Go after her!

Tension built in the air as we finished our dinner. The beautiful woman sat across from me, deep in silent thought. What would she decide? By the time we finished eating, I knew what I had to say.

"Talia, you love Rachel. You said, just now, that you love me, but you and I both know that your love for her is something special. The way you look at her, the way that you are together... you're just... perfect."

Her lovely mouth stretched into a scowl. "Didn't seem to mean much to her. Why didn't she tell me about Oxford?"

"I bet... well, Rachel wanted to go after dream. She was afraid that if she didn't go for it, she'd never go."

"She had to escape me, basically."

"If she'd told you, what would you have told her?"

"Huh? I... jeez. I would have told her to go! That's what's so upsetting. She didn't trust me to let her follow her dream."

"So, wait. You want her to go?"

"Of course I do! Theater is her passion, and I know that the program at Oxford is good." Something in her clicked. "Holy shit. I want her to go. But I'm still upset that she didn't tell me."

"Is that worth losing her?"

The words flowed freely from me, almost unbidden. My whole focus was on convincing Talia not to give up Rachel. My last sentence struck home. Talia stood suddenly, and began pacing the room, agitated.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. What am I doing? Rachel's one of the most important people in the world to me." She gave me a glance. I made sure that my face looked as neutral as possible. Whatever happened next, it needed to be her decision. "Do you think...do you think that I'd be crazy to go after her? To give up everything and go after her?"

"Think of it this way. It's five years later. You wake up alone."

"That would never happen." Talia flashed me a smile, and I had to will myself to continue.

"You wake up alone. You didn't go to England with Rachel. How do you feel?"

Silence filled the room. Talia stood, arms crossed deep in thought, then raised her head slowly. "I need to go after her. I've been so childish. I've lived my life making my own path. Rachel's the same way. But love involves some compromises. That's what growing up is about, I guess."

She bent over, put her hands on my shoulders, and gave me a lingering kiss. "Thank you, Ian. You're the best man I've ever met."

After that, she left. It was late, but she needed to find Rachel as soon as possible.

I woke up alone. An update was waiting for me on AOL Instant Messenger (our generation's texting). Talia explained that she and Rachel had made up, that they were going to Oxford together. "I'll figure out something to do when we get there. Keep me up on your address and you'll get postcards." After a gap she added, "sorry."

I turned off the monitor and sat back in the empty room. Talia was gone, and I didn't know when I'd see her again. The loneliness closed in around me, tighter than I knew it could.

I reached for the phone and dialed the first person I thought of.