Page 47 of Fall I Want
“Sure,” I say. “Two more shots.”
When we have our second round, we toast to us again and slide our glasses to the edge of the table.
“How long are you here?”
“Until the first week of January. I’ll be gone for a week in October, maybe. I haven’t decided yet,” I say. “My father is getting remarried.”
She tilts her head at me. “Oh.”
“It’s complicated.”
She doesn’t push me to say anything else, which I appreciate. I’ll eventually tell her, I want to.
Twenty minutes later, a gigantic platter of loaded tortilla chips is set in front of us with two small plates.
“What happens after January?”
“I don’t know,” I say truthfully. “I’m undecided about a lot of things in my life.”
“Does it scare you not knowing what the future holds?”
“Somewhat,” I admit. “I’m used to having my life scheduled. Right now, my publicist and father believe I’m off-script.”
She moves some food onto her plate. “Interesting choice of words.”
“I thought so too.”
“Is your life scripted?”
When I glance up, I see Sebastian heading toward us again carrying a bag of food. “Give me your hand.”
“Huh?”
I reach forward, interlocking our fingers, and rub my thumb against hers. Immediately, she leans forward and smiles, understanding. Sebastian walks past us and meets Autumn’s eyes then keeps going. I don’t pull away and neither does she.
“I’m sorry for putting you in this position,” she says as I keep her hand in mine.
“You say it like you’re a burden,” I mutter, letting her go. “You’re not.”
A blush hits her cheeks.
“I’ve never seen him so jealous,” she mutters. “It’s almost like he cared.”
“If the roles were reversed, I’d have realized how much I fucked up when I saw you with me. He should’ve never let you go. Now he understands that.”
“I wasn’t perfect in our relationship,” she admits.
“No one is. Sometimes we date people who bring out the best in us, sometimes they bring out the worst.” I pick up a chip with beef and sour cream and pop it into my mouth. “The goal is to avoid the latter.”
“Are you dating someone?” she asks.
“Other than you?” I shoot her a wink. “No. My ex broke me too.”
“Seems like we have a lot in common,” she says.
“Maybe too much.”
After we finish eating, I pay the bill and Autumn and I leave. As we walk down the street, I grab her hand and smile.
