9
Eli’s POV
*Months Later*
I hadn’t seen her in almost a year.
Not in person, anyway. There were the occasional emails and coded messages buried in sentences. “Congratulations on your internship. I always knew you were exceptional.” I read that one at least twenty times. Then deleted it. Then regretted it. Then remembered it by heart.
Now I stood outside the hotel room, palm flat against the dark wood of the door. I could hear my heart in my throat. I didn’t know what she’d look like. Or what I’d say. Or if she’d changed her mind.
But then I knocked softly once. Then knocked louder. I heard the turn of keys and the door opened a crack, then opened wider.
Celeste stood there barefooted, in a black robe that hit mid-thigh. Her hair was pinned up loosely, a few strands falling. She w
