my mom’s face appeared on the screen.

“Shit, I should take this. I’ve been dodging them for like a week.”

Sy nodded. “I’ll be here.”

I swiped right on the call as I made my way to my room, closing the door behind me and leaning against it as I flicked on the overhead light in my bedroom. “Hey, mom.”

“Hey, honey. You okay?” She was trying to play it cool but I could hear her panic in her voice. It was unusual for me to avoidher texts and calls. But she must have known I was struggling with the decision I was going to have to make in the next two months.

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