Page 61 of The Caress

The back of my neck heats. I sit up straighter, pursing my lips. "Maybe I didn’t tell her because I wanted her to be free of me. Or maybe you are just inventing things and I feel perfectly fine since Ella left."

Saffron makes a face. "Yeah, okay. That’s why you have been moping around here for the past week."

"I haven’t been moping. I’m just here to fill the time while Isla sees her new therapist."

"Cut the crap, Keir. I know you better than that."

I open my mouth to protest, but she shakes her head.

"No. Be serious. I see you, Keir. I know you. You’re unhappy. Ella is unhappy. And you two being together would make both of those problems disappear. So why are you just staring out at the city, hoping that things will get better? When you want something, you make it happen. Isn’t that what you always say?"

I muse over that for a second. "Maybe. But I have my reasons."

"Your reasons don’t matter here! That’s what I’m trying to tell you!"

I look her up and down. My heart wrenches in my chest.

Could Saffron be right?

Could Ella really miss me like I miss her?

Maybe none of my reasons really matter when Ella and I both desperately want the same thing.

"Saffron?"

She schools her expression. "Yes, Keir?"

"If I decided to make my grand gesture now… would you help me?"

Relief floods her face. A radiant smile appears shortly thereafter.

"Anything you need. Let’s go get her."

Standing up, I awkwardly step over to my sister and then pull her into a hug. Saffron is stiff at first, but she soon accepts the embrace.

"I’m glad I have you on my side," I tell her.

"Always. I’m always on your side, big brother." She pushes me back an inch, beaming up at me. "What do you have in mind to convince Ella that you’re serious?"

An image immediately swims into my brain. I give my sister a crooked smile.

"Know any good real estate agents in New York City?"

CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE

KEIR

"Right here," I say, looking out the window of the SUV as we pull up in front of the old building on the Upper West Side. "You can just let me out here on the curb. Thanks."

This is the first time I’m seeing the building in person. It's even more charming than the pictures online. It’s almost identical to the dance studio from the movie we saw in Malta, with ivy climbing up the walls and the afternoon sunlight making the entire front facade glow a soft orange-pink hue.

It’s perfect.

"Keir!" Kaia, Ella’s best friend, beckons from the other side of the building.

"Kaia." I clear my throat. "Thanks for agreeing to meet me."

"Are you kidding? Ella has been a wreck since she got back. She hasn’t slept or eaten. She has only cried over losing you. So when you called me…"

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