“You’re right, I’m not pathetic, and I’ll be fine. We both will.” I felt stronger as I said it. The misery of the evening was already turning into purpose. I didn’t know what, if anything, would happen to change how things ended with Elias tonight. But I would do what I needed for me. I’d make myself whole. I was on my way there already.

“We’re both stronger than we give ourselves credit for.” My mom’s voice sounded a little surer too.

“We are strong.” I wasn’t sure if I was talking about my mother and me or Elias and me, but in that moment it didn’t matter.

Tears were running down my mother’s face, and for once I didn’t feel compelled to stop them. “Tell me about your plans and your novio, sweetheart. I want to know.”

I straightened, a sad little smile on my face at my mother’s request to hear about my boyfriend, but then I started to tell her.

Once I finished with my mom, I decided to hit up the other woman in my life and give her some news that was going to blow her away. Hopefully making plans would do something to soothe my battered heart.

DestaJoyWalker: Yo! Are you free for like a minute? I need you to tell me what the farthest point in NYC from where you live is so I can start looking for apartments there.

Within a second I could see she was typing.

Lucía.Woods: MIRA COÑO. WHY ARE YOU PLAYING WITH ME DESTA JOY? FUCK THIS MESSAGING SHIT!!!

I picked up the call after the first ring.

“What are you talking about?” She was yelling into the phone and I could hear noises like she was walking outside.

“I’m moving to New York.”

“Please do not mess with me. Do you know what it would mean for me to finally be in the same city with you after all these years of weekly calls and text messages?

I grinned into the phone, and despite how fucked-up the last two hours had been, I felt…relieved. “I’m going to do the MSW, Luce. I’m coming home, amiga.”

I heard her breath catch over the phone and mine caught too, because with every conversation tonight I realized this move was exactly what I needed. Like my mother said, Elias had been what finally made me brave enough to go for it. And it was not lost on me that I had done the same for him.

“Oh my god, babe. You don’t how happy I am right now. You got me crying on the fucking High Line, bro.”