Page 42 of Isolated
“Same,” I muttered.
“Me, too,” Flora sighed.
At that, the three of us had gone inside, unloaded the bags, and gone about getting ourselves ready for tonight.
Now, we were here, had ordered and received our meals, and done everything possible to avoid any real talk that would lead us down uncomfortable roads. But it seemed Flora had reached her limit.
Maybe it was the scene with Walter that had pushed her to this point. Maybe it was purely that constant desire for more in her life. Either way, I didn’t think this was going to be an easy conversation.
Just to be certain I wasn’t making any assumptions about her mindset or why she’d just said what she did, I countered, “This isn’t how you imagined things would be? Exactly what do you mean by that?”
Her features were pinched, filled with tension. “I never anticipated getting to this point in my life, to this age, and feeling like there’s little hope left for a romantic relationship. I think I’m going to become like Walter.”
Eleni was quick to reassure Flora. “You’re not going to become like Walter.”
“No? How can you be so sure? None of us are married or engaged to be married. Heck, none of us are evendating anyone seriously. Iris is thirty-one, Eleni. We aren’t far behind. What if it doesn’t happen? Or worse, what if we spend half of our lives alone?”
I realized she was genuinely upset, but I couldn’t help myself. Soft laughter escaped. “Do you honestly believe it’d be worse to find your guy later in life as opposed to not finding him at all?”
She shrugged. “I’d probably spend so much time thinking about how many years we lived without one another, how only having forty or fifty years together just won’t be enough.”
Flora wasn’t wrong. Time was certainly passing us by.
And it was that thought which forced my mind back to the conversation I’d had with Landen at my place a few days ago. While there were no guarantees about what might happen between us moving forward, it was apparent we’d wasted some time.
For so long, I had assumed that Landen had no interest in me beyond being my gym buddy. To hear him admit that he’d been waiting to ask me out on a date for months had left me feeling like I was floating.
And it was for that reason that I felt compelled to offer Flora some reassurance. “Some time is better than no time.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Absolutely.” If I had a shot at exploring something with Landen now, I wasn’t going to turn it down because it hadn’t come months ago. “I think if you find the right guy, you’ll be happy for any time you have with him. And if he’sthe one, I suspect he’s going to do everything in his power to make it so that you don’t feel like you’ve missed out on anything.”
Flora stared at me as though attempting to decide if she wanted to accept what I’d just said as the truth. It was Eleni who couldn’t hold back her intrusive thoughts.
“Oh, you can’t honestly sit there and tell me you believe that.”
“What? Of course, I do.”
She arched a brow and shot me a disbelieving glare. “You haven’t even been putting effort into finding some friends outside of work, Iris. Suddenly, you’re convinced that Prince Charming is right around the corner, just waiting to sweep you off your feet?”
If only things between Landen and me had progressed sooner than they did, I might have been willing to bring him up to her. But given how many questions I still had about where we’d wind up, there wasn’t a chance I was going to share his existence with my sister.
In the same breath, I couldn’t continue to allow her to be so miserable so often without trying to understand where it was all coming from.
“Yes, Eleni, I do believe that. It might not be today or tomorrow, but I’m positive it’s eventually going to happen. For me. For Flora. Even you. I don’t understand what is going on with you.”
“Me? There’s nothing wrong with me.”
I eyed her with doubt, shaking my head in frustration. “I didn’t say there was anything wrong with you, but there is something that’s happening. I know there is.”
Flora nervously bit her lip, her eyes shifting between the two of us.
Eleni barely took notice of our youngest sister. “Oh? Then tell me, Iris. What is it that’s a problem for you?”
My gaze slid to the side and landed on Flora. “I’m not crazy, am I? You’ve noticed it, too. I know you have.”
Hating confrontation, Flora shrugged. “I just want us to have a good time tonight. We shouldn’t be arguing.”
