“Tess, this seems too much, even for you. Everything alright?” Something was definitely up. Perhaps Tess was struggling with something or someone in Europe and needed my support. Perhaps she needed my friendship and advice as much as I needed hers. In any case, I wish she would explain her problem so I could try and help her out. This didn’t feel like a present, rather an escape, but for who - me or Tess?
“Norah, you are my best friend. You really are. I, I, I...just miss you. I thought that maybe you’d want a break from everything. We could meet some new people, get away from New York. You know, we can do shots in an ice castle in Sweden. Sweden Norah, Sweden!”
That did sound more like the Tess I knew. Maybe she needed a familiar face to have some fun. Maybe she was lonely and needed a wingman. Wait, wingwoman.
“But what about Clint, and my Dad, and Josh?”
“Leave them. It would only be for a short while. I think you need this.”
Did I need this? Would running away overseas to take a breather and have some fun really be that bad? The problems would still be waiting for me when I got back.
I looked at the ticket again, and the wild girl within licked her lips, ready to say yes, but saner thoughts eventually overcame the temptation.
“Tess, it’s a truly generous gift, and I might come soon, but not tomorrow. I just can’t drop everything and leave, right before my birthday. I have too much happening at the moment to do that. OK?”
Tess looked at the floor like she expected it to go down this way. She tried not to show the deep breath she took as she brought her head back up to smile, sweetly and as an understanding friend would. “Well, just think about it. It’s an open ticket so you can use it whenever you want. You might change your mind.”
“I don’t think so, but thank you. Thank you for being here and being such a good friend.”
Tess pulled me in for a hug and I let her. “I love you Norah. I really do. You are my best friend.”
“Oh, ah...I love you too, Tess.”
Chapter 14
The Past - Two Months Earlier
~ ~ ~
This was exactly what I needed right now. The wind in my hair, the sense of freedom all around me. The sound of the engine mixed with my accelerated heart rate made for an addictive combination. The purr made me want to close my eyes, get lost in the speed, and go on this ride for as long as it could take me. Nothing could take my mind away from the euphoria of this feeling.
“Yeeeeeharrrrrr!” Tess yelled, screeching long and hard, stretching both her hands outside the Lamborghini as I drove at top speed towards the Weston mansion.
My shoulders hunched over as my clear mind was interrupted by Tess’s excitement. I laughed. That didn’t last long.
“Did you just say yeehar?” I giggled, as Tess kept her hands stretched out the window.
“I certainly did! Remind me later to thank Clint for giving us this fucking gorgeous car for the day, as well as access to his mansion. I can’t believe he just handed all this over to you, just like that.” Tess swiped away chunks of her red hair that blurred her vision as the wind swirled all around us.
“Well you are leaving for Europe tomorrow, and his whole family is away, and Clint is busy finalizing the details for our apartment in New York, so I thought we could have some fun. There is a lake behind his house. You gotta see his place Tess.”
Tess started flailing her arms again, enjoying the sensation of the speed as we continued to accelerate. “Sounds fantastic. I can’t wait!” she bellowed over the roar of the car.
We had been joy-riding for most of the morning, taking turns at driving and pushing the car to see how fast it could go. It was completely irresponsible of us, but then again, we were wild twenty-two year old girls - what would anyone expect.
“I want to have this car’s babies!” Tess screamed as I pulled a fast turn and brought us back around at top speed. If it wasn’t for Clint, I probably would have considered the Lamborghini Aventador as my next companion too. I giggled again as I pressed my foot hard on the accelerator. Tess only squealed more in excitement. She loved to