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“Vince, so much changed for us after we got engaged. I don’t know what happened. It’s like the ring went on and all the air flew out of our relationship. We got, I don’t know, stuck or something. The day I caught you with Melissa, I woke up that morning feeling you deserved better, I deserved better.
“I came over to tell you as much. I was going to give you the ring back. I need something different, something more. I need someone who wants to grow with me instead of grow without me. We wanted the same things for so long. I don’t know when it happened that we didn’t. Even after all this, I don’t blame you. I blame us. Maybe we were young and didn’t know ourselves. Maybe we just weren’t the other halves of each other. I don’t know.”
I’m unknowingly picking at my thumbnail by the time I finish. Vince reaches his hand across the arm of the seat, placing his hand on mine. “You said everything I wish I’d had the balls to say instead of hurting you. That’s why in my mind, it made staying silent an option. I didn’t want to hurt you. Then, I did anyway. I’m sorry, Ava. I really am.”
“Are you happier?” I ask.
“I don’t know if happier is the right word. It’s easy. I don’t know if that’s her, me, or just because I don’t have any expectations. Are you happier?”
“I am and I’m not. I’m still working through the cheating. I’m not saying that to throw it in your face. It’s just where I am. I don’t know. Ask me again in a month. Maybe I’ll have an answer for you.”
“When I said I love you before you left, I meant it. I do love you, Ava. I don’t think there will ever be a time when I won’t.”
I wrap my hands around his and hold on. I know what he’s saying is true. I know I feel the same. You can’t grow up with someone like we did and just turn away. It’s why I was breaking it off with him in the first place. I didn’t understand, if you love something let it go, until that day. I think it’s a lesson I needed to learn. One that everyone should learn.
I smile a bit. “I knew I was supposed to be on this flight. Now it makes even more sense.”
“I hope you won’t regret being with me,” Vince adds.
“No. No. I learned a lot from us. I learned how to be part of a couple, even if it didn’t stick. You always told me you were proud of me. That’s not something I can regret.”
“The only thing I’ll ever regret is how we ended.”
There’s not much more we can say. Vince leans in and kisses my temple. His lips don’t give me the butterflies like they once used to. It’s familiar and kind. It’s tender and caring. It’s very different from what I feel when Rafael’s lips meet the back of my hand.
I tip my head over and rest on Vince’s shoulder. He tips his head on mine. I close my eyes and doze the rest of the flight in something familiar. He wakes me gently as we descend into Miami. As the wheels hit the tarmac, I can feel a literal chapter of my life come to an appropriate end. We’ve said our peace. Vince can move on with less guilt and I can simply move on.
I have enough time between flights so I stand off to the side as I watch Vince and the team exit the plane together. He waits for the last team member to deplane and follows them to baggage. This feels like the end of a movie. I wave to him as he turns back. He gives me a subtle nod and the same wink I got after he ran me over on the football field nearly a decade ago. We now can go our separate ways.
The second leg of the flight feels lighter than the first. I’m not sure if it’s from the weight lifted from gaining closure, the two drinks I had while I waited to board, or from knowing that I will be starting an adventure unlike anything I’ve ever known.
I nap again for a while on the flight from Miami to Grand Turk. The blue water becomes hypnotic and lulls me into a deep sleep. I wake up during the final approach to see the sun starting to set. The brilliant oranges, pinks, and faded dark blues melt into the turquoise of the water. This has to be paradise.
Rafael wanted to pick me up at the airport. I finally persuaded him to let me make this part of the journey by myself. I need to feel my bravery navigating into this on my own. I also want the last few minutes to make sure this is what I really want. I can still bow out gracefully if I’m alone.
In the last few weeks, I’ve become better about listening to what my heart and soul are telling me. With every mile that passes bringing me closer to Rafael, I know this is what I want. I need to see where this story goes next.
The driver smiles when I give him the address. He seems familiar with it and tells me to sit back and enjoy the ride. Everything around me is either lush, rock kissed by the ocean I’m able to see in any direction, or the purest sand I’ve ever seen. This island was my dream, still is my dream. It may not be how I envisioned it in the beginning, but this could be even better.
The breeze as we drive splashes the sea air all over my face. Every palm we pass is gently waving hello to me. I can feel my heart finally start to pound as the car slows to make a lazy right onto a sand and gravel drive. The same oranges and pinks are still barely visible on the horizon. It’s more of the purple hues of night until the driveway bends and a beautiful white villa lights up the sky around it.
It seems to be as if we’re going to drive right into the water. A band of butterflies gathers and flutters inside my belly. Taking a deep breath is even a little hard right now. When the car comes to a stop at the end of the paved path leading to the door, I don’t have a single word to go along with what I see. The outside is a stark contrast to everything around it. The white nearly glows, even in the dark. There are solar lights placed every so often on either side of the path. I feel like Dorothy following her own version of the yellow brick road.
I offer my driver a tip and he thanks me in Spanish. He smiles when I respond in Spanish as well. After a quick wink, he turns the car around to leave. I watch the taillights disappear before I stare at the front door once more. That’s when I see a shadow just inside the window.
Sheer curtains may prevent me from seeing his face, but the fact he was immediately there waiting for me…I don’t think there is a description that fits. I take a couple of steps forward before he opens the door. The light from the sconces on either side of the doorframe light his figure.
He appears like he did that first time we met, with his bright smile that always seems to dance through his eyes. The gentle creases of his face are so beautiful. I want to run my fingers over every single one. I start to feel a buzz in the air. The hum only gets louder the closer I get to him.
Chapter eight
Ava
We stare at each other standing on two sides of the doorway. This seems to be a running theme with us. He’s even more beautiful here than he was at home, if that’s even possible. His hair has gotten just a bit longer on top. I can tell he’s spent a couple days in the sun. The apples of his cheeks are kissed with a hint of pink, while the rest of him is even more golden than I remember.
That same white shirt he wore the night he walked me home is coating his body here, with a couple more buttons open. His father’s chain still lies around his neck. The tails of his shirt hang just at pocket height and when our eyes meet, his fingers flex at his side. I tuck my hair behind my ears so he can hope to see my eyes. That’s when it happens.
He stalks toward me with purpose, pushing my suitcase out of his way. His hands encapsulate my cheeks while his fingers slide into my hair. I gasp for many reasons. The power from his stride. The tender way he’s holding my face. The glimmer in his eyes. Most of all, the anticipation of what I hope he’s going to do. He bends down ever so slightly, letting his tongue wet his lips before he gently seals them over mine.
