“Come on, you guys,” Josh announced, trying to get the rabble in order. “We're going to miss the last train.”
We followed after him, an unsteady mess of high heels and silk, unbuttoned shirts and lost jackets. Whittaker, who seemed mightily sober, kept his arm wrapped around me and I was grateful both for the warmth and the added stability. I could hear the girls' uneven footsteps behind me and knew it would be a miracle if no one broke an ankle.
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“Did you at least have a good time?” he asked.
“Oh! The best!” I announced. “Thank you so much for letting me be your plus-?one.”
“You're quite welcome,” he said, squeezing me a bit closer to him. “So, I was thinking, perhaps when the cold weather comes, we might take a trip out to my family's house in Tahoe. I'm sure my parents would love to meet you.”
I tripped on a seam in the sidewalk and grabbed onto him to steady myself.
Parents. Meeting. Meeting the parents. No. Wrong. For a moment the world spun, but then it all clicked back into place. I pushed away from Whittaker slightly, standing on my own two feet, and tipped my head back to look at him.
“Whit? Can I talk to you for a second?” I asked. “Alone.”
“O
f course,” he said. He looked at the others. 'You can go ahead. We'll be right behind you."
Noelle shot me a knowing look, then walked off with the others in tow. I took a deep breath. Even in my tipsy state I knew what I had to do. This had gone on long enough. Whittaker deserved to know the truth.
“Whittaker, I'm really sorry, but I don't think we should see each other anymore.”
“Excuse me?” Whittaker said.
“I'm sorry. I really like you. You're a great guy,” I said. “But the truth is ... I'm just not attracted to you.”
“Oh,” Whittaker said, looking at his shoes. “Well. That was blunt.”
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“I'm sorry! I didn't mean it to be,” I said, my eyes swimming. “I just thought you'd appreciate the truth.”
Whittaker took a deep breath and nodded. “I do,” he said gamely. “I can't say I'm not disappointed, but I'm glad you were honest.”
I tilted my head. “Aw, Whit. You are so gonna make some girl very happy one day.”
Whittaker laughed. “I hope so,” he said.
I teetered on my heels and he slipped his arm around my shoulders. I'd just broken up with him and he was still looking out for me, steadying me. It made me think of Constance and how she'd taken my hand during services that morning when they'd announced Thomas's disappearance. Suddenly, sadly, I hoped more than anything that those two would somehow get together. They were completely perfect for one another.
'You will!“ I told him, my words slurring together. ”In fact, I know someone. You know her, too. You just have to go out with her once and you'll totally fall in love with her."
Whittaker smiled wistfully. “Maybe we should talk about this on the train,” he said, starting to walk and taking me along.
“Okay,” I said, my eyes half-?closing as we moved down the street.
The train, a soft seat, maybe a nap, sounded like a fabulous idea. But even as I looked forward to it, I couldn't believe that it was over. The Legacy, my “relationship” with Whit, my first trip to
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NYC--it was all done. And it had all passed in a blur, with no sign of Thomas.
In the end, he had never shown. In the end, I hadn't even needed to be there. I took a deep breath and sighed grimly. Suddenly all I could think about was getting back to Easton and putting it all behind me.
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