PART 4–CHAPTER 164
JESS
I had Laura on speaker as I paced the kitchen, idly stirring the pasta simmering on the stove. She was rambling about life in Paris while I half–listened, staring out the window at the quiet street below.
“…and seriously, Jess, you should just move out here. Get away from all the crazy back home.” Laura’s voice buzzed in the background.
I snorted. “Right, because running away to France fixes everything?”
“It might. You’d get to eat all the croissants your heart desires.”
“Tempting,” I muttered, grabbing a fork to check if the pasta was done. “But actually, L.have some news.”
“Oh, please tell me it’s spicy. I need a distraction from these pretentious Parisians,” Laura teased, her voice dripping with
sarcasm.
I bit my lip, hesitating for a moment. “I met someone.”
There was a pause, then a gasp from Laura. “Shut up! Are you serious? Who is it?”
“Well, technically… I met him again. But for me, it’s kind of like the first time.”
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“Okay, now you have my full attention,” she said, the excitement in her voice evident. “Who’s the lucky guy?”
“His name’s Eric.”
“Eric?” Laura’s voice was thoughtful. “I don’t remember anyone named Eric. Not from school, at least. Where’s he from? Work?”
“No, he said we met in my first year of college,” I explained, fidgeting with my phone. “He helped me with economics, apparently. He was a senior, so I guess that’s why you don’t know him.”
“Well, I still don’t remember any Eric,” Laura said, sounding skeptical. “Do you have a picture? Let me put a face to this mystery man.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I’ll get one next time I see him.”
“Wait–why do you have to take one? Just find him on social media. Facebook, Insta–something.”
“That’s the thing,” I said, absentmindedly twirling the fork in the pasta. “He doesn’t have any. No social media. He doesn’t believe in it.”
“Seriously? Who doesn’t have social media in this day and age?” Laura asked, incredulous. “What, is he off the grid?”
“Kind of,” I admitted, leaning against the counter. “He lives out in a cabin, somewhere in one of the nature reserves. Only comes into the city a few days a week for work.”
“At school. First year. Like I said, had economics, and apparently, he helped me out with it at some point.” I sighed. “Honestly, it feels like another life, I don’t remember any of it.”
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