And it wasn’t just on account of her loyalty this time. When she’d chosen Chicago last fall, she’d done it because Nonna had needed her, because Nonna had wanted her to stay. She’d known she was going back to a place and to people she loved— the building, Nonna’s apartment, her neighbors. But now, something else drew her there; now, she was choosing for herself. She wanted to go back to the building and her apartment and her neighbors, but also to the neighborhood and the city around it; she wanted to go back for the weirdly Midwestern beaches and the sights she hadn’t seen, to the big, brutal seasons and the collective attitude of a city that didn’t get nearly enough respect.

And she wanted—maybe foolishly—to go back to Will.

“Honestly I can’t believe he hasn’t called like a million times already,” Dee said, and without thinking, Nora answered.

“I did basically tell him not to.”

Dee furrowed her brow. “Wait, you did? I thought at the meeting you told him—” She broke off and nudged Nora with her foot, obviously clocking the flush Nora could feel heating her cheeks. “Haaaaaaaaa,” she said, happy teasing in her voice. “You’re thinking about him again!”

Nora took another sip of her wine, skipped the shrug this time. No point trying to fake it, since in between the many work rants and resolutions she and Deepa had both participated in over the course of the week, they’d also spent a fair bit of time talking through what had happened between Nora and Will.

“Ice-cold, Eleanora,” said Dee, laughing. “About to tell a whole man you’re going to leave him, and you’re already on to the next one.”

“It’s not the same,” said Nora. “Austin is my colleague. And also, I think we have well established by this point that I am not, in fact, on with Will.”

She shifted, uncrossing her legs and adjusting so that she and Dee faced each other, both of them now with backs against either arm of the couch, legs stretched alongside each other. Dee wiggled her feet against Nora’s ribs, a gentle, teasing comfort that made Nora smile.

“You’re going to be okay?” Dee asked. “If he doesn’t come around?”