EXCERPT
At the cafĂ©, Philip sat back at his chair, exuding confidence and an ease he didn’t have when last they were together. Yet, Juliana could sense something else: humility. His overall kind nature that endeared him to her was peering through at her as if looking for the starry-eyed, carefree Juliana.“Time’s changed.” She sighed faintly, not realizing she uttered the words out loud. “I’ve also changed… to a robot… or zombie.”
“It can’t be all that bad.”
Startled, she said, “Pardon me. What can’t be bad?”
“Time. Change. You… zombie.” He laughed. Then, with eyes shining, he took her hands. “I’ve missed you. A lot… I should have fought for us. Why didn’t we work out?”
Realizing that he didn’t change completely—he was still the Philip she loved with an intensity she never had with another—she tried to avoid his gaze. “Ah, immaturity… distance… parents… pride. Feeling of inadequacy. Stuff… Irrelevant now. Anyway, how are you? Married?” She freed her hands from his as she smiled at him weakly.
“Nope. Never will… most likely. A girl got away and I was a chicken.”
She started to feel uncomfortable purely because of her own emotions. “Don’t say…”
As they reached the peak on their high roller ride after dinner at the Bellagio, Philip inched closer and proposed, “What if you drive with me to LA? Or, I fly with you to New York? We’ll figure out the rest later.”
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