Flora Morgan never knew the dingy movie theater existed.

She pulled her tweed jacket tighter around her body. The theater was a mystical creature, hidden deep into the night and buried through layers of cigarette smoke. There was also only one movie showing at the moment. The poster hanging outside was grotesque, to say the least, with a drawing of a face outlined and marred by blood.

Not her usual idea of a romantic date night, but she liked it. It felt very New York.

"A Short Film About Killing," she read. "Krzysztof...how do you pronounce it again?"

"Krzysztof Kieslowski."

"Hmmm. Is Ryan Gosling in it?"

"No, this is a movie by Kieslowski."

The way he said it, indignant and matter-of-fact, reminded her of the way she often corrected people on the pronunciation of Hermès (the h should be silent!). She hitched her Garden Party bag higher on her shoulder. "Forget about Ryan Gosling. Ryan Reynolds, then."

"I'm afraid the only Ryan you're gonna see tonight is Ryan Faulkner."

Flora tilted her face upward and winked. "That's the best kind."

His lips twitched a little. That was the way Ryan smiled, always reluctant, like it would disrupt the artsy airflow around him if he dared to have a sense of humor.

Flora was surprised she didn't mind it much. He was something different and he was of everything she used to regard as pretentious (he even had the surname Faulkner, which he was apparently proud of and would never think of introducing himself without using his full name), but ever since her new life started at NYU, she was even more willing than before to try and explore—classes, movies, lifestyle, and boys.

Not that she was looking for anything more than good company, but when Ryan bumped into her the third time at the school cafeteria, Flora thought it was okay to agree to a date. A single girl like her was allowed to make as many diverse friends as she wanted, and gradually, a casual movie night turned into movie nights with potential.

The film he chose tonight was nothing she had ever seen before and she was pleasantly shocked. 84 agonizing minutes felt unbearable to get through at some points. It was ruthless, raw, and brutally honest. It was the kind of violence that shook her to the core.

"Did you enjoy it?" Ryan asked with the very kind of light in his eyes that indicated that he adored it.

"It's so real, more like a documentary than a movie," she said, "which makes it really hard to watch."

He nodded, just once. Like she passed a small test.

"There's no plot or reason at all," she said. "It was literally a short film about killing. You can't accuse them of false advertising."

"It wasn't made to entertain. There's a message...a statement Kieslowski was trying to make."

"What kind of statement? That they are out of budget?"

Ryan frowned. "It's an attack on capital punishment. Look at how it was explicitly portrayed when that guy killed a person. You see every detail, how much effort it actually took to get through it, how messy it was...Kieslowski deliberately used a handheld camera and filtered lens to get it to look as ugly as possible. But with the second part, you can see that the execution was just as brutal and senseless as the killing itself."

She knew, but she widened her eyes anyway. "Oh. I'm copying your answer from now on."

"That's just my opinion, and it goes without saying that you can interpret the movie any way you want." Ryan squared his shoulders. "I especially enjoy the cello in the background toward the end. I've seen it five times already."

"Now that's just disturbing."

Flora wondered why she had this urge to act dumb. She wanted to believe she was a smart girl, but she preferred not to take herself too seriously. She liked the movie and was glad she watched it, she could come up with a nice essay analyzing it if she was forced to write one, but on a date night, she just wanted to share some caramel popcorn and make silly jokes.

When Ryan sped away on his motorcycle, Flora climbed up the stairs to her dorm and fished out her cell phone.

Flora: Just got back from a movie directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski (spell check keeps trying to correct me). It's pretty good. What are you doing? Oct 16 11:19PM

Sean: How do you even pronounce that?

Sean: I'm studying

Sean: What's the movie about?

Flora: It's called A Short Film About Killing and it's literally about a guy killing another person and later getting executed

Sean: Sounds like the movie title is the same as the tagline.

At least you can't accuse them of false advertising

Flora: oh God I miss you

Sean: I miss you too

Flora: Can I visit you this weekend?

Sean: I have a test on Monday. I'm so sorry.

Let's try setting up a date next month?

Flora: Of course. Good luck on your test <3

Sean: Good night dear Flora

∞

Flora: I had a dream of you last night Dec 21 03:15AM

Sean: Really? What was I doing?

Flora: It's too dirty to say via text

Flora: I have to whisper it to you the next time you come over

Sean: Was I cleaning your toilet?

Flora: ...........................

