Zac

I showed up to JFK International Airport around 8:15 pm. Cate's flight wasn't due to land until 9 pm, but I wanted to be early in case her plane arrived ahead of schedule. Under no circumstances was I going to let her wait for me.

Even now, I couldn't believe that the one and only Caterina Donati was flying her fine ass all the way from DC just to see my stupid ass in New York. I knew full well that I was one lucky son of a bitch, and I wasn't about to do anything to fuck up this opportunity to sweep Cate off her feet.

A fresh bouquet of pale pink roses sat in the passenger seat of my black Audi. I had initially wanted to get her red ones. Red felt right for Cate. Bold, intense, impossible to ignore. But I chickened out last minute because the florist told me that red roses symbolized romance and love. That shit seemed excessive, like, too much, too soon. I didn't want to scare the girl before we even had a chance to collect her bags at baggage claim.

There was no denying that I was feeling flustered as fuck about meeting Cate in person. Every nerve in my body was tightly strung between the need to impress her and the desire to just be cool so that I wouldn't freak her out. Maybe it was a little too late for me to act cool, though. At this point, I was pretty much the President and CEO of the Caterina Donati Fan Club. I had our whole week's itinerary planned out on a goddamn spreadsheet. I planned all of it knowing that Cate didn't really appreciate surprises. Babygirl tended to be a bit of a control freak. I hoped that my hard work wouldn't backfire on me. I prayed that she would find my efforts to be romantic and not annoying.

If everything went smoothly, we would spend the first few days hitting up touristy attractions like Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and the Met. Maybe try to squeeze in a show on Broadway. Enjoy a picnic at Central Park. Keep it casual. Low pressure. I figured that Cate might be into classy shit like that.

Then, I wanted to take her shopping on Fifth Avenue for a day. Most of the girls at my school loved to go shopping. I assumed Cate would be no different. To be honest, though, I hated it with a passion. From my personal experience, shopping with my mom—or any other female, for that matter—was not only boring but also awkward as fuck. Girls always took forever to pick out their shit and then pretended to care about my honest opinion when all they really wanted were compliments. There were only so many ways a guy could say yeah, that's fire and that's fucking cute, too before running out of synonyms and fucks to give.

But I decided to bite the bullet for Cate.

For once, I was excited about going shopping with a girl. I actually, kinda, sorta found myself looking forward to seeing Cate dress up and strut her stuff for me.

I wondered if she needed a new bathing suit or something?

A guy could only hope.

For the grand finale, I was going to finish off the week with Cate at The Grand Salon in the Baccarat Hotel. It was one of the most exclusive restaurants in Midtown. Luckily, Wes' uncle knew the manager of the restaurant and pulled some strings to get me a last-minute dinner reservation.

I had never gone all out like this for any girl, but I intended to treat Cate like the motherfucking queen she was with the hopes that, by the end of an unforgettable week together, she might want to be with me as badly as I wanted to be with her.

Now that I was no longer at the Iris-Cowan Center, I felt revved up to reclaim agency over my life. I longed to be in control again. I was sick of feeling like a passenger in my own damn mind.

To get back in the driver's seat, however, I needed the truth.

I needed to know what happened during my semester at Ashton Wellesley.

I needed to know what conspiracies had transpired between Lily's dad and mine back at Wyman & Rimmel.

I needed Cate.

I had no idea why we stopped dating. Maybe the surprise itinerary I had prepared this week for Cate would be in vain. Maybe she had no intention of ever being my girlfriend again. I prayed that wouldn't be the case, but I was prepared for anything. Even rejection.

One fact remained: Whether or not things worked out between us, Cate held many of the answers that I needed to piece my life back together. At the very least, she owed me an explanation about our semester together at Ashton Wellesley.

I parked my black Audi in the airport parking lot, grabbed the bouquet of roses, and headed inside to wait for Cate by the arrivals gate.

Thirty minutes later, my phone chimed. The text was from Cate: Just landed. ;)

I grinned as I wrote back: im already at the gate!! so fucking excited to see u, babygirl!!!!! <3

Crowds of arriving passengers started heading my way. My eyes scanned their faces eagerly. With bated breath, I waited for Cate to appear. A group of flight attendants walked past me. Then, little by little, the throngs of people cleared from the walkways.

Ten more minutes passed.

A family with a stroller and two kids ambled by.

Still no Cate.

I began to grow impatient. Anxious. I pulled out my phone to text her again: are u still on the plane?

I glanced back up. The fluorescently lit corridor was now empty. Seconds ticked by. I checked my phone once more. No response from Cate. I gripped the bouquet tightly in my hand. It was ten after nine. She should have deplaned by now.

Did she change her mind about meeting me?

Fuck.

Right as I was about to start panicking, I noticed a lone figure from the corner of my eye. When she came closer, we locked gazes and something moved inside me. Or maybe the world shifted on its axis. Either way, her smile lit up the whole fucking airport. Her eyes brimmed with an emotion that made me want to cry.

My heart started thumping around like a crazy little fucker.

She was here.

She was finally here.

In New York.

With me.

Damn.

The world's most beautiful dark-haired, hazel-eyed girl had come, at last, to flip my world inside out.

Her voice was soft and sweet when she greeted me, "Hi, Zac."

There was nothing I could do but smile back, big and wide like a hopelessly smitten fool, because I simply couldn't contain my happiness. "Hey... babygirl."