Page 49 of For Keeps. For Always.

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Brooks: How long will you be in Australia?

Henley: Forever?

Henley: Joking. Or not.

Henley: It’s BEAUTIFUL, Brooks.

Henley: You HAVE to visit.

I want to hop on a plane yesterday and meet her in the future.

Brooks: I’ll add it to my bucket list.

Henley: Do. Promise me.

Brooks: For always.

A pause.

I’ve scared her.

Shit.

Henley: For keeps.

Henley: I really do miss you. I wanted to carve our names into the Great Wall, but I couldn’t bring myself to maim it.

Brooks: Me too.

Henley: I miss our rock.

Brooks: What’s your #?

She sends it without delay, and I grab my cell, texting the photo that sits as my wallpaper, and wait.

Henley: You have a photo of it!!

Brooks: It's my phone background.

My phone rings a second later, and I answer faster than humanly possible.

“Why did we let ourselves get here?”

Her voice sounds so sad. So broken. So much like how I remember it from all those years ago. And all I want to do is crawl through the phone and hug her, reassure her as I used to.

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly.

“Are you happy?” she asks quietly.

“I love my job. I love the places it takes me.”

“That’s not what I asked you,” she pushes.

I sigh. It’s a poignant question. One with an answer I’ve never been game enough to admit, even to myself. “No. I don’t think so.”

“Me either. Being lonely when surrounded by people feels silly, but it’s the only way to describe how I feel.”

I close my eyes.

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