Flora: I hate you

Flora: Heart breaker </3

Sean: Get some sleep, dear Flora. It's late

∞

Flora: Seannn I want you so bad you have no idea Jan 8 02:10AM

Flora: I'm sooooooo drink

Flora: Drunk

Flora: I live you

Flora: live

Flora: love

Flora: I love you

Sean: Tell me again when you're sober

Flora sent a photo

Sean: Is that what you're wearing right now??

Flora: If you don't like it...
You can help me take it off...

Flora: What r u doing?

Sean: I was studying,

but now you're turning me into quantum mechanics

Flora: Tooo wasted to understand. What's quantum mechanics like?

Sean: It's very, very hard

Flora: HaHhahahhahaha

∞

Flora: I'm so embarrassed. Sorry about the drunk texts last night Jan 9 11:37AM

Sean: Don't be

Sean: FYI I'm keeping the photo

Flora: *blushes*

Sean: What are you doing later?

Flora: Going to see a play

Sean: Have fun

∞

Flora walked out of the theater with Ryan. There was a small stage and there were only amateur actors, but she was overwhelmed despite having doubts in the beginning. It was a delightful piece written by French playwright Molière, the master of comedy, and just as expected, Ryan had quite a lot to comment on.

Since Ryan knew a lot of the actors, they stayed behind and chatted with them. Flora noticed that he seemed to be friends with lots of coffee baristas, artists, and even street vendors, but whenever she asked him who his closest friends were, he would reply philosophically that he never considered it, that there were people who came into his life, and that the only important thing was to make the most of it while it lasted.

It had been raining earlier. The street was wet, and Ryan stared at the ground for a while, deep in thought, before he started a monotonous rambling.

"I used to hang out with my theater friends after a production and we'd roll up a cigarette. I smoked before but not anymore. There's this time I remember most clearly...it was eleven-ish at night, and it had been raining before, like tonight. The rain glistened off the pavement. Danny whisked out his box of matches and lit it up. It started at that moment. The sound of the match striking along the side of the box... the spark of light...the pungent smell...the furry smoke...I took a whiff and it suddenly felt like we were in 1789 on the eve of French revolution. We were hating on the rich and tossing around words we didn't know the meaning of."

That's when you started humming 'Do You Hear the People Sing', Flora thought, but she kept a straight face to be polite. To be fair, Ryan was the only person who could ramble like that without sounding like a total lunatic.

He continued, reminiscing with a vacant look in his eyes. "In the time frame of a cigarette burning out itself, Danny felt like the closest person in the world to me. I remember taking shallow breaths, my hands shaking wildly and not being able to stop talking. My words were tripping over themselves. I wanted to fit as much into the space between us before the light died out, because I knew that was when it would end, and when it did, Danny was just a struggling artist who had nothing better to do on a Saturday night, very much like myself."

"That's really poetic," Flora said. "Why did you stop smoking?"

"Because the magic stopped. I can't get it back anymore when I smoke and I can't remember why I started in the first place." He frowned a little. "And it's funny, I don't even see Danny anymore, even though for a while he seemed to be really important."

"Seems like you gave up on a lot of things." Flora remembered he told her that he had several hobbies that he no longer spent time on. "Tennis, school plays, sailing, piano, smoking, Danny...what else?"

"That's true," he agreed. "I guess I just want to try anything and see what it feels like. Once I know, I move on."

Flora could relate to that easily, and in theory, such a guy should be a good match for her. They could see the world and later get bored together, but strangely enough, when she heard it from Ryan, she felt disheartened.

With his interest in everything, there lay the notion that he was interested in nothing. Maybe that was why he dated her too. He wanted to get a taste of pop culture, to see how it felt like to date a rich, mainstream, materialistic girl.

He was trying her on.

In moments like these, Flora felt lonelier with company than being alone. She was standing in a dazzling new world with things to excite her every second, with people she never imagined seeing herself with, and there was an abundance of inspiration around every corner, but she always remembered, acutely, how she used to sit at a desk and cram for the SATs.

There was a boy who didn't necessarily surprise her, but the very presence of him calmed her nerves. He knew what he liked and he stuck to it, and the people in his life were there to stay. His predictability became a trustworthy reassurance, his stubbornness a sign of steadfastness. He kept her grounded.

Flora needed that.

When there was a long list of rainbow-colored cocktails to choose from the menu, she realized that all she wanted was a hot mug of tea that could keep her warm.

∞

Flora: I'm having a giant bowl of noodles right now and there's no way I can finish it. I need you here Feb 5 12:23PM

Sean: Are you eating alone?

