Ray stood to his feet, nearly losing his warm coke and actually losing the stack of magazines and books across his lap, forgotten in the hours of conversation. He knew what had just been said, the goodbyes and fare-thee-wells, but he didn’t care. It took only the back of her head sinking away into the crowd to throw him after her.

“Wait! Melinda wait!” He caught up to her still shouting.

She whirled around, losing a bit of that aloofness she had portrayed.

“…yes?”

“Tell me—“ a heavy breath to compose. “Tell me where you’re going.”

He saw her expression cracking with doubt. He continued anyway.

“I know what you said- I heard, I listened, but I don’t… care.” Her left eyebrow wiggled upward. “It’s not going to change anything if I know where you’re going. It’ll just help give me closure.”

“Maybe we don’t get that…” she said after a long pause. He reacted as if struck. The crowd continued to part around them like water on rock.

“It’s not that simple. Whatever you’re cooking up in your head after the evening we shared is going to be better than what I tell you.”

“Better than the truth?” He asked.

“All the better.” She touched, but did not take, his hand. “Goodbye Ray…”

And then she departed, carried away by the crowd.

His lips twisted into a bittersweet smile. Just then he heard the lordly loud speaker call out that the 9:10 to London was now boarding in Gate 3.

London. That sounded nice for her. He just the same went along with that idea.