Leo ran ahead chasing pigeons.
Ethan and Maya walked several feet apart.
Then two.
Then one.
Their hands brushed.
Neither moved away.
Ethan looked at her.
“There’s something I never told you.”
“That sentence has historically been disastrous.”
He smiled.
“Fair.”
“What?”
“The night my disappearance was staged, I was supposed to leave without contacting anyone.”
“You did.”
“No.”
Maya frowned.
“I called you.”
“I never received a call.”
“You didn’t answer.”
“When?”
“2:13 a.m.”
Maya stopped walking.
She remembered that night.
She had been flying training exercises.
Her phone had been inside her locker.
“When I got back, there was no message.”
“I didn’t leave one.”
“Why?”
“I heard your voicemail greeting.”
Maya waited.
Ethan looked toward Leo.
“You sounded happy.”
“That was your reason?”
“I suddenly knew if I heard your voice for another second, I wouldn’t leave.”
Maya looked away.
“You should have stayed.”
