Page 70 of Love Unexpected
That’s why I’d been so thrown off by Rosie’s kiss. Because I had an expectation in my head of what this road trip would look like. I’d imagined this connection with Ana being the perfect representation of the kinds of connections the road trip segment would help other people make. In my head, my relationship with Ana was a love story.
Making out with Rosie had nearly ruined that vision.
Not that there weren’t a million other things to consider.
Tyler had rightly reminded me of the contingent of fans that would be thrilled if I ended up with Rosie. The #teamrosiehashtag had only picked up steam as more and more people watched the video of the live stream she and I had recorded together. There was also the possibility of Rosie and Ana being the same person. Though, the closer we got to Kansas City, the more I doubted that it could actually be true. Why would she have gone through all the trouble of weaseling her way onto the actual road trip if she were Ana? Why not just fly to Kansas and wait for me to show up and surprise me then? The number of people who would have had to have been involved to get heronthe road trip? It was almosttoocomplicated to imagine it being possible. The much simpler, and thus more logical, conclusion was that Rosie’s line about grits had been a coincidence, and Ana was an entirely different woman.
I did my best to ignore the throb of disappointment that pulsed in my chest whenever I had that thought.
There was also the possibility that Ana, assuming she was a different woman, and I wouldn’t work out after all. Rosie had already demonstrated that the public nature of my life was a liability. What if Ana felt the same way?
“You all right, man?” Tyler asked from behind me.
I looked over my shoulder. “Yeah. Sorry. Just...mustering my courage.”
“Just knock. It’s going to be all right.”
I took a deep breath and raised my hand to the doorbell, sending a deep, throaty gong sound reverberating through the house. It sounded more fit for a castle than a house in the suburbs of Kansas City.
“Dang,” Tyler said from behind me. “That’s some doorbell.”
The door swung open and my heart nearly dropped to the concrete beneath my feet. Except... this woman could not be Ana.
“You must be Isaac,” the older woman said. She had curly, salt and pepper hair and a kind smile. “Ro—Ana told me to expect you.” She extended her hand and I shook it, still not exactly sure what was happening. “Come on in,” the woman said. “I’m Ana’s mom.”
The house was warm and welcoming and smelled like chocolate chip cookies, eliciting a rumble from my stomach. We’d gotten stuck in some heavy traffic outside of St. Louis and lost close to two hours of our trip, so we’d opted to skip dinner so that we didn’t show up at Ana’s house too late. A decision I was glad we made now that I knew she lived with her parents. Or her mom, at least. Still hadn’t seen any evidence of her dad, though I thought I remembered her telling me her parents were still together. We’d had that in common.
“Is Ana here?” I asked her mom, looking down the hallway into what was probably the kitchen.
Her mom held her hands up. “No. She’s not. But don’t ask me any questions because I’m not supposed to tell you anything.”
I glanced at Tyler, feeling uneasy; this was not how I’d anticipated this moment going. But he didn’t seem at all ruffled by the weird turn of events.
“Okay. Um, am I just supposed to wait for her, or...”
She shook her head again. “Up the stairs, second door on the left. That will tell you everything you need to know.”
“I don’t understand—”
She cut me off with a quick shake of her head and a wave of her hand. “Nope. I’ve said my lines. Don’t ask me anything else or I’ll cave, and I was told I could do no such thing.” She backed up a few steps. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
I looked directly into the lens of Tyler’s camera. “I guess we’re going upstairs.”
I immediately knew the room belonged to Ana. Her artwork was all over the walls—stuff I recognized from her Instagram profile as well as several drawings that I’d never seen before, though it all had the same vibe. A series of Red Renegade posters adorned one entire wall, as well as a montage of vinyl covers mounted on display shelves in the order the albums had been released. A few spots were missing. Holes in her collection, maybe, or just the albums she’d taken with her when she’d moved away from home?
Because shehadmoved away. It was clear this room had once belonged to a high school student and hadn’t been updated since. A graduation hat and tassel hung on the corner of the mirror above the dresser and a cork board hung above the desk with a collage of graduation cards and photos. I stepped closer, knowing that Ana had to be somewhere in the photos.
Only... the woman in all the photos wasRosie.
My heart started pounding in my ears.
It was Rosie.
All along, she had been right there in the warehouse. Close enough to talk to, to touch. I pressed my hands against the desk and took a slow, deep breath, trying to wrap my head around it.
I looked at Tyler. “It’s Rosie. Ana is...they’re the same person.”
Tyler only grinned.