Flora: Yes

Sean: I wish I was there too.

I didn't see enough of you last week

Flora: But it was the best day of this year so far

Sean: It was for me too

∞

Flora: what would you do if you were in bed with me right now? Feb 18 01:50AM

Sean: I'd lean over really close...

Sean: ...and tell you...

Sean: Good night, Flora

Flora: *pouts*

Sean: You're drunk

I don't want you to say anything you'll regret in the morning

Flora: I want your key in my ignition

Sean:...like that

Sean: Btw stop comparing it to a key

Sean: I'm offended

Flora: Hahaha. Good night, Sean

Sean: Night, Flora. I'll call you in the morning

∞

Flora: I had a crappy day. I want a hug Feb 27 02:46PM

Sean: What happened?

Flora: Can I call you?

Sean: I'm in class. Call you in an hour?

Flora: Sure, it can wait :)

∞

Sean: Are you okay? Mar 8 11:31AM

Sean: You sound weird on the phone

Flora: I'm fine. Just tired. I'll text you later :)

Flora placed a hand on her forehead, and this time she knew she couldn't push it back any longer. This was serious. She had been feeling nauseous for the past few hours, and now her stomach felt like one giant bruise.

She tried pushing herself off the bed and realized she could barely move from the pain. There was a burning point that originated from the right side of her body, but by now she couldn't quite distinguish the location. She winced and switched on her phone again.

"I have a fever and my abdomen hurts when I move." She grimaced. "Can you take me to the hospital?"

She closed her eyes and let out a relieved breath. "Thanks, Ryan Faulkner. I owe you one."

∞

Sean: Why aren't you answering your phone??? Mar 8 08:29PM

Sean: Flora I'm so worried

Sean: Please call me back

Flora: I fell asleep. Sorry. I'm okay, don't worry :) Mar 9 09:41AM

∞

Sean was a misty dream, a winter slumber, a song she was forgetting the lyrics to, but Ryan was close and convenient and right here. To Flora there was no comparison, but she was weak, and he was too far.

He couldn't be here to share the good, let alone the bad. He couldn't be the first to give her a celebratory hug, to share a cup of ice cream, or to hold her hand in the movie theater. He didn't have time to take her out after a long hard day, and he couldn't lift her off the bed or wait for her outside the operation room.

He had become an idea of love, a sexy name in her phone, a voice that haunted her head, but sometimes she panicked when she couldn't recall the shade of blue in his eyes.

The only weakness he had was that he couldn't be here for her, but that weakness turned out to be fatal.

When spring touched her doorstep and magnolias bloomed in Central Park, she received her personal motorcycle helmet from Ryan, with the initials F.M. stitched inside.

"Rich people like monograms, right?" He smiled his half smile.

When he gave her a copy of his apartment keys, she let him kiss her.

∞

Sean: I can go to NY this weekend

Are you free to see me? Apr 11 05:47PM

Flora: Yes, but I have to tell you something

Flora: I'm sort of seeing someone now

Sean: Thank you for letting me know Apr 12 06:03PM

∞

There were lots of things that Flora liked about Ryan.

He knew a street stand that sold excellent Breton galette, and a bite of it sent her on a spiritual journey straight to France (the vendor had a bit of attitude which only made it all the more authentic)

He loved Paris, and his favorite part was Rue Campagne-Première, which according to him was where Jean-Luc Godard shot the final scene in Breathless. He also liked Opéra Garnier for its old time splendor.

He could recite numerous plays.

He knew about wine and literature.

He took her cruising through the night on his motorcycle, to theaters, art exhibitions, exotic food, poetry reading, and French New Wave films.

She didn't like it, however, when he refused to meet her parents when they came to visit, dissing them as rich people and saying that "nice rich people" was an oxymoron. That was when it dawned on her that of all the things she liked about him, none of them was really about Ryan Faulkner.

These were the things that Ryan introduced her to. He was the medium. She liked the culture, not his soul.

Like returning her purchased goods back to the department store, she and Ryan separated on good terms. They agreed they could still catch a movie together sometime. She was thankful to him, and this was the kind of breakup that didn't hurt.

Not like that one.

∞

"I don't get it." Sandra Jenkin's voice came through the phone, and even when she sounded disapproving, Flora marveled at how much better it always made her feel to hear her. "Why won't you tell Sean you're single again?"

