Page 73 of The Kiss Countdown

He zips the suitcase up and turns to me. “I’ll be gone until at least next Friday.”

He comes to where I am in the doorway and stops close enough to place his hand on my waist. It looks like he wants to say something more, so I raise my eyebrows, silently encouraging him. I’m all for him taking the lead in the conversation to see where his head is at.

Instead, he gives a self-deprecating shake of his head and drops a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll see you when I get back.”

Once Vincent leaves, I’m too wound up. There’s so much left unsaid between us, I just know I’ll be obsessing about everything while he’s gone.

In the meantime, I start unpacking my suitcase and receive a voice note from Gina.

It’s been two days and you have not responded to my texts. If you don’t contact me today, I’m going to assume Astro Boy has you locked up and call the cops. Love you. Call me back!

Gina has to be the most dramatic person I know, but I love her anyway. I send her a text letting her know I’m back in town and available to meet for brunch.

When I arrive at our favorite spot, Gina is all manic smiles, and I know she can’t wait to get the tea.

“God, finally you’re here,” she says as I sit down. “Tell me all about it.”

“I haven’t even ordered yet.”

“Girl, here.” She slides her wineglass over to me. “Give me the full details. Quick, quick, quick.” She punctuates each word with a snap.

I take a sip of the drink and let the fruity flavor dance on my tongue. It’s a sparkling wine, nice and refreshing. “Is this the house Moscato? I don’t think I’ve had it before.”

When Gina growls, I laugh and finally delve into the picnic and meteor shower. Gina hangs on to my every word.

It’s been so long since we’ve sat around with glasses of wine and chatted. Aside from morning coffee, we used to make it a point to meet at least once a month for a brunch where we’d set goals for one thing we hoped to accomplish in the following weeks. Just two queens lifting each other up. I’ve missed that.

“Aww, Mimi,” Gina says, placing a hand over her heart. “That is so romantic. So, is he your boyfriend now? Like,for real?”

I twist my lips to the side. “We haven’t discussed it. Everything happened so quickly, and now he’s gone for over a week in training. I guess we’re just playing it by ear.” And I hate how wishy-washy that sounds.

“Do you want him to be your boyfriend?”

Leave it to Gina to come up with the hard questions.

“I don’t know. I like him, but he’ll be gone in less than two months, and it’s not like we’ll be able to visit each other. And this is only one mission. What if he decides togo to Mars next?” I sigh. “I want someone I can count on to be here. With me.”

“I think we’re still years from going to Mars. It’s not like you’ll be long distance forever. If you think about it, him being gone for six months is nothing in the long run. I’m serious. You’ve grown close to him, and your relationship has reached a point some never get to after years of dating.”

It does feel like I’ve known Vincent for years rather than months. I certainly feel more of a connection to him than I did to Derrick, and in that relationship the goal had been to end up at the altar. “Yeah, but it’s not all real. Or, at least, what we have was built on lies and deception. Do you really think there’s hope for us?”

Gina smiles at me. “I really do think there’s hope for you two. Remember, you’ve been lying to other people, not each other. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this tied up over a man.”

I look down and start playing with the ring on my finger, twisting it so the rose scrapes against my pinky. I don’t know why I have it on. However Vincent and I define our relationship, one thing is certain—we’re not really engaged. But when I was getting ready for brunch and had the opportunity to place the ring safely in my jewelry box, I opted to continue wearing it.

A flashback of the way Vincent looked at me as he slipped it on my finger makes my chest warm.

“Wait, is that the ring?” Gina reaches over the table, and I slide my hand forward so she can get a better look. She’s practically going cross-eyed trying to inspect it. “This is beautiful. And I can’t believe how well it fits you. I’m telling you, Mimi, it’s fate.”

People sure love throwing out words likefateandmeant to bewhen it comes to Vincent and me.

A waiter comes by, and I’m able to place an order for my own drink. And just because he’s been the topic of conversation, andnotbecause I can’t stop thinking about him, I pull out my phone to see if Vincent has sent me a text. He hasn’t, and I am decidedlynotdisappointed.

“Well, you’re all caught up on my tea,” I say, placing my phone back in my purse. “Now tell me what’s going on in your world.” When I look back, I’m alarmed to see Gina trying to hold back tears. “What’s wrong?”

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. “Over the weekend I pressed Mack about really moving forward in our relationship. We’ve talked about marriage periodically, and I thought we were both on the same page, you know? Well, he finally told me that he wants to propose.”

“That’s great news!” Or, at least, it should be. “So why are you crying?”

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