Page 141 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
luna
Gabe’s face glowedwith happiness as he told me about his father’s birthday party. I rejoiced for him too because for the first time since I’d known him, he seemed at peace with his family, and he deserved every bit of it.
“So, are you planning another trip back soon?” I asked him as I swirled the cup of boba he’d had delivered an hour ago.
“Not yet,” Gabe said, looking handsome despite the long night he’d had. “The next time I visit, you’re coming with me.”
I smiled. “It’s a plan. But you’re going with me to the Philippines too.”
“Of course.” He turned solemn. “How are things with Alonzo?”
I had told him about the talk with my brother yesterday and he’d been almost as surprised as I was by Lonzo’s revelation. “Okay, I guess. He texted me earlier that he would try to give you a chance but we’ll just have to see.”
“I can understand his feelings about being left behind, even though our situations are different.”
Gabe sounded casual, but I heard the words he didn’t say—that most people in his life had left him in some way at one time or another. He’d gotten so used to goodbyes that taking this risk on me, a girl who might end up leaving the country like my sister did, felt even more significant.
I hesitated, wondering if I should bring up the issue I’d been worrying about, but then I figured it wouldn’t do me any good keeping it in. “Gabe . . . You know that I’m planning to apply for a work visa after graduation, right? What if, for some reason, I can’t get one and I’ll have to move back to Manila?”
“Then I’ll go with you,” he answered like he’d thought of it already. “I can do my work remotely, and there’s nowhere else I’d want to be than where you are. If you’re okay with that,” he added.
“I’m more than okay with that. But I really hope I get a job here.”
“One thing at a time,” he reminded me. “How do you feel about your interview tomorrow?”
“I’m as ready as I can be, I guess.” It had been a long shot, but I’d scored an interview for a summer internship at Renewed Look. If they liked me well enough, maybe it could be my ticket to a work visa after graduation. How amazing would that be?
But I was getting ahead of myself. I needed to get the internship first.
“You’re going to do great. Then we’ll celebrate when I arrive home.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Neither can I.”
chapter forty-five
gabe
Luna
Have a safe flight!!! I can’t wait to see you again
Gabe
You won’t be able to keep me away
Was there anythingworse than sitting through a flight with a crying baby beside you and a kid kicking the back of your seat?
That and learning the in-flight Wi-Fi was out of commission.
I held on to the knowledge that every second I tolerated the chaos around me brought me closer to the woman I loved.
“When you told me you would visit, I thought I could not be happier,” my father told me a few nights ago as we watched a football match on television. The game had gone into halftime, and I had taken the opportunity to text Luna to ask about her day. “But seeing you like this? I am even happier.”
I uncapped my beer bottle. “Seeing me drinking?”
“Seeing you in love.”
