34856893457934

They went home that evening with a different feeling between them. All Julia had wanted to hear
was that he was done with his former life and ready to be with her, but he clearly had a different plan.
That night, as they lay in bed together, Julia tried one last time to change his mind.
“Would you ever consider getting married?” Julia asked.
Ross laughed. “We haven’t seen each other in a long time. It’s been over a year.”
“So what? We were dating for a long time before that.”
“No, I’m not ready,” he said. “I still have things I need to do.”
She knew exactly what those things were, and she knew she couldn’t stop him from doing them.
He would just keep eating, and eating, and eating.
Usually Ross would cuddle Julia. But tonight Ross turned around and stared pensively at the
wall, and this time Julia cuddled him, holding him tight while she silently cried.
In the morning they woke up, she packed her things for the airport, and he helped her with her
bags as they set off toward the train.
They stood there where they had greeted each other at the beginning of the weekend, and Ross
kissