After waking up that morning to a note from James saying he would be gone for a couple of hours, I decided to take the time to enjoy the moment to myself. There was no denying that the last couple of days had awakened something in me for James that I never thought I would ever have. I sat on the window ledge of the guest bedroom, gazing out on the beach. After an hour, I only saw two people, a couple, walking hand in hand right on the shore-line. I figured they would have been one of James’s older relatives, maybe another aunt and uncle.

Before I could stop myself, my mind started wandering and I imagined myself and James as that couple, walking hand in hand on the beach of this private island a couple of decades from now. That thought made my heart stop at the same time that it brought butterflies to my stomach. Jesus, he didn’t even know how I felt about him. It was in that moment, that I realized I couldn’t even keep that from him anymore. I had to tell him about all of these feelings before they made me explode.

Around nine in the morning, I got tired of sitting around. I figured a walk on the beach would be nice, and maybe some coffee while I was waiting for James. So, I got dressed, putting on an easy romper, and brushed my hair back into a ponytail. I was perched on the edge of my bed, just about to put on my sandals, when there was a knock on my door. I opened it and saw two guys standing on the other side of the threshold. Their all-white uniforms told me that they were either a part of the house crew or the boat crew. “Can I help you?”

One of them, a young blond boy with a tan that didn’t look real, folded his hands in front of him. It was then that I noticed how uncomfortable they both looked, their gaze cast down and their shoulders hunched.

“What’s going on?”

“We’ve been asked to escort you off the premises.”

My eyes narrowed. “What? This must be a mistake. I’m Nancy…? James’s fiancée…?”

They exchanged looks. “Yeah… we know. Mr. Paris has given us strict orders to get you off the island as soon as possible. You have to catch a flight to LA in two hours.”

I blinked, a chill shooting up my spine. I couldn’t fathom what had happened to make James arrange this. “Mr. Paris? James? … James Paris?”

They both shook their head. The other one, with brunette hair and a low buzz cut spoke. “No, Hector Paris.”

My eyes widened, my stomach rolling over. Suddenly, it was all so clear. I knew exactly what happened. Hector must have found out, but where was James? “W-Where’s James?” My voice sounded as thin as the breaths I struggled to get in my nose.

They just exchanged looks again. “We are not able to… he is in a meeting with his uncle.”

I sucked in a breath. Something was very wrong about this. I didn’t want to go, to leave him like this. But where was he? Why would he let this happen and not even be here to see me go? Why wasn’t he going with me? “No, you have to let me see James. I know he wouldn’t want…”

“He is aware of this, ma’am.”

I stepped back, my eyes watering, the room starting to spin. “So, what? He’s just gonna let me go?”

They just exchanged looks again. “Ma’am, it is really important that we get you on that plane. We have strict orders.”

By then, they had forced their way into my room. I swiped the angry tears off of my face and gathered my things as quickly as possible. My mind was a jumbled mess as I stuffed as much of my belongings as I could get a hold of in my bag. I couldn’t believe that this was happening. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. My head went blank the entire time I followed them down the hall and out to the beach. I couldn’t formulate any real thoughts as I watched them load my bags into the boat, as we raced across the small sliver of ocean that separated the private island from Puerto Vallarta. It wasn’t until I was in the back of the black Lincoln town car that the reality of what had happened came crashing down on me.

I collapsed into my hands, hot tears running down my face. The agreement had been broken. I probably wouldn’t get the studio that I had gone through all of this for. Again, my dream was being ripped away from me and I was helpless to stop it from happening. And what about James? My stomach churned with the thought that he didn’t take issue with me being escorted off the island like that. My hands shook with the fact that he didn’t even try to see me before I went. He couldn’t even tell me what was going on himself, or that it was going to be okay. He didn’t know how I felt about him, and he wouldn’t tell me how he did. Not before I had been whisked away, at least. Instead, he stayed on that island, with his uncle, with his family. I guess I didn’t mean that much to him. I was just a means to get his company.

Whatever there was between us, it couldn’t withstand this.

When I got to the terminal, I sat down, my legs resting on my carry-on. By then, I was practically jumping to get back to LA, to get back to my life. My dream had turned into a nightmare and I wanted to get out of it as soon as possible.

While in that waiting area, my mind wandered, all on its own, to the moment that I had given away my virginity. That sunny early afternoon brought a surprising smile to my lips. My heart ached for that moment. I couldn’t help but mourn the end of it all.

Out of instinct, I checked my phone again, but the lock-screen came up empty, not even a text from him. Why wouldn’t he at least say goodbye? Those same angry tears burned at my eyes again as I started fiddling with my phone, perusing through the different apps. One small, stupid part of me thought that if I just kept staring at my phone, he would magically decide to send me a text. At that point, I decided to open my email, out of habit, maybe just to browse the promo emails from Forever 21 and buy something for myself.

But when I clicked on my inbox, the first thing I noticed was a bold subject line from the New York Dance Company. My eyes went wide as I clicked on the email. I skimmed through the whole thing, my racing heart making it impossible to catch every word. But when I read it, I knew. I had gotten into the company. They’d seen the videos we’d been making and they wanted me to join them. I was going to New York to start as a choreographer.

I sat back, my head falling to the back of the chair. My mind was wrapping its head around this new reality, my new life. Finally, I had walked through the in-between to the other side. I had a job, a real job, doing the only thing I ever really wanted to do since I was a kid.

But my first thought after all of that was James. A small, instinctive, visceral part of me wanted to tell him what happened. The email said that the classes started in two weeks, which meant I needed to leave the next week. I wasn’t sure what I’d do for housing. All of that had to be figured out. But if I was leaving so soon, shouldn’t I tell him? Yet, my stomach churned at the thought of contacting him. After he had let me go the island without so much of a call, after failing to stand up for me, to stop me, I was firmly resolved in the belief that I owed him absolutely nothing.