Blue (The Spectrum Series: #3)

Chapter Forty-Six

I feel guilty when I tell Catherine I have to leave when she walks through the door with a pitcher of juice and a plate of cookies. She just talked about an emotional time of her life, and here I am leaving right after. To ease my self-shame, I add that Blue wants to talk. She lights up and assures me even more that it's fine. I graciously take a cookie for the road and promise to see her soon. At the door she pulls me into a tight hug I know she'd been wanted to give me the moment she saw me. I just shake my head and hug her back. I've missed this, missed her. She is still the loveliest woman I've known.

Outside, the weather decided to be harsher than this morning. I tug my pink beanie down a little as I briskly walk as fast as I can to the nearest subway, which is a lot farther than it should be; but I shouldn't be surprised, this is the fanciest part of the city I've ever been in. These people most likely have chauffer's take them everywhere they need to go, Fifth Avenue is relatively close by. Kind of annoyed I have to walk fifteen blocks to get to the subway, I rub my gloved hands together as if I'm trying to create a fire. At least the winter coat I bought in Georgia is more efficient than the one I have tucked away in my closet.

As I walk onto the train that'll take me the closest to Central Park, I get lost in my wary thoughts. After two weeks of radio-silence from Blue, he suddenly says he wants to meet up and talk to me. No part of that doesn't drown me in worry. What if he's only reaching out to me to break up with me? It doesn't sound likely since he genuinely does have feelings for me. He can't deny it. I've seen it in the way he looks at me, how he lets his guard down for my eyes alone. But what if this is something we just can't get past? What if Evie falling pregnant is the final straw and we're not meant to be together. The thought alone makes my heart ache and brings warm tears to my eyes. I quickly blink them away. But if this will be an obstacle, then we can figure how to deal with, how to adapt. I won't let him just give this up when we can work something out.

When the train stops, and I feel a little more confident, I jog up the lengthy stairs and head straight to the park. A thin layer of ice sits on top of the grass, causing it to crunch underneath my boots. Small kids run around on one of the playgrounds with their mothers and nannies watching over them, but I think their playtime will be cut short; the temperature is dropping by the second. At the mouth of the woods section where the bike trail continues, I crane my neck up to stare at the bony trees interlocking and adding a whimsical effect. I can only imagine how beautiful this place will look when it begins to snow. There've been numerous snow showers, but none were heavy enough to stick.

My pulse quickens with every step I take that brings me closer and closer to Blue. I try to calm myself before I have a heart attack or something. I inhale and exhale and watch my breath linger in the freezing air. When that doesn't hold my attention long enough, I crane my neck up to stare at the sky. I can already see satellites acting as artificial stars in the navy sky, and it's only a little after 6 p.m. I've heard it gets really dark in no time in New York during this time of year, but this is insane. I smile at the thin branches of the naked trees interlocking. If I squint hard enough, it almost looks like they're reaching out to the sky to grab onto the fake stars.

I'm so caught up in staring up that I run into a guy, who I immediately think is a creep. I let out a quick scream and jolt back, my heart beating uncontrollably. The man grabs onto my hands, and before I can knee him in the crotch to protect myself, I look up into a pair of brilliant brown eyes.

"Blue," I whisper, and he slowly nods.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"Y-yes," I lie.

He half-smiles and cautiously withdraws his hands from mine, but I wish he hadn't. I don't comment that, though. "What's so fascinating that you ran into me?"