Time flew by quickly. I should've been exhausted—city legs and all—but somehow, I wasn't.
Maybe it was the fresh air, maybe it was the high of doing something that didn't require a deadline.
Dad leaned against a fence post, squinting at me like I'd grown a second head. "You sure you're not tired?"
"Nope," I said, lifting a bucket like it was nothing. "Still good."
"Hmm."
I suddenly remembered Clarissa, and a sigh escaped my lips. I wondered if Mario gave her that break after all.
I hadn't heard from either of them because there was barely any reception out here.
"Papa, how do you manage with reception here?"
Dad glanced up from where he was brushing the cow's hide. "A guy moved in a few years ago. Bought the land beside ours and built something small there."
I blinked. "Oh?"
"Yeah. When he moved in, he put in a wide-range WiFi network—thing reaches the barn on a good day. Thought it was some fancy tech nonsense, but turns out it works. You could probably get signal closer to the fence line."
"I hadn't noticed."
Dad shrugged. "His house is tucked out back. Doesn't make a lot of noise. Keeps to himself mostly. We've only talked a handful of times. Polite gentleman."
"Hmm." I squinted in the direction he was talking about. "So… a mystery neighbor."
I shaded my eyes with my hand and stared off toward the line of trees, trying to get a glimpse but it was too far out.
By the time we got back to the house, it was late afternoon. Our arms were full—onions, tomatoes, fresh eggs, even a handful of green beans that looked too pretty to eat.
Dad washed his hands and got to work in the kitchen like it was second nature. I, on the other hand, used the excuse of 'staying out of the chef's way' to slip out.
I hated cooking. I was good at it but I disliked it. Dad knew this.
My phone was still on the nightstand where I'd left it. I picked it up and flopped onto the bed, my legs curled under me. I unlocked the screen and turned on the WiFi, the bars flickered then steadied.
There it was. A full signal. My brows shot up in surprise.
I opened my settings and the network list loaded slowly. One by one, names appeared until my eyes landed on one that made my fingers freeze.
A~R
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
I shut my phone screen immediately and looked up. What was that?
I blinked several times, took a deep breath before turning it on again.
It hadn't changed.
A~R
I stared at my phone blankly as memories I thought I'd long forgotten came rushing back without permission.
My fingers hovered over the screen as I stared at it, letting my thoughts scatter.
It could be coincidence.
It could stand for anything, belong to anybody.
But what if it wasn't? What if he was the same person? Would that mean he was just a few yards away from me?
I didn't want to believe it.
I glanced back at my phone screen.
Just two letters were enough to throw me off balance. I didn't want to imagine what I'd do if it turned out to be him.
"Get a grip," I muttered to myself.
I couldn't even remember what he looked like, but everything else was as clear as day.
My fingers drifted down to my lower belly and traced the ink there.
The one thing I'd done because of a stranger whose name I never knew.
I hated how badly I wanted it to be him.
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