He reached out, his hand hovering over hers. She closed the gap, locking her fingers with his. It wasn't a movie ending; it was a complicated, messy, long-distance beginning. But as Elena leaned her head against his shoulder, Julian decided that some stories were worth the difficult chapters.

"Chicago. For the fellowship." She finally looked up, her eyes searching his. "I realized I couldn't leave without knowing if this—whatever this quiet thing we have is—was just in my head."

Elena let out a breath she seemed to have been holding for three months. "Chicago is a long way away."