Space (Laws of Physics #2)(12)

Abruptly, the spark in his eyes extinguished and he gave me a polite smile. “I’ll be thinking of you while you’re snowed in. Have a good time with Allyn.” His words were also polite. So polite.

My stomach sank.

“Gaw! You’re infuriating!” Allyn huffed.

Poe, seemingly nodding at his own thoughts, pressed his lips together and turned for the door, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he left.

“Say something!” my friend urged. “Don’t just let him go!”

Another flash of Abram clouded my vision, this time he was kneeling in front of me in the dark, his hands on my knees, worry etched into his forehead. Are you okay?

Before I could fully experience the ache, I shoved the image away and cleared my throat, calling out without allowing myself to think, “Hey Poe.”

I stopped tracing the envelope in my pocket. It was time to move on. In fact, it was past time. Really and truly. Abram had disappeared over a year ago. I needed to let him go.

Poe paused, his hand on the door frame, and then turned. His expression was free of everything but mild curiosity.

“How about Hawaii for spring break?” I asked, the question sounding awkward and amiss to my ears. And my heart.

His eyes narrowed. “You’re in Europe all next semester.”

“Yes.”

“You’re going to fly back from Europe? All the way to Hawaii, just for spring break?”

I hesitated, because he had a point. I hadn’t considered whether going to Hawaii for a week would even be possible, given my commitments in Geneva. Poe’s gaze moved over my face, like he was searching for something, a sign, a tell. I held my breath, clearing my features of expression.

Eventually, he bestowed upon me one of his small, patient smiles. “Okay, Mona. Whatever you say. See you in a week.”

“See you in a week,” I croaked, managing a smile for him in return, even though I felt embarrassed by my clumsy, sudden, and logistically unsound suggestion. Embarrassed and wrong and sad and anxious.

Giving me a slight nod, Poe turned and left. Reaching my hand in my pocket, I gripped the envelope, squeezing it, and breathed out, or at least I tried to. The ache in my chest had returned full force. Yes, I needed to move on. Yes, I’d been behaving irrationally for over two years, holding on to the possibility of an impossibility. But no, I shouldn’t use Poe to move on.

I felt like an ass.

Meanwhile, Allyn squealed in my ear, “Yay! Hawaii with Poe! Of course, I’ll find a reason not to go so you two can—”

“Calm down, Allyn. It’s probably not going to happen.” Releasing the letter, I lifted my fingers and rubbed my sternum, so ready for this vacation. So ready for quiet and calm and peace.

So ready for less motion.





2





Electric Current, Resistance, and Ohm's Law





*Mona*





My parents’ McMansion was built into the side of a mountain. Reaching the property during winter required the traveler to have a certain degree of flexible ambivalence for their own safety. I’d explained the situation to Allyn months ago, perhaps even exaggerating the danger, just to be sure she was fully informed prior to giving her consent. She’d readily agreed.

As soon as my plane touched down, I powered up my cell to message Allyn. The screen told me that my brother had called and left a voicemail while I’d been airborne. Making a mental note to check his message later, I sent Allyn a text, letting her know I’d finally arrived.

The plane had been delayed leaving LAX by an hour and a half, therefore our flights arrived within a half hour of each other instead of mine landing first. After grabbing my carry-ons, darting off the plane and through the gate area to baggage claim, I discovered Melvin—one half of the caretaker team for the Aspen property—had already found Allyn and her bags.

As soon as she spotted me, Allyn—as usual—didn’t say hi. She began talking as though we were in the middle of a conversation. “I was hoping to get a good view of the mountains as we touched down, but it was too cloudy and dark. I didn’t get to see anything.”

Pulling me into an embrace once I was within arm’s reach, she didn’t seem to notice how I tensed. Allyn never did notice my reticence about being touched, but that was fine. I’d been working on my “touching issues” for a while now and I appreciated her ignorance of my struggles. I didn’t want anyone walking on eggshells or making it into their problem.

“You couldn’t see the mountains because of the snow,” Melvin said, stepping forward to reach for my bag. “This is it? Did you check anything?”

I shook my head, lifting my shoulder to indicate that I’d be fine carrying my backpack. “Just the two carry-ons.”

“Good. Let’s go.” He turned and began power-walking to the exit.

It took me a second to react to his swift departure. I’d expected to hear all the local news, as Melvin was typically the chatty sort. He and his daughter Lila were Aspen natives. He seemed to think of the place as a small hamlet rather than the opulent resort town it had become. The last time I’d visited—just two months ago—he’d told me all about the latest issues with sanitation management and how the mayor’s son had been escorted out of Big Ben’s Bear Shack after dancing on the bar.