My Favorite Souvenir(44)

So I filled the tub, told Milo I’d have my ear buds in, and climbed into the warm water. Shutting my eyes as I settled in, I put on classical music and tried to relax. I’d had a tension knot the size of a golf ball in my neck ever since Felicity called.

It seemed unimaginable that tomorrow at this time I’d be back home in Connecticut. Obviously, this trip had to come to an end sooner or later, but I wasn’t ready for tonight to be the last one. Milo and I had been together less than two weeks, yet the thought of going home and not seeing him left a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’d grown so attached to him.

Deep down, however, I did know I needed to figure things out with Brady before starting anything new. Milo had been right about that from the very beginning. And it made me so much more attracted to him to know he put my emotional needs above his own physical ones. Because a lesser man might not have. It would’ve been so easy for Milo to get me into bed, to take advantage of my neediness and vulnerability, especially because I was so attracted to him. But he didn’t. And while not quite two weeks might not be that long to know someone, the way he’d handled things between us had really shown me the type of man he was.

My effort to relax in the tub turned out to be an epic failure, though it wasn’t for lack of trying—my skin was pruney by the time I stepped out of the bath. I twisted my wet hair up in a towel, slathered on some of the free body and face lotions, and wrapped the hotel’s luxurious bathrobe around myself. Slipping into monogrammed, matching plush slippers, I finally returned to the living room.

Milo was standing at the windows, drinking a glass of wine. He seemed lost in thought—so much so that he didn’t notice me walking over, until I slipped the wine glass from his hand so we could share it.

I sipped. “Penny for your thoughts...”

He looked me up and down. “Well, that answers that question.”

My brows furrowed. “What question?”

“Could we ever just be friends?”

“That’s what you were thinking about while looking so serious?”

Milo nodded. “I was trying to convince myself we could—that regardless of what happens when you go back home, the two of us could still be friends.”

“Were you successful? I mean, at talking yourself into it?”

Milo smiled. “I was until you walked out with your hair wrapped in a towel, your body hidden beneath ten pounds of cotton bathrobe, and without a lick of makeup.”

I laughed. “So we can’t be friends because I don’t look so hot after a bath?”

Milo took the wine from my hand and downed the rest of the glass. “Just the opposite. I think you’re beautiful without any fancy outfit, makeup, or hair.” He lowered his head and stared down at the floor. “I was trying to talk myself into being able to stay friends if you decide to get back with your ex. But the truth is, I can’t be friends with you because you’re so much more to me already, and there’s no going back from that. It’s fucked up that this might be the last time we’re together.”

He looked up at me, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. I could see he was struggling, and I swallowed, trying to force down my emotions. But I wasn’t as strong as him. A big, warm tear rolled down my cheek.

Milo wiped it away with his thumb and opened his arms. “Come here.”

I snuggled into the warmth of his embrace. It felt so good. So right. Like this was exactly where I was meant to be. Yet…it wasn’t the right time, and we both knew it. We held on to each other for the longest time, clinging like it was the very end, though we still had a whole night ahead of us.

Eventually, Milo pulled back. He brushed the hair that had fallen from my towel out of my face. “What do you want to do tonight? It’s your call. Whatever your heart desires. I looked through a book on Atlanta, and this city has a lot to offer. There’s an entire underground area with shops and restaurants and an improv comedy club we could go to. We could go to Centennial Park and take a ride on the SkyView Ferris wheel. It’s supposed to have a great view of the city from the top. They also have a haunted pub tour, or there’s a hotel not too far away with a rooftop bar and restaurant. You name it, and we’re there.”

I tossed around the things he’d mentioned, and while they all sounded like fun, there was really only one thing I wanted to do tonight. I looked up at Milo.

“Would it be okay if we just stayed in? Maybe order room service and watch a movie or something?”

He smiled. “Yeah, that sounds perfect.”

A little while later, Milo emerged from the bathroom wearing one of the plush hotel bathrobes and slippers. I cracked up when I saw him.

“Are you making fun of me?” I said.

He rubbed the arm of his robe. “Fuck no. This thing is like being wrapped in a cloud. I put on some of the fancy moisturizer you left on the counter, too. Why should women be the only ones with soft skin?”

I’d been checking out the hotel menu and held it up for him. “I’m going to get the deluxe burger with onions and avocado and a side of truffle fries.”

Milo took the menu, but set it down on the table. “That sounds good. I’ll get the same.”

While he ordered, I poured us two glasses of champagne. Handing one to him when he hung up, I sat on the couch and tucked my feet under my butt. “So what are you going to do when I leave tomorrow? Will you head to your friend’s house?”