"One, we don't really talk anymore." They did talk, in fact, but it was those distant, polite messages Sean Foster was most famous for. "Two, I don't know, it just never comes up and it feels really strange to specifically inform him. It's like saying, hey, welcome back! I strayed before but now the coast is clear and you can flirt with me again and visit me anytime you want! It just seems...disrespectful to him. Like I'm treating him as a backup."

"Strayed? Disrespectful?" Sandra's voice rose elegantly. "Honey, you're not in a long distance relationship with Sean. You're entitled to see whoever you want and you don't owe him anything."

"Yeah, but it's like a silent understanding we have." She fell back on her dorm bed and closed her eyes. The mattress was too hard and her back ached every morning. "I made it pretty clear I was into him and then I went ahead and dated someone else. If the roles were reversed, I'd be really upset."

"I thought you said he was nice about it."

"He was, but I can't shake the feeling that he's secretly mad at me."

"Well, in this case you want him to be mad at you."

"No! Why would I want that?"

"Because that's the good kind of mad. It means that he agrees with this silent understanding you mentioned and you're both waiting to get back together at the right time. You want him to feel betrayed. You don't want him to be genuinely okay with it, honey."

"Sandy, I don't know how he feels about me anymore." Flora stared up at the ugly, pale ceiling. One corner was tainted with a suspicious brown stain. "I wasn't sure even before Ryan. I harassed him with drunk texts all the time, and once I called him at three in the morning and practically begged him to love me, but he's just so...reserved. I even suspect that when he flirts with me, it falls under the category of pity flirt."

"What on earth is that?"

"Like he flirts back because he doesn't want me to feel embarrassed."

"Honey, you're never embarrassed. I think you lack that gene. I feel embarrassed for you all the time, however."

"Thank you so much for that."

"You can't blame him for not taking your drunk texts seriously. For all he knows, it could be your vagina talking instead of you."

"My texts are sincere. I just can't face rejection when I'm sober."

Sandra heaved a small sigh. "Why didn't you tell him you had appendicitis?"

Flora's mind immediately went back to that horrid afternoon, when she was doubled over like a shrimp with food poisoning. The nauseous, sick feeling had risen up and washed over her, before being replaced by an unbearable pain that made her stomach felt like a sack of needles.

"I didn't want him to worry," she said.

What was the use? Sean would beat himself up over it because he couldn't get to her in time, and he especially didn't need to know that it was taken care of with the help of some other guy.

"I have to say you've come a long way," Sandra said. "Where's the girl who threw a tantrum because her boyfriend chose a physics test over having sex?"

"You just can't let that go, can you, Sandy?"

Sandra tutted. "No, you're the one who can't let go. It's two years out of high school and the name Sean Foster is still stuck like a piece of bubblegum in my hair. Just tell him you broke up with Ryan for him and see what he says about that."

"I can't toy around with him like that. When I dated Ryan, I made a choice. I can't just run back to him when that didn't work out."

Flora wondered how many mistakes a person was allowed to make and how much heartache could one person hold for another person.

When it came to Sean, there seemed to be no end. It was a bottomless pit of love, sorrow, longing and bitterness. She lost him and gained nothing in return, but life was not a crashed computer she could reboot. Every choice led to consequences that couldn't be undone.

She let out a slow breath, feeling the familiar burn behind her eyelids. "I made a choice, and I have to live with it."

∞

"I had so much fun!" Jessica Jiang stretched out her legs on the large towel. Half of her face was hidden behind a pair of enormous sunglasses, but Flora could imagine the way her dark eyes gleamed. Summer brought them back home and back on the beach.

"I figured as much. You haven't stopped talking about it for days."

Jessica's fingers sifted through the golden sand. "This is nothing compared to the beaches of Goa. India is amazing."

"I'm sure it is." Flora tried her best not to sound too sour, but it was excruciating. Jessica went on that trip as Jake's girlfriend with Dylan and Sean.

If Flora's life were a movie, this was the part where she discovered that she was the supporting actress instead of the lead. She was too used to being the center of the attention, but now it was like giving a press conference and she had to sit at the end of the table, while all the microphones were pointed at Jessica.

Flora hated that she had to listen to secondhand news instead of experiencing it herself.

"Dill had a bad case of diarrhea," Jessica said. "He insisted on getting samosas from a street vendor against advice, but he says they're so good it's totally worth it."

Flora got her postcard from Sean this year as per usual, but he had only written one. It was a picture of Taj Mahal, and no matter how much Flora wanted to believe that he chose it for the romantic symbolism, his words were so impersonal he could have been writing for a propaganda brochure on traveling in India. There were no anecdotes and he certainly didn't mention Dylan's bowel movements.

