Pictures And Some Memories

Twelve: If You Gotta Go...

"You didn't even bother to discuss this with me before you said yes?!" Larkin roared as he paced the spacious living room of his penthouse. "Are you fucking kidding me? What kind of a rep am I if my client won't even tell me what she wants?"

"Larkin,  I am not just your client, you know," I growled bitterly. 

"Oh, you are? Because I thought that if we were in a relationship, we discussed things with each other before we just jumped into things... Things that will change our relationship."

"Change our relationship how?" I asked. "I'll be away in California once the band starts recording anyways... I'm a tech and assistant, remember? It'll be no different than that. Plus, I don't really think I want to stay in the city anymore anyways."

"Since when?" he asks, and I can tell part of him is truly curious about the new development, not angry.

"Since we went to Jimmy and Cara's wedding," I replied. "Serena showed me one of the beach houses my dad is renovating to sell/rent out, and I guess it got my wheels turning, because all I can think about is home."

"Andi, it's normal to miss the place that helped shape you into who you are," he sighs, finally joining me on the sofa. "I miss Montauk a ton, but would I ever move back? Probably not, simply because I deal with my parents enough as it is. But that's where we spent the first half of my teenage years and it really is one of my fondest destinations to travel to. It's normal to miss it, trust me."

I sighed. "But you don't get it, Larkin. I want to be there almost as much as I originally wanted to move to New York and attend NYU. And trust me, I will always love this place, but I always planned on moving back home after I finished school. I've been done for two years now, and I don't see what's stopping me from going back now."

He took both of my hands into his and squeezed them gently, assuring me that he had completely calmed down compared to how this conversation originally started. "Are you one hundred percent sure this is what you want?"

I nodded vigorously. "So much that I'm afraid to tell Carly. I made the band and crew all swear that they wouldn't tell her until I got the guts to do it myself."

"Well, then I can't stop you. I mean, I probably wouldn't have been able to regardless with how stubborn you are," he says with a throaty chuckle. "But you're going to be the one to tell Carly, because if we both do it, she's going to blame me."

"She will not," I lied, then grinned.

"See, even you know it! It's just going to be painful to not see you as often, but I should be used to that by now. Your wanderlust is insatiable."

"Ain't that the truth," I laughed. "This won't change anything, though, I promise. You can fly out and see me when you can, and I could do the same."

"Yeah," he replied,  but it didn't sound like he was too convinced. "Maybe you should go tell Carly about it so she doesn't feel blindsided by your new path whenever you find a place."

I opened my mouth to tell him that I had called my father almost immediately after I got the call from Ramone and told him that my dad already had a house lined up for me, ready to go whenever I decided I wanted to move back-- all we had to do was fill out the miscellaneous paperwork and I'd be good to go. However, I thought better of it and decided to save that for another day. 

"You're probably right," I sighed. "I'll see you when we sign the contract to the gallery back over, I guess."

"I love you, Andi," he murmured, kissing the top of my head before releasing me, closing the door behind me.