The Meeting Point by Olivia Lara

Eighty-Four

I booked myself a ticket to New York for tomorrow morning, but I have no intention of spending one more night in the cottage, so I change and plan on heading for the airport. I’d rather be stuck on a chair for hours than be anywhere near him.

On my way to the airport, I stop by the café to tell Celine I’m leaving. I have to find a reason, something that won’t sound completely made up. But before I get a chance to open my mouth, she starts telling me all about the fantastic news she had.

“I’m going to be in Laguna Seca,” she says. “I got a call, and they need mechanics and I’m going to be part of it. And while I’m busy, I know just the perfect person to take over the café, someone who would undoubtedly do a much better job than I did.” She winks. “I’ve never been this happy. All my dreams are coming true. First Aaron, now this.”

“You deserve it, Celine,” I say. “You deserve all the happiness, but I’m afraid you will have to find someone else for Café Azure,” and as I say this, I have tears in my eyes.

“Why? What’s wrong?” she asks, taking my hands in hers.

I tell her I have a family emergency and I must return to the East Coast immediately,

She’s speechless.

“When are you coming back?” she asks, still in shock.

“I don’t know,” I say.

“Maya, you would tell me if there was something else, right?”

I wish I could. I wish I had done things differently. I will miss her so much. I will miss…

No! I can’t think about any of that. This is the most logical decision I’ve made in the last few weeks. I should’ve never come here.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” she says through her tears, echoing my thought.

I hug her and try not to cry. As I make my way out, I feel her eyes on me and can only imagine what she must be thinking.

At the bus station, I check the schedule and the next one is not for another hour from now, so I walk to the beach, killing time.

With my luggage at my feet, I sit on the bench. THE bench. I want to say goodbye. To this place. To my dreams and hopes about it. To what could’ve been.

I wipe a tear with the back of my mind and continue looking out at the ocean.

Who would’ve imagined? Who could’ve possibly imagined a year ago this is where I’d be today? What about two weeks ago? Not me. The last image of him, giggling with that woman, still fresh in my memory, I clench my jaw and promise that, no matter what, I’ll never let myself be hurt like this again. Never ever again.

Someone is standing in front of me and I look up to see who it is.

I feel the blood draining from my face, my body, into my legs and onto the ground.

My head snaps to the side, and I wipe my tears so he doesn’t see I’ve been crying.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I say, poison dripping from my every word.

He stands next to the bench, his face expressionless.

“Why?”

I get up, my fists clenched next to my body. I can feel I’m trembling; I am that furious.

“Because I hate you, that’s why,” I say.

He starts laughing and I feel like I’m going to lose it. “Nothing new there, eh?”

“This time it’s for good. It’s the real deal. To the moon and back again.”

He seems so calm, it’s driving me crazy.

“That’s a lot! Dare I ask what brought on this new wave of hate?”

“Really? Are you really asking me that? What was the point of tonight? Instead of bringing Max, you brought your girlfriend to rub it in my face that I can’t be with him, but you can be with her, or what? I don’t get it.”

He laughs and I want to throw my phone at him. “Is that what this is all about?”

“No! Why don’t you just leave, Ethan?”

“I don’t want to leave and I don’t want you to leave either.”

He takes a step toward me and I take a step back.

“What more do you want from me?”

“I think there’s something you want from me.”

“That’s funny. We both know you’re not going to tell me who he is. I don’t think you ever intended to.”

“No,” he says and I’m taken back by his honesty. “It’s true. At first, I didn’t. I wanted to send you on a wild goose chase after random Lift drivers until you got frustrated and went back to New York. I was convinced that day meant nothing to you and you only came back to use my book as a launch ramp for your own writing career.”

I scoff, disgusted. “At least you admit it.”

“At first,” he repeats. “But then… I realized I was wrong. All this time we spent together, and reading your book and—”

I stare at him, the fury still raging in me.

“I don’t believe you. I think everything you’ve done since you met me was for your personal gain. What better way to sell books than to parade yourself around town with the main character? That’s what I was to you. The main character in a story. A poorly written story,” I say bitterly. “You used me and you misled me and—”

“How did I mislead you?”

I want to tell him that he made me feel like there was something between us. But how would that sound? I could never say it anyway because I have too much pride. Knowing his perfect Barbie is waiting for him, I would never humiliate myself like this. What’s the point? Just to get it off my chest? No, thanks. I’ll keep it on, until it suffocates me in my sleep. I’d rather that.

“Maya,” he says and again takes a step toward me. Again I back off.

“OK,” he says. “I get it. I’ll stay here. Far from you. Is this far enough?” he says and takes five, six steps back. Seven, ten. Fifteen. “Why are you leaving?” he yells and I barely hear.

“Why do you even care?” I yell back.

“Well, for one, because I…” he yells again but I can’t hear what he says at the end.

“What? I can’t hear you.”

I want to leave. I don’t want to talk to him anymore. “I’m going now,” I yell.

I grab the handle of one of my suitcases, and all of a sudden, I feel like I’m flying. He’s holding me up in his strong arms and his lips are on mine. He’s kissing me like I’ve never been kissed before. Passionately and possessively, like he can’t get enough of me, like he’s been hungry for me. I feel the world is spinning and I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I try not to return his kiss, but it’s beyond me. I kiss him back and I let this moment take over all my senses.

He puts me down. “I said… because I love you,” he says and looks straight into my eyes.

I’m trying to catch my breath and regain my composure, but my cheeks are on fire and my legs are weak. “Too bad,” I say, “because I don’t love you,” and I step back.

How dare he tell me he loves me after everything that happened? No, no! I get that I can’t control my urges when he’s near me, but I can control what I say and how I behave from now on.

“I don’t believe you,” he says, his face now serious.

“Well, I don’t,” I say, and look away.

He comes in closer, so close I can now feel his warm breath on my face. His cologne is making me dizzy. “Look at me,” he says, his voice firm now, but I don’t.

He gently grabs my chin and turns my face to him. “Maya—” he insists.

We look into each other’s eyes, and the chemistry is overpowering. But I won’t give in. I clench my jaw and do my best not to let him see how my body responds to him, how I long for his touch—but it’s stronger than me. I don’t know from where or how it happens, but I find myself pressing my lips to his with thirst and desperation I didn’t think I was capable of.

“Maya,” he whispers. “I never meant to hurt you,” he says as a tear rolls down my cheek.

“Please, I’m begging you, don’t cry. I promise you have no reason to cry.”

“Don’t make promises, Ethan.”

“I want to explain everything. First, what happened tonight at the restaurant. But for that, you will have to come with me to Café Azure.”

“Some things are better left alone. And anyway, I have a plane to catch,” I say, feeling my arguments are weak and my defenses are going down. Again.

“What time?”

“Ten tomorrow morning.” It sounds ridiculous, I know. That’s twelve hours away.

“Plenty of time,” he says and grabs my luggage.