Page 80 of For Keeps. For Always.

I don’t deny it.

“Girl, you need to move past that. I cared about what Brooks could do for my social standing at school. I had nofeelingsfor him.”

“Oh.”

She sighs. “I was a bitch in high school.” She shrugs. “I’m a bitch now, to be quite honest. My pride was a little dented, but only because I was afraid other people would think men preferred you to me.” She said it as an insult, but I didn’t take offense to it. “It only took me a second to realize that it was only him.”

Only him.

“For some reason, Brooks has this unhealthy obsession with you. Maybe it’s love. I don’t know. Did you do it again?”

I drop my eyes, afraid of her judgment.

“You won’t find judgment here, Henley. Lift your head, for Christ’s sake. What’s holding you back? From Brooks?” she clarifies.

“We’re toxic,” I murmur. “We hurt everyone around us.”

Waiting for me to lift my head, she blinks twice, sighing softly. “A word of advice. You two are more toxic apart with all these unresolved feelings. Step in or step away. You might very well find you’re toxic together as well. But you each have one foot in and one foot out. How can you really know if it works when you both have an escape route planned?”

I’d never looked at it like that.

“We’re apart more than we’re together.”

“Distance shouldn’t matter.” She stands, picking up her mug to swallow the last of her coffee. “Not if you’re meant to be. Distance is only mileage. Love is stronger than a measly ocean. And if you’re really meant to be together, you’ll find your way back to one another.”

I stare at her blankly, shocked into silence.

She sighs at my depressive state. “If it’s any consolation, Alex was a dick. He stared at my tits the entire time we spoke last night. It was super creepy. I’m not condoning what you did, but don’t beat yourself up about it. We all make mistakes.”

“Me seemingly more than others.”

Grabbing her phone, she readjusts her hair. “That’s ayouproblem, one I can’t help you with. Choose to be better.”

She leaves me with her words, moving off toward the lobby, no longer my enemy but also notquitemy friend.

I can live with that.

* * *

three months later

I had plans to move onto South and Central America following Addy’s wedding, but when it came down to boarding the plane, I couldn’t stomach the thought of starting somewhere new. I needed comfort. I needed a destination that offered familiarity, that offered me peace and perspective.

Nursing my tea between my hands—promised to bring relaxation in its blend of herbs—I breathe in the company of endless flowers and potted plants.

I found this flower market on my first day in Tokyo a few years ago. The abundance of greenery caught my eye in the otherwise muted city colors. Nestled inside the quiet sanctuary was the most charming cafe I’d ever seen in my travels.

Glass tables adorned with flora visible right underneath the surface. Walls covered in creeping plants with large spherical lights hanging from the ceiling. It was a wonderland, one I could spend forever in and die content.

Which is why, in my darkest moment, I came back.

I’ve spent the past three months afraid to leave my safe zone. Working in and around Tokyo City, healing the broken parts of myself and praying I’d forget the pain from Brooks leaving.

He was right.

I hate him.

Or more, I hate myself and the bitter extension of Brooks Riley.

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