When they finally reached the airport, Keira alighted the bus with her suitcase. Her body was stiff from standing so long, and she realized glumly that things were only going to get worse once she boarded her plane, for she’d be stuck in a cramped seat for eight long hours.

However, inside the terminal, Keira soon learned that her flight had been delayed.

Sighing, she found a coffee shop to wait in.

She checked her emails and found one from Elliot hinting, once again, at some kind of promotion. Keira realized that now he’d told her the truth about Lance’s position at Viatorum, there was indeed a spot above hers in the hierarchy—Joshua’s vacant job. Keira couldn’t imagine being in that role at the magazine. It felt like a huge leap for her. And especially since not that long ago she wasn’t even sure if she’d have a job to return to at all. But she was excited by the prospect and curious as to what the future might hold for her career. It was all she had, after all, now that she’d lost yet another lover.

As she waited out the hour before her plane boarding was to be called, Keira idly flicked through her phone. She noticed that Shane had replied to her message asking him not to be in touch with her. She sighed and read his response. In it, he said he’d made a mistake by breaking it off with her, that he’d acted rashly, reacting without thinking because of the fear of his father’s ailing health.

As she read it, something suddenly clicked into place in her mind. Not about her and Shane, but her and Cristiano.

She’d done the same, acted rashly, quickly, taking action out of fear rather than anything else. Like Shane, if she left things the way they were with Cristiano she was going to live to regret it. She didn’t want to be in the same position as Shane in a few weeks’ time, texting her lost love, plagued with regret over her actions.

With a sudden burst of clarity, Keira scrolled through her contacts and dialed Cristiano.

She listened to the sound of the ringing, her heart racing with anticipation. When he answered, Cristiano’s voice was low and sullen, but it was her Cristiano, and hearing him again made her whole body soar with relief. She hadn’t been sure that she’d ever hear his voice again.

“I was scared,” she blurted out immediately.

“What are you talking about, Keira?” Cristiano said. His own tone was heavy, like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“Scared about us,” she said. “I froze. Panicked. I forgot that I was on a journey with you.”

There was a pause. Then Cristiano cleared his throat.

“What are you saying?” he said, morosely.

“I’m saying come with me!” Keira cried. “I was acting like an idiot. I want you to come to New York City, meet my sister and mom. Your family cared for me so well and it would mean the world to me if you got to meet mine.”