Page 98 of Let's Talk About Love

That’s why Dr. B wanted her to spend some time alone. At first those hours had been excruciating. Being alone with her thoughts was not a fun time to be had. She thought about Takumi the most because the memories were fresh, but her lifetime with Feenie refused to be shoved to the side. Alice loved them both and hoped they knew it.

And then she worried they might not.

They did far more for her than she did for them, so she tried to think of all the ways she could repay them for being good to her. Dr. Burris had been surprisingly a bit less than thrilled with her conclusion because it wasn’t aboutrepayment. It was about balance.

She would be better.

“I’ve been seeing a counselor,” Alice announced.

“Really?” Feenie kissed her forehead. “Good for you.”

“Yeah. You kind of sound like him and he’s usually right about stuff. So,” Alice said, taking a trembling breath. “You know who would be really proud of you right now?”

“Tell Ryan about this and I will end you.”

“I won’t tell him.” She raised her head at the exact moment Feenie looked down at her. “I really want us to grow old together, you know? Go through all the typical life stuff together even if that means we can only e-mail each other once a week because you moved to the middle of nowhere in Nebraska with your ten kids and I’m still in California because it’s amazing. Just like in that one movie—we’ll never lose touch with each other, ever. Is that weird?”

“No,” Feenie said. “It’s perfectly fucking normal.”

***

AN HOUR LATERof filling each other in on what they’d missed during their cold war, Feenie’s fury had returned.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Even Papa J? He’s not talking to you?”

Alice shook her head.

“Okay, like real talk, I’d expect your mom to pull a stunt like this butneveryour dad,” she said. “This is bullshit of the highest caliber.”

“I have no idea what I’m going to do.” Alice rolled onto her side in the small bed.

Feenie remained on her back, staring at the ceiling. “You could switch schools.”

“To where?”

“Community college is super cheap compared to Bowen. You could finish your general ed there and when it’s time to transfer back to auniversity, if your grades hold up, you can apply for academic scholarships. You also don’t have to take a full course load. If you continue to work full-time, then half-time would be way less stressful on your bank account.”

“Okay,” Alice said, beginning to smile. “That was a really good on-the-spot answer.”

Feenie gave her a half-hearted glare. “Imighthave been thinking about going back to school.Maybe.”

“Maybewe could take some classes together.”

“That’d be nice. You could do my homework for me.”

“You promised after graduation you wouldn’t ask anymore.”

“I know exactly what I said.” Her mischievous grin waseverything. “And that wasn’t it.”

Alice shook her head before jumping up and going to sit at her desk.

“What are you doing?”

“Research.” She opened her laptop and grabbed some paper. “Do you know when classes start there?”

“Soon, I think.” She fluffed a pillow. “Tired. Taking a nap. Wake me when you’re done.”

“Aye, aye, Captain, my Captain.”