Always Is Not Forever (Breaking Myself - Part II)

49. The One Where I Say GoodBye

Clicking my pen shut, I closed my book, settled my specs in place and levitated my gaze as the author stepped down the stage to work with her pages. Standing up, I grabbed my bag from the table and flushed my things inside it before checking my phone.

Kabir.

Biting my lower lip, I cut his call. I would call him in the night. From two days we were in New York, from two days we were having this grave tension when I realized how two weeks from now we were going to be alone, a tension from Sanchi's words was another topic for me.

At least try.

"Hey." Skidding my head, it halted on a blonde hair girl. "Is it your?" Frowning, I stared at her hand, and instantly, my hand flew to my neck and found it empty.

My pendant. The lock was getting loose. I should've gotten it fixed.

"Thank you." I took it from her palm and offered a smile. If it would have been lost, I had no idea what would have happened. For three years, it was hanging on my neck. It had started feeling like a part of me, and stupidly, I couldn't see it when it had fallen.

"I got the lock fixed," She replied, beaming. I rubbed my thumb and index finger at the lock. "It's beautiful."

"It is," I whispered, unlocked it and locked it around my neck. "I'm Alina."

She shook my head with a smile. "I'm Meredith, but you can me Mer."

"Mer," I tried her name on my tongue. "Nice name."

She cocked her head to the side, assessing me in her scrutiny. "You look Indian. How come you have a Greek name?" Before I could ask how she knew, she added, "I'm a Greek Major. Creative Writing is just my hobby."

"Parent's choice. They love it."

"Anyone would." She slung her handbag to the side. "The workshop is over." She glanced at the girl, collecting her belongings. "Want to have a coffee? I know the best place in Manhattan. It's around the corner. I can use something cold in this weather."

"It's too hot here," I commented, following her out of the building, leaving the premises at the back.

It was too much hot that even my denim shorts didn't prove to be much help. Kabir wasn't joking when he said about New York heat or the nightlife. From past three days, I had been going late to the penthouse, wondering around the city with Kabir at nights, glancing and enjoying the places after such a long time.

That's why he loved traveling and vacations. How come I never had those much before? It was soothing to imagine you don't have anything to answer to, to look at. You were just away from the reality, in a different world, in a different country.

Grabbing my hair from the back, I twisted them in the bun and dipped my hands in my beige color blazer.

"Not a fan of New York yet?" She asked, slipping her shades and smirked.

"Trying to be. A week is a less time to be a fan."

"You never know. This city can make anyone love it. The speed, the fun, especially nights." She turned. "Want to have drinks tonight? I'm free."

"I don't drink," I replied, shifting on my toes. "But I can still come."

She sighed, laughing under her breath. "What's an author if they can't drink to forget themselves?"

We both stopped at the red light along with other people as their footsteps came to halt. The humid air hit the back of my hair and I sighed in relief. As the cars whooshed past us, it became difficult to comprehend what she was speaking. When the light turned green, we crossed the crossing and reached the other hand where she pointed at the coffee shop.