Page 72 of Love in Focus

I briefly close my eyes. Every single one of James’s words cuts through my heart like a knife. “You don’t know that, and we’llneverknow how I’ll really react, because you didn’t even try to get help. Also, don’t blame me for somethingyoudid. Cheating to cope with things instead oftalkingis not normal!”

We glare at each other, wide-eyed and red-faced, breathing heavily and our nostrils flaring in the living room where we previously only used to laugh.

“This was a mistake,” I say, heading back to the door. “Just donate all my stuff to charity. Or dump it. I don’t want any reminders of the time we spent together.”

I don’t even give him a chance to respond before I leave the condo.

James’s revelation that he cheated pretty much ruins the entire city of San Francisco for me. It was bad enough before, since almost all my memories of this place are with James. But it’s way worse now, with the added knowledge that James was sleeping with someone else for who knows how long in our relationship. And he probably went to the same places with her, too.

I love Kiara and Val, but I can’t get over the fact that the entire reason why I moved here in the first place was for a job I got with James. I need a big change in my life. Fast. I need to go somewhere else, to live a life that’ll makemehappy.

I don’t expect the NYC job to be still available, nor am I really interested in it, but for the next few weeks, I routinely check in with Evelyn to see if there are any other positionsI can apply for. One that’s ideally on the West Coast so I’d still be close to my friends and family.

“A jobisavailable down in Irvine, in Orange County,” Evelyn says one day, making me perk up.

I’m from Irvine, and my parents still live in the house I grew up in. The area is quieter and more suburban than San Francisco, and as a teenager, it seemed like the most boring place on Earth. But now, the very prospect of moving back to my hometown, of being closer to my parents and all the familiar restaurants and stores of my childhood, is comforting.

And thankfully, now that I’m an adult, I can drive up to LA whenever I get sick of suburbia. Or at least, I should be able to, in theory. It’s been several years since I last got behind the wheel, but hopefully it’ll all come back to me. I’ll worry about driving and other logistics later, after I actually get the job.

“Great!” I say excitedly. “I’ll apply for the position—”

“This office is more visual media based than text, though,” Evelyn cuts in. “So you’ll be working as a multimedia journalist, rather than a staff writer. The job doesn’tquitematch your qualifications, but maybe ‘Modern Love in Focus’ will give you an edge, since you conducted the interviews and Citrine liked it so much. I’ll put in a good word.”

“That’s fine,” I say. “Thank you, Evelyn.”

“You’re very welcome.”

Because I don’t want to blindside them if I do get the job, I stop by my friends’ apartment after work to broach the possibility.

When I finish telling them everything, from my discovery about James to this new job, Kiara and Val stare back at me with wide eyes. They both look devastated for me, and Kiara cries.

Finally, Val says, “I think this move will be great for you. You’ll be closer to family, and it’ll still be a relatively fresh start, since you haven’t lived in the area for, what, more than ten years? Youwouldbe getting your own place, though, right? Not that there’s anything wrong with living with the parents.”

I nod. “Oh, definitely. Maybe not right away, since I’ll need to save some money first. But this job comes with a pay bump, so I’ll eventually be able to move out and get a small studio for myself.”

Kiara squeezes my shoulder. “That’d be so amazing, Gemma. Okay, yeah, I approve. Let’s manifest this move for you!”

I gratefully squeeze Kiara’s hand.

“Besides, Orange County isn’tthatfar,” Val says. “You’ll come visit us, right?”

“Yup, it’s not bad at all. I’ll still be in California. And of course! We have a wedding to plan! If I do move,you twoshould also visit me in SoCal. We have Disneyland, Joshua Tree, LA, San Diego… oh, and we’re closer to Vegas and Mexico!”

Val rubs her hands. “Oh, man, yeah, we’ll be visiting all the time after the wedding, then. You’re going to getsosick of us.”

I laugh. “Never! You guys will always be welcome at my place, no matter where I live.”

I apply and interview for the position. A few weeks pass without any news, and I’d assumed I didn’t get the position when I get a call.

“Gemma?” It’s Evelyn.

Since we communicate primarily via email, I know something must be up. I hold my breath as she continues speaking.

“Congratulations,” she says. “You got the job.”

My move to Orange County is as smooth as it can be. Thanks to the onrush of newly minted college graduates looking for jobs in the summer, I manage to find someone to replace me at Ms. Chang’s fairly quickly. Of course, I didn’t have to, but after all the kindness she and her husband showed me while I lived with them, I didn’t want to leave without finding them a replacement.

Like I told my friends I would, I move back in with my parents, wholovehaving me around again. Mom and Dad fuss over me like I never left for college. And, unlike when I was younger, I let them, thinking back to how nervous Ms. Chang and her husband were about sending their daughter off to school. Of course, now that my parents are older, I fuss over them, too, helping out around the house whenever I can and making sure they’re taking care ofthemselves.

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