Chapter 11 – Curveballs and Crossroads
Maya didn't expect the email.
It arrived on a cloudy Tuesday morning, tucked between a student discount code and a reminder to refill her meal card.
Subject: Summer Abroad Fellowship – Shortlisted Candidate Notification
She read it once. Then again.
You have been shortlisted for the Creative Communications Summer Abroad Program in Florence, Italy…
Italy.
Her hands shook.
She'd applied on a whim, after Zoey's dare and a night of bold, overconfident energy. She never expected to hear back—never thought she'd actually go.
But now it was real. And her heart thudded with equal parts joy and panic.
She told Zoey first.
"Girl, you HAVE to go."
"I haven't even gotten it yet."
"But you're shortlisted. That's huge."
Maya paced their dorm floor. "It's Italy. That's a whole ocean."
"And three months of learning, writing, wine, and ridiculously attractive accents."
Maya groaned. "What about Liam?"
Zoey tilted her head. "What about Liam?"
"I'd be gone all summer."
"Would he ask you to stay?"
"No. He wouldn't."
"Then don't ask yourself to shrink, either."
Maya didn't tell Liam right away.
She needed time to sort her own feelings first.
But distance has a way of pulling truths to the surface, even when you're not ready.
Liam called during his break at work.
"I saw your tweet," he said. "Something about Tuscany and espresso and sunlit balconies?"
Maya winced. "I was going to tell you. I swear."
"So it's true?"
"I'm just shortlisted. It's not official."
"But if you got it… would you go?"
She hesitated.
"I don't know," she lied.
Liam was quiet. Then, softly, "I think you do."
Later that night, she sat by her window, staring out at the dark, wondering how a heart could ache from wanting two things at the same time.
She wanted Liam.
But she also wanted Florence. Adventure. Growth. Space to bloom.
She wondered if there was a version of her future where she didn't have to choose.
Liam spent his nights under the hood of a broken Chevy and his thoughts tangled in what-ifs.
He hated how scared he was.
Not just of losing Maya.
But of being left behind.
He wanted to be proud of her. And he was. God, he was.
But he also wanted to scream, What about us?
Why did becoming more always feel like drifting away?
A week later, Maya got the acceptance email.
She stared at it for a full ten minutes before whispering, "Holy crap."
And then she cried.
Because sometimes even good things come with heartbreak.
She met Liam halfway between their towns—a random diner off the interstate, neutral ground.
They didn't speak much at first. Just sat in the booth, hands around coffee mugs, the air between them too heavy for casual talk.
"I got in," she said finally.
"I figured," he said.
Silence.
"I'm proud of you."
"Thank you."
More silence.
"I want to go," she whispered. "But I don't want it to be the thing that breaks us."
Liam looked out the window. "I don't want to be the reason you stay."
"You're not."
"But I also don't want to be the guy who spends all summer wondering if you found someone new who writes poems under the Tuscan sun."
She gave a sad smile. "That's oddly specific."
"It's my Roman Holiday nightmare."
They both laughed, the tension easing slightly.
Then Maya reached across the table and took his hand.
"We have two months," she said. "Let's not waste them."
"You sure?"
She nodded. "Let's give us everything we've got. And then… we figure it out."
He squeezed her hand. "Okay. But if some guy named Luca starts mailing you sonnets, I'm flying out there."
"I wouldn't let Luca near me. He probably smokes."
Liam grinned.
And just like that, they made the choice.
To love in the now.
Even if tomorrow was still a question.