I deserved to have my dreams taken seriously, to have my talent noticed and given the chance to run with it. I deserved the love of someone who saw all those things clearly and who wanted them for me as badly as I wanted them for myself. I finally had the shot I’d been waiting for if I’d just take it. I leaned in, planting both hands on the surface of the table and flashed a smile in Yazmin’s direction.

“Girl, I’m so glad you asked.”

“So how did it go?” Julia’s voice boomed in my ear as I walked out of the restaurant feeling at ease for the first time since that horrible fight with Theo.

“It was good,” I told her and shut down the little voice in my head telling me this might all fall apart. I knew it wouldn’t, and more importantly, that even if it did, I would be okay. “Yazmin wants to partner to develop the line, like she’s in. She’s already got some potential investors she wants me to meet next week.”

I had to pull my phone away from my ear at Julia’s piercing scream. “What? Eso! Alba Serena eres una fucking jefa!” I grinned at that and walked to my rental with a bit more of a strut.

“She loved the fandom idea. She thinks hiring fan artists to collaborate with furniture designers and come up with full home collections inspired by them is great.”

Julia sighed on the other end of the call. “Fuck this is an amazing day for geeks everywhere. Albita, you’re going to bring fandom to like a whole new level. You did that shit on your own. No one gave you this,” my friend told me, and I let myself absorb the praise for once. “Mira, amiga. Even after that bullshit with Chase, you went and looked for other ways to make your dream happen, someone who saw your genius.” Julia always got me with the tears. I had to stop and breathe for a moment, so I didn’t start bawling in the street.

“Now that I’m working with Yazmin here in Dallas, I guess I’ll have to put up with your annoying ass for a while.”

That time I really did lose hearing in my ear for a moment. After Julia’s whoops and hollers died down I said out loud the thing I hadn’t dared to voice yet.

“This place is going to be home for a while.” It was bittersweet to say it, because for me Dallas was Theo too, and it hurt that I might not have him here this time around.

“You’re the fucking shit, Alba Serena, believe that.” And I was starting to. I was also starting to believe that I needed more than just my job. That I needed someone to love me, to hold me down.