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“What the hell is wrong with you? Stop hitting me!” Livvie was a blur She hit —eyes water I think we all know I’m a badass and I don’t cry) After I cleared er in hers, the hurt… but also her longing She longed for nize her face as a mirror of my own

“How could you leave ht you were dead,” she cried She wrapped her arood to have her inbut the feel of her against me

“I’m sorry, Livvie I’m so sorry,” I whispered into her hair I couldn’t believe I ith her again I can’t even describe it to you Suffice to say, if I’d died in that moment, I’d have been fine with it

We stood there for a long tis with our silence we couldn’t put into words I suppose that’s what she meant by, “it was all that needed to be said”

I felt all the things I could only have felt with Livvie: hollow, and si

“I’ve missed you, Livvie I’ve missed you like you wouldn’t believe”

I don’t kno long we stood there holding one another as tourists passed us by We were siether No one knee were or e had been through to get to that ed circus to say to Livvie I was afraid of the things she ht have to say to me

I felt her shaking in ainst ainst her She was more than entitled to her tears I, unfortunately, couldn’t express myself in quite the same way So much had happened to me in my life I’d cried all the tears I had infor her I could hold her, rock her, and shield her from the dozens of eyes around us

The wolared at me as they passed “What did you do?” their eyes accused

Thesmirks my way “Sucks to be you”

I ignored them They weren’t worth my attention

“Can I get us out of here?” I asked I felt the gentle nod of Livvie’s head against my chest I pulled back slowly, not sure if I was prepared for what ht happen next Suddenly, it didn’t matter Livvie looked up at me, and even with tears in her eyes, she s time to see her smile It had been worth every horrible second I’d been without her

“I missed you too So much,” she whispered and wiped her eyes “I’ood to see you!”

And then I smiled I took her hand and we

walked All around ht I was in a drea I was tempted to mention it, to make a joke of some kind to break up the tension just under the surface of our joy, but I opted to say nothing Livvie ith me and it was all that mattered to me

“Did you drive?” she asked

“I did,” I replied soured either it would be my last opportunity to drive the streets of Barcelona, or I’d be driving you back to er it took to get to my car, the more aard the situation became

Livvie stopped walking and I jerked to a halt

“I don’t think I’ sure eren’t alone She slipped her hand from mine

I tried not to let it bother o anywhere withI tried to smile as sincerely as possible and shoved my hands in my pockets

“We don’t have to go to o I just… shit, I don’t even knohat I’ to say”

Livvie gave me a weak smile, the kind that didn’t reach her eyes She looked so beautiful, and so sad She looked just as I remembered

“I don’t knohat’s wrong with et here so I could see you and now…” She crossed her arms around her stomach and lifted one hand to pull at her bottoestures she made unconsciously and I remembered it well It reed in the last year, there were things about her that would never change

It was only natural for her to wonder about the ways I hadn’t changed Frankly, it took every ounce of rab her and abscond I had co I wanted, and in a split second it seeot to the car

I suddenly didn’t trust myself

“Maybe this was a ive her the choice, but I wasn’t sure I could bear to hear the answer

She closed her eyes and squeezed herself a little tighter Her brows knit together in what I interpreted as sorrow Her head shook slightly from side to side

I took it as a good sign Her tells weren’t choice—they were instinct It thrilled me to know her instinct was to deny any possibility thatme was a mistake

“I knohat I want, Livvie I want to be a part of your life again I knoe can’t start over I know you have every reason in the world to want me dead, but I—”