I tried not to laugh again, but I couldn’t help it. I held her close and changed the subject, listening to her talk to me for the rest of the night, enjoying every second of her company.

I told her I loved her, repeatedly, as her hand clasped mine atop the blanket and our time slowly ran out.

Before she fell asleep, she hugged me hard and kissed my cheek, pleading with me to meet with my father and brother.

I stayed by her side until she opened her eyes again, to see if she would make it for the second day in a row.

She didn’t.

She had no idea who I was, but she said I looked a lot like her oldest son. She asked me to leave a picture of myself at the front desk so she could show him, and then she told me to get the hell out of her room so she could get some more sleep.

GILLIAN

~BLOG POST~

Present Day

This will be the last post I ever write here...I’m not sure if any of my readers ever stumbled upon this site since I’ve refused to check analytics or comments in months, but if you somehow stopped by, thank you. Thank you very much for allowing my words into your life, for reading my book, and for reading through all the blog posts that remained after publication.

Since this post will remain here, I figure it should say something poignant, or something true and heartfelt as well.

Dear You Know Who You Are,

I love you. I truly love you and have never felt for anyone else what I felt (and still feel) for you. I’m well aware that you’ll probably never speak to me again, but I want you to know that you are undoubtedly the love of my life and no other man will ever come close.

Love,

Your anomaly.

Gillian

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GATE C49

JAKE

New York (JFK)

I was in the middle of reading Gate C49 when a loud knock came to my door Saturday morning.

At first, I did what I normally did when I had an unexpected visitor—shrugged and ignored it.

Unfortunately, the knocks became louder and louder, and after half an hour of this asshole not getting the point, I dragged myself out of my library. I didn’t bother looking through the peephole. I had a long list of words I was going to fire off when we came face to face.

I twisted the doorknob and flung the door open, finding myself face to face with Evan. “What the fuck do you want?” I asked. “And how the hell do you people keep getting past Jeff?”

“You. Me. The Red Bar. Now.” A look of defeat was in his eyes. “We only need five minutes.”

“We?”

“Me and Dad.”

I started to slam the door, but he wedged his foot between the wood. “Five minutes and we’ll never bother you again.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “That’s a promise.”

“I’m not sure you know the definition of that word, so I’ll pass.” I suddenly remembered what my mother said and held back a sigh. “Move your foot away from my door. I’ll be out in ten.”

He stepped back and I managed to close the door without slamming it. I dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, grabbing my wallet off the dresser. I placed Turbulence into my jacket.

I’d read the remaining few chapters during my flight tonight.

I opened the door and found Evan leaning against the wall. “Where am I meeting you?”

“The Red Bar. I can drive if you like.”

“I don’t think so.” I hit the elevator button and the doors glided open.

“Then I’m going to ride with you there,” he said, stepping inside.

“The Red Bar is a fifteen-minute drive, Evan. You promised that I never have to hear from you after I gave you five.”

“Consider the drive a part of the fine print.”

“I’d rather not.”

“If I’m not going to be able to talk to my own flesh and blood after today, you could at least let me get every second possible.”

“Please refrain from pulling the ‘family means everything’ bullshit.” I stepped off the elevator at the parking garage level. “We both know it doesn’t.”

“Jake—”

“Get in the car,” I said, unlocking the doors. “But I meant what I said about the five minutes. Don’t talk to me on the way over.”

“Deal.”

I kept my eyes straight ahead as I drove away, unable to keep the images of Gillian and me from playing in my mind. She was invading all of my dreams now, and every now and then, I’d find something of hers in my apartment—something tucked away in her former hiding places.

“There,” my brother said, pointing to a parking spot.

I pulled over and turned off the car, more than ready to get this meeting over and done. I walked inside and spotted my father sitting in a corner booth alone.

“You promised,” Evan said, noticing that I wasn’t moving. “Give him five minutes.”

“It’s a shared five minutes,” I said. “Won’t you be coming along for the reunion, too?”

“I’ve already spoken to him.” He sighed. “I’ll be at the bar. You can give me whatever seconds are left. If there are any.” He looked at me, a bit of hurt in his eyes. “I’d really like you to know that I’m sorry about Riley. I should’ve told you what she was doing behind your back instead of siding with Dad and erasing you from our lives. And I’m sorry for ruining what we had as brothers.”

I said nothing. I just pulled out my phone and checked the time. Then I headed to my father’s table and sat down.