Page 36 of Mine To Take

“One on a forced vacation.”

“Yeah...remind me never to give your sister a reason to interfere in my life.” He reaches the front door just as I throw it open, and we hug. Nick might be a pain in the ass, but he’s the best friend I’ve ever had.

“What a surprise.” He steps into the house and looks me up and down. “You actually look good. Your eyes aren’t crossed from staring at a screen, and you don’t smell of stale energy drinks.”

I snort. “It was never that bad.”

He dismisses my protest with a shrug. “So…where’s Cora? When do I get to meet her?”

“Tonight.”

“You still coming to the party?” He gestures at my clothes. While he looks put together in a tailored shirt and pants, I’m still in the sweats I slept in.

“Yeah. I’m gonna pick her up, so just give me the address and I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay.” He looks around. “So, you like the place?”

I nod and while I pour us both drinks, he tells me about improvements he’s thinking of making. His passion is managing property. He finds and renovates, or he builds from scratch, and he’s been doing it since long before graduation. With an Italian dad and a New Yorker mom, he’s had a foot in both countries all his life.

“You sound like you really like this girl,” he says suddenly, segueing from his business to my personal life. “You’ve both made peace with saying goodbye this weekend?”

“I really like her.” I shrug. “And we’re both okay with it.” The second part is a lie. I’m not okay with it, and sometimes, like now, knowing Cora has no qualms about the briefness of our fling makes me suspect I’m far more into her than she is into me.

Which should be fine, since we’re both getting what we want right now.

But it’s not.

It’s not fine.

Nick raises his drink to his lips. “Eh. What do I know about this stuff anyway…? I want all my relationships to last only a few days. No last names... nothing but good sex.”

“In other words, you’re a whore.”

He grins. “Proudly.”

“Do better.”

“Look who’s talking. Don’t forget I was a witness to all the hearts you broke in college.”

“I do not recall.”

Nick laughs. “Yeah, right. I’m gonna go now. See you at the party…and tell Cora I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

“Sure.”

After Nick leaves, I text Cora that I’m on my way. When I arrive at her place, she’s outside on the balcony with Lisa, her roommate. I step out of the car and wave, my eyes only for Cora. In a short black dress and heels, her hair in a wavy mass around her shoulders, she looks incredible.

My chest tightens with an acute desperation to make this last longer.

To make us last longer.

Cora heads downstairs, leaving Lisa alone on the balcony peering down at me. “Hear you’re leaving soon,” she calls out.

“I am.”

She makes a sad face. “Too bad. Cora likes you.”

“I like her too.”

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