Eastern Lights (Compass 2)

“Hi,” she said as she breathed out.

I smiled. “Hi.”

I took a few steps in her direction as I began taking off my suit jacket, then I placed it around her shoulders. She slid her arms into the sleeves, and it hung against her, clearly too big but somehow exactly the right size.

“Thank you,” she said. Her voice was sweeter than I remembered, and I remembered it being pretty damn sweet. She wrapped her arms around her small frame and kept smiling. A soft sigh fell from her full lips. “Hi,” she repeated.

I chuckled and nodded, taking a few steps closer. “Hi.”

“So…” She swayed back and forth in her heels. “This is weird, right?”

“Very.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “Did you somehow know that someday I’d partner with Jason in order to cheat the universe and force us to meet again?”

She laughed, and I loved it. “Shockingly, no. This seems to be that fate thing you were going on about all those years ago.”

Fate must have a sick sense of humor if it decided to bring Aaliyah back into my life by pairing her with Jason.

“How have—”

“How’s life—”

We spoke at the same time then nervously chuckled together.

My hands slid into my pockets, and I couldn’t shake the nerves I felt. Why was I nervous around her? Why did my heart feel as if it were going to explode out of my chest at any second?

She nodded my way. “You first.”

“Oh no, ladies first always.”

“Still a Southern gentleman, I see.”

“Some things never change.”

“A fact that gives me comfort.” She brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, and I watched her moves as if each one gave me my next breath. “How have you been?”

“Good, good. Same ole, same ole.”

“All work, no play still?”

I chuckled. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” I walked over to the rooftop railing, placed my hands against it, and stared out into the night. The city lights were vibrant as the hustle and bustle sounds of New York stayed loud. I’d never imagined those sounds would be something I fell in love with. Aaliyah joined me in staring out into the night.

“What about you?” I asked. “How have you been? Have all your dreams come true?”

“Not all, but I’m closer. I was made junior editor at my company. One step closer to senior editor, but…” Her face grew somber as her words trailed off.

“But what?”

She shrugged. “I recently gave my two weeks’ notice. With Jason getting the position in California, we’ll be moving out that way, so I couldn’t keep my job.”

“It’s your dream job, right? At that company?”

“Yes. But…as a superhero once taught me, you can’t have the best of both worlds. So, I chose the dream family over the dream career.”

She said those words as if she wanted to believe them, but her slight tone made me think she didn’t. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking. I didn’t know why, but it made my skin crawl thinking she was throwing away her shot at her future for a man like Jason—a man who would, without a doubt, let her down. I knew he would let me down over time, too, but that was a business risk I was willing to take to achieve a future goal.

With Aaliyah, she didn’t get any prize from him ruining her life. I had no doubt he’d leave her world in shambles, and he wouldn’t even blink twice.

“You think I’m crazy,” she said, tilting her head in my direction.

“What? No.”

She nodded. “Yeah, you do. You don’t have the best poker face. Remember? I’m good at reading people. I get it. Career has always been at the forefront of your dreams, so I completely understand why you think it’s insane for me to choose a family life over a job. But in my world, a family has always been my biggest dream.”

“I understand completely,” I told her, and I did. I had no problem with Aaliyah wanting a family, especially when I knew she’d grown up without one herself. Yet I wished it was with anyone but Jason.

He created more tragedies than happily ever afters.

“I think it’s great, Red, that you want a family.” I meant that, too. I wanted her to have everything she’d ever wanted from this world. “How did you and Jason meet?”

“It’s funny, really. I met him through a matchmaker—also known as his mother.” She laughed a little and leaned on the railing. “Marie was a regular at the coffee shop where I worked. Two years ago, not long after I met you, I went through a tough situation, and Marie was there to help me. After that, we grew closer. She had me join her book club, we started building a good bond. She pushed Jason and me together, and the rest is history.”