Page 106 of Pretty Black

“I want to move,” Caspian said a few days later, surprising me. “I want to sell this place while we’re gone, and when we get back, we can find a place together. What do you think?”

I didn’t answer right away. Caspian had loved this place the moment he walked in. He’d bought it after our first huge check.

“Why?”

“Do you not like the idea?” he asked but not unkindly.

“I love the idea of picking out a place together, but I don’t want you to do it because you think it’s what I’d want,” I said carefully, dropping my attention to my hands.

“This place hurts. I don’t like how much pain we’ve been in here over the last few years. I came here alone so often. I don’t want to think about what the walls hold anymore. I want to start fresh. I want to make ahomewith you. I don’t want it to be my place or yours; I want ours. I want to pick out the furniture together. I want to decorate it together. I want a new chapter.” He wasn’t sad about it. There wasn’t pain in his words. There was kindness and love. Caspian laced everything he did in those things. It was one of the things I loved most about him.

“You are such a beautiful soul.” I leapt at him and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his neck. “I want all of those things.”

“Maybe we should move to the suburbs?” He wrapped up tightly around me.

“Hey now, don’t take it that far. That’s a bit drastic. I love the city.”

He laughed. “So that’s a no to being my parent’s neighbors?”

“The house next door to them is for sale?”

He nodded and laughed. “We can go look at it, but I’m not serious.”

“It’s on the lake. Might be worth buying just to own.”

He looked into my eyes. “You’d live next to my parents? For real?”

“I love your family, and I love how close you all are.”

He cupped my face, bringing his lips to mine. “My perfect person, pretty Black. I’ll make an appointment to go see it before we leave for Big Bear.”

“Yes, please. I’m ready to start our next chapter asus.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

He fingered the pendant around his neck.

“What is the significance of that?” I’d thought about asking so many times and never asked.

“My grandfather gave it to me the night we met.” He took it off to show me. “It’s an etching of the Fates from Greek mythology. When he gave it to me, he told me I wasn’t like my parents or siblings. He’d known it since the first time I picked up a guitar. He said I wasn’t meant to be a suit and live in an office and to not let my parents pressure me towards that path. He said he supported me, and I had to choose my own path.”

I rubbed my thumb over the light design etched onto the little round charm when it occurred to me. “You stole your pick up line from your grandfather.”

“I didn’t steal it. The conversation I’d had with my grandfather inspired me!”

“I hope you give him royalties for that as much as we use it.”

Caspian laughed, kissing me again. “I don’t think I would have had the courage to speak to you had he not given this to me. So maybe we should thank him.”

“I’m so thankful for all the ways the universe conspired to bring you to me.”

EPILOGUE

PRESENT DAY

Iris Black

Itook a seat across from Lennon Roy in his home studio. Among other things, he reviewed music and interviewed artists on a huge music podcast. I’d thought about sitting down with an interviewer or a talk show host, but this seemed more relevant to how our fans consumed media. No one watched the news anymore— it was too depressing.

---