Not that Flora was particularly intrigued by that.

"Sean's pretty funny once you get to know him," Jessica said rather nonchalantly, as if they had become close friends. The scary thing was maybe they had. "He has a dry sense of humor which is nice."

"Yes, he does," Flora agreed, slightly miffed that Jessica found out, like this was a piece of information only she should have access to. It was like supporting a secret band for so long, but once it hit the radio and got big, all these fake fans started jumping on the bandwagon and acting as if they were here all along.

She loved Jessica and wouldn't hold it against her, of course, but Flora was insanely jealous that she wasn't invited. She hadn't seen Sean for a long time and here Jessica was, telling her about their exotic adventure of mint drinks and city parades and astounding architecture, and Flora felt her body, mind, spirit all aching at once, including her appendix which was already taken out.

"So I take it that things are okay with Jake?" she asked, changing the subject. "It's really cool that you guys make it work."

Jessica didn't answer right away, then she pushed up her sunglasses and leaned in. "Flora, I'm only telling you this because you and I are so close. I want to be honest with you. It's...it's actually going really well."

"Wow." Flora moved in closer, like sharing a conspiracy.

"I know you won't think I'm bragging. We really are great. I mean, neither of us had too much expectation in the beginning and we just wanted to take a chance, you know, we didn't think this was going to be an epic love story or anything. We took it easy, and somehow everything just fell into place. Two years later and I'm just...really happy with things right now. I honestly can't complain about a thing."

Flora uttered a small gasp because she had no idea what to say. Jessica made everything sound so easy, it was almost surreal. "It doesn't bother you that you guys go to different schools? And have different interests?"

"We're only an hour apart. I think I'm pretty independent and Jake trusts me...either that or he's just too arrogant and he's convinced I won't find anyone better." Jessica smiled. "And yeah, different interests isn't an issue for me. He's outdoorsy and I hate all types of sports, including basketball, but he makes me go to his games and I just sit there and play with my phone. We're both okay with that."

"Do you make him watch those Chinese art films you like, too?"

"Absolutely. Hey, remember my ex, the one who likes Kar-Wai Wong movies?"

"Alex."

"Yup. Alex understood all my movie references, but Jake's like, 'who's that guy again? He's not the villain? I swear they're twins'...and you know what? It really doesn't matter. Common interests are great, but there are some unexplainable things that surpass that."

"Sex, obviously."

They both laughed.

"A few months ago Jake forced me to go on a camping trip with him. I hated the idea of it...I hate bugs and I hate nature—"

"—except when it comes to luxury beach resorts."

"Of course, that kind of nature is welcomed. Anyway, I tried to set up the tent while he built a fire, and then we had some gross canned beans. It rained so we retreated inside and started having sex, and halfway through it the tent collapsed. We were completely soaked, and we both just laughed our heads off. I don't remember ever laughing like that." Jessica's dark eyes shone. "That's true love, dude."

"I would've been so irritated," Flora said, remembering how she was with Sean, when she used to get mad over the pettiest issues. "I admire you for that. I'd be so focused on the sacrifices I had to make and blame him for not renting a hotel room."

"You can't go down that path. Don't think of it as a sacrifice, think of it like...like you're a parent and you're taking your boy to Disney World. He's having fun, and you see the joy on his face and you start to genuinely have fun, too. Not that I think of Jake as my kid because that's just gross."

"I get it. You guys are a natural at this, Jess, you really are."

"I think the key is that we're both unapologetic about making demands," Jessica said. "It's nice to cater to the other person's needs, but sometimes you have to speak up about what you want. Like, just tell him, hey, I know it's not your thing but this matters to me."

"I wish you had this epiphany back when I was still dating Sean."

"Yeah, I know how it was with you. You were too careful about trying to please him and you ended up as an unhappy martyr."

Flora nodded. "True. I was stuck in an unhealthy place and I was bitter and obsessed with the fairness of everything. None of it was Sean's fault. I just didn't know how to handle being in love with him."

"You're a rare couple who don't have anything bad to say about the other person," Jessica said. "I can go on about my ex for hours if anyone's interested, but you're saying this, and Sean's like—oops. Never mind."

Flora leaned in and grabbed her forearm. "Jess, did Sean say anything to you?"

"Well we agree that what happens in India stays in India..."

"Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"Well..."

