wiped a tear from her cheek.
Martin stepped closer.
She felt the pull of him, as strong as ever.
“Yes,” she said. The word swelled up inside of her, and she felt her discomfort fall away from her. Everything that had felt all wrong inside of her began to feel right. She loosened her hold on her purse, suddenly not caring what section she was seated in.
“If you have to go to London, I’ll understand,” Martin said. “But can I visit you there? Can we… try to make this work? Long distance?”
shook her head.
She saw Martin’s face fall for an instant.
She stepped closer to him, closing the gap between them. “I want to be where you are, Martin,” she said.
His expression brightened, and the sparkle returned to his eyes.
“I’ll buy you any apartment you want, ,” he said. “Money’s no object. You can choose.”
She smiled. “Really?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Hopefully, somewhere in our neighborhood. And you can give me that tour you’ve been promising me.”
She lifted her hand and wrapped it around his neck. He held her around the waist.
“I’ve never owned a place that I lived in,” said, processing his offer slowly. “I’ve always been a renter.”
“Not any more,” he said. “You’re going to have to get used to a new lifestyle, if you’re going to be my girlfriend.”
“Your girlfriend?” asked.
He looked at her questioningly, waiting for her response.
It had been so long since she’d entered into a true, committed relationship. Fear started to creep up inside of her, but she gained strength by looking into his eyes. To answer him, she stood on her tip toes and kissed him.
By the time they parted, the last of the passengers were boarding the flight, but that didn’t matter to .
She no longer felt confused.
“I have your hat,” she said, remembering the baseball hat that she’d tucked into her suitcase, though space was limited. “I guess I should give that back to you.”
Martin laughed and reached for her hand. “Keep it,” he said. “I bet it will look cute on you.”
*****
“A toast,” Sandy said. They were in the back room of the Valencia, where only a month before had said a teary goodbye to her friend at her going away party. This time the mood was much more elevated. It was Dr. Norden’s birthday. raised her glass.
She felt Martin’s arm, which was draped around her, shift as he reached for his glass and held it in the air as well.
“To friendship,” Sandy said, looking around the room. followed her gaze, looking at her friends and co-workers. Dr. Norden looked happy and relaxed. Dustin was with his new boyfriend, and the two looked truly happy. Olivia caught ’s look and gave her a wink.
smiled.
“Old friends, and new friends alike,” Sandy said, looking directly at Martin.
squeezed Martin’s thigh beneath the table. Over the past month, he’d quickly become a part of the tightly knit crew from the office.
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. She felt bathed in happiness.
“May we always be here for each other,” Sandy continued. “To celebrate life’s milestones. Like this one that we’re gathered for tonight. On this night, our friend Dr. Norden turns—”
Dr. Norden held up his hand to stop her. “No need to go into details,” he said with a smile.
“Seventy five, right Dr. N?” Dustin called out.
“He looks twenty!” Olivia razzed.
“Alright, alright,” Dr. Norden said.
“To Dr. Norden!” Sandy called out. Glasses around the table clinked together, the tinkling sounding like music to ’s ears. How could I have left this behind? she thought.
I was going to go to London to search for something that I have right here.
Right here, she thought, tapping her glass against Martin’s.
He squeezed her shoulder and then leaned down and gave her a kiss. She kissed him back, feeling a sense of happiness.
As conversation started to bubble back up around the table, she whispered into Martin’s ear. “I’m so glad to be here… with you,” she said.
“I’m glad too, baby,” he said.
thought of her apartment, just one block away from her old place. Martin was still staying at the Lotte, and the place where her apartment used too stand was now a gap in the fabric of the block. It reminded her of a missing tooth, in the row of buildings.
Instead of feeling anger or loss about the missing building, she felt a sense of possibility, and hope. What would grow up in its place? What would manifest, in that exact spot?
Only time will tell, she thought. If the past month was any indication, it would be something magnificent. Martin was an attentive and caring boyfriend. She felt happier with him than she’d ever dreamed she could feel.
“You make me so happy,” she said.
She saw him smile.
He looked down at her, and wouldn’t stop looking at her. The room seemed to fade away, the happy conversation amongst her friends turning to background noise. All she could see was Martin.
He removed his hand from around her shoulder, and used it to caress her cheek while he gazed into her eyes.
“You make me the happiest man in the world,” he said. “Baby, I’ve been wanting to say this for a while…” He paused, and she felt herself hold her breath.
“… I love you.”
She felt her heart burst with joy. She smiled. “I love you too,” she said. The words tumbled from her lips naturally, as if she’d said them to him a million times, though this was the first. As with everything that had happened with Martin over the last month, they felt meant to be. Just right.
When he kissed her, a tingling, fluttering sensation filled her body.
It was like glitter, falling from the skies of her soul, or rainbows permeating her being. As was her habit, she searched inside of her for a word for the feeling. What is it? she wondered.
Magic, she thought. This is magic.
The end.