months. She pretty much lived for summer. The outside of the
brownstone looked the same as it always did. It was like most
of the other brownstones in the city. Distinguished and
dignified architecture. After the peace of Claire’s home, the
rush of Brooklyn surrounded Haley, making it hard to breathe.
She waved off Snake, who looked almost sad to be going.
He’d dropped her bag at the front step, and she’d insisted that
she was fine to walk in by herself. She’d had to pull out her
keys to prove to him that she had them.
He was probably going to circle the block a few times just
to make sure she’d gotten in alright. He was overbearing like
that. She’d thought about how much she disliked it so many
times. God help her, she was going to miss him. She was
going to miss Jean, who she’d said a tearful goodbye to that
morning. She was going to miss Jenny, who ghosted around
Claire’s property, unseen for the most part, but like Snake,
always watching.
It went without saying that she would miss Claire. Not just
miss her. She felt like she’d been ripped from something
essential, and the pain was enormous. Had she made a mistake
with Claire? It didn’t feel like a mistake, but she was here, not
with her. Claire had let her go, not because she wanted to, but
because she felt like she had to. It didn’t matter that they were
perfect for each other. That nothing had ever felt so right as
when they were together.
Haley shouldered her bag and jangled the keys to let her in
through the front door. She dumped the duffel in the hall, her
heart heavier than the bag would ever be.
It wasn’t a mistake. She couldn’t even begin to measure
their time like that.