"Jess, real friends are those who rat out on your crush and report everything," Flora joked.

"Fine, my loyalty lies with you." Jessica flipped over to let the sun tan her back, propping herself up on her elbows. "He seemed pretty upset one night after a few drinks, and he started saying something like you were the best and that you were irreplaceable to him. He said he was waiting for you."

Without warning, Flora's heart kicked into a gallop. The air around her seemed to have thinned instantly. "He said that?"

"Yeah, then he announced he's going to text you."

"But he didn't."

"No, because Dylan hid his phone. As you know, real friends are those who stop you from drunk texting."

"I'll never forgive Dylan for this!"

Flora was going to lose sleep over what Sean wanted to tell her then. Whatever it was, she knew he would never say it now. She didn't even expect to see him this summer. After the Ryan incident, their relationship had reached a new low, until now. She felt a spark of hope through Jessica's words.

"We visited Taj Mahal that morning and Sean really liked it. He found the whole idea of building something for a loved one very romantic. He said he built you a replica of the Eiffel Tower and it lights up around the clock, you know, like the real one."

Flora gasped. "He did?"

"Why the Eiffel Tower, though? It's so overused. We all know if he wanted to win your heart, he should build you a walk-in closet instead."

"I promised him we'd go to Paris together one day," she croaked through a dried-up throat.

Jessica lifted her delicate eyebrows. "I see. He's not going to give it to you, though. Back then we all thought you still had a boyfriend, and he said he was too late. Hey, you have to promise you won't say anything to him."

"But—"

"Flora. He made me swear I won't tell you. I'd like to stay on good terms with my boyfriend's best friend, thank you."

"Okay." How she'd love to see that tower lighting up her dorm room. She was disappointed, but this was hacked information anyway. At least now she could picture it anyway she wanted.

"Let's grab some drinks," Jessica suggested, sitting up. The sun beat down on their bikini bodies as they strolled toward the small beach hut where refreshments were served. "Jake might join us later, if you don't mind."

"It's fine." It would be nice to see Jake, since their old gang wasn't having a get together anyway. Flora had sent out an excel form and asked everyone to fill in their available timeslots, but even with the help of it, there wasn't a concluded date.

She wondered if she could ask Sean out. He obviously cared for her, but what he told Jessica seemed to have stemmed from a moment of weakness. He saw Taj Mahal, thought of the gift he couldn't send, had a few too many drinks, and blurt out secrets he otherwise wouldn't have uttered. Once the alcohol wore off, he was likely to revert back to his old ways, and Flora didn't know if she could handle him being all distant again.

As she sucked on her coconut drink, Jake's red Jeep pulled to a stop beside them. His blond head popped out the window, and he flashed his signature sun-filled grin at her.

"Flora, let me introduce a friend to you."

Her eyes moved to the passenger seat, where a door was being opened, and everything rushed at her all at once. Soft hair in the color of espresso, plush pink lips, and eyes so dreamy and blue, it almost pained her to look.

He's here.

Jake brought him to her.

Seeing Sean made her realize her life was like one of the plays Ryan took her to. It was an intermission, a long and uneventful one, until the curtains pulled apart and he came back again.

He was everything that was happening. He was the story, and her life was on a bathroom break without him. If her life were a movie, she would be fast forwarding all the unimportant parts until she got to Sean, and she'd watch it over and over again, frame by frame, until she could recite every line.

"Hey Flora," Jake said. He got out, putting an arm around Sean's shoulder to pull him closer. "Meet my cutest friend."

"Flora is the girl you want to introduce me to?" Sean asked. "You said her name was Laura."

Jake smiled innocently. "Did I? I'm sure you heard wrong."

"Cute, Jake." Sean pulled out a stool and sat down across from her.

He was so gorgeous it hurt. She searched his eyes, and she wondered how she could ever have forgotten the shade of blue in them. It was the prettiest mix of azure and gray. It reminded her of the hydrangeas at Central Park, at the fall of dusk, when the light faded and the petals darkened.

He kept his gaze on her face, and then slowly, he smiled.

"Not that I'm complaining. Nice to meet you, Flora."

∞

a/n: hi guys, thank you again for putting up with the long wait! you've all been so patient and supportive, and I'm overwhelmed by the positive feedback I got on the last chapter. thank you so much. I hope you like this one and think it's worth the wait. at first I wanted to squeeze in more about Sean and Flora's summer together, but since the word count is close to 6k, we'll save it for the next time. i love you all and thank you for reading xx