Page 121 of Only After We Met
“Yeah.” She smiled, excited, eyes shining. “I think I’m going to do it, Rhys. I think… I want to start a publisher. A small one. Independent. Just like in my graduation project, remember? I sent you endless boring emails about it…”
“They weren’t boring.”
“Whatever. The point is, I’ve looked at the numbers, and it’s doable. It’s risky, and I don’t know if the bank will lend me the money I need, but…”
“I’ve got money. Lots.”
“Are you kidding? I could never accept something like that.”
“Why not? I don’t want it.”
“I don’t understand…” She looked confused.
“It’s from my parents. They opened an account for me when I was little, and it’s stayed there, growing every month. I haven’t touched it for four years.”
“Since your argument with him.”
“Don’t get off the subject. I could give you whatever you need. Or lend it to you. At least it would go toward something worthwhile.”
“We’ll see. First, I want to try to get a loan. And then… I’ve been thinking over all the things I’d need to do: rent an office, find a distributor, look for a major project to launch with…”
“Would you need to hire staff?”
“One person, at least. It’s a lot of work. To keep from going broke, I might need to take on freelancers, for the typesetting, editing, maybe translating in the future. But I’ll start with books in English.”
We smiled.
“So you’re finally going to do it.”
“Am I…? Rhys…”
“Don’t hyperventilate, Ginger.”
“It’s just, at one moment I think it’s my life’s dream and it’s all wonderful, and the next moment I’m so scared I want to call Dad and ask if there’s still room for me at the company, even if it’s just sweeping up sawdust.”
I bent toward her and reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, looking at the rest of her face, the little wrinkles in the corners of her eyes, her button nose. I stroked her cheeks with my knuckles.
“I trust you. You’ll make it.”
Ginger smiled. All the worry disappeared at once as she got up from her chair and sat on my lap right there, not worrying about who might see us or the woman at the next table over pursing her lips in disapproval. I wrapped my arms around her neck and gave her a long, soft, deep kiss.
68
Ginger
It was all I could think or talk about: the future I imagined for myself when I returned to London, the excitement, the anticipation, all those ideas going through my mind, even if I forgot half of them right away. I was…euphoric. And Rhys would listen to me and smile, even if sometimes he seemed far away from me and even himself, as if he were fading out.
“Rhys, are you seeing the same thing as me?”
“A street full of people?”
“No! A photo booth!”
“No, Ginger Snap…”
“Come on. Please.”
I pulled him along, and he only resisted slightly before following me into the little square cell. I closed the blue curtain to be sure no one could see us and slipped my money in. I was sitting on him, one arm over his shoulders, our faces together, and I laughed when he put a hand under my dress. I kissed him, and the whole moment was immortalized: the magic of feeling his lips on mine.