I walked into the diner and paused when I looked around. “He’s a bit proud of you,” Rebecca said from my right. She stepped over to me and looked around the walls covered with various pictures of me.
I frowned. “That or obsessed,” I remarked. I caught sight of Gus coming out of the kitchen.
“Austin! It’s great to see you here. I’ve been following your career and all your hard work. Congratulations.” Gus walked out and shook my hand. I thanked him. “Come on in. Pick a table and we’ll cook anything you want. I know you’re probably used to that fancy city food now.”
I didn’t want to tell him that I was enjoying the food here more than ever before, slightly embarrassed that he was making such a fuss over me. There were a few other customers seated around the small room, looking at me and pointing. I shot Rebecca a helpless look. She shrugged.
We found a table in the corner, and I finally presented her with the flowers.
“You didn’t have to,” she said, blushing.
“All part of the apology,” I assured her.
She lifted the flowers to her nose to inhale them. “Tulips always look so perfect when they bloom,” Rebecca murmured.
Someone approached the table.
“Hi, Austin. Rebecca. What would you like?” The sweet girl was flustered. I smiled gently, hoping she’d relax.
“I’ll have the grilled cheese and vegetable soup, Nadine,” Rebecca said. “Thank you.”
I asked for the bacon cheeseburger and fries. We both asked for hot chocolate to drink, and I smiled at Rebecca.
Gus brought the food out himself, and he stuck around to chat. It was good to talk to him, but Rebecca and I didn’t get much time to talk. As we ate, what seemed like the whole town came through the doors. News traveled fast there, even in the winter.
I had to admit it was flattering that they all wanted to talk to me. A lot of people thought I wasn’t going to make good on my goals, and I proved them wrong. They were all here to say it to my face now, and I basked in it for a moment. I knew these people and liked them all. I knew that they liked me underneath all the high school attitude.
Once the meals were finished, Gus tried to insist that he wasn’t taking a penny of my money. It was an honor to have me here, and he clapped me on the back as I looked down at the table. “Gus, you don’t have to do that.”
“It’s a sight to see the two of you sitting in here again. You used to bring Rebecca here all the time.” He smiled at her and leaned back to take this all in. I was certain this was the most excitement North Reed had seen in quite some time.
“That I did,” I murmured, locking my gaze with Rebecca’s.
I managed to convince Gus to let me do something for him. After a bit of discussion, I signed some of the covers he had on the walls. He asked if he could take a new photo for the wall, and of course, I agreed. We took several together, all over the diner, before some of the other customers asked for the same. I complied since so many of the celebrities in New York were jerks to their fans, but I kept looking at Rebecca the entire time.
She smiled as she watched. When the
crowd was satisfied, I managed to sit across from her. She looked at her phone. “I have to walk back, Austin. This was nice though.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologized.
She laughed softly. “You’ve been saying that a lot today. But it’s fine. They all loved seeing you. I can’t complain about that, Austin.”
I leaned closer to her, and her cheeks flushed pink. “Let me walk you back, at least,” I offered.
She nodded. I left a large bill on the table for a tip and led her to the door, still clutching her flowers.
Once we were outside in the frigid air, I shivered and looked at her. “I never hated this town, Rebecca. I just had dreams that were too big for it. I wanted to work on Wall Street and learn as much as I could about investments.”
She nodded. “I know that. You dreamed about it for a long time.” Her voice was soft. “You got your dream.”
“I loved you as well, Rebecca.” I watched as she glanced at me. “That’s why I asked you to come with me. I wanted you to be part of my dream.”
“Maybe we should have just said it back then,” she said. “But it felt too fast, too soon. For me, at least. We were so young, and I knew how it was going to end.” Her eyes were clear as she met mine. “I suppose I didn’t see the point.”
“I hated leaving you,” I said. “I thought about you all the time. They’re all so proud of me here, and all I ever wanted was for you to be a part of it. I wanted you by my side.”
“Bad timing.” She started to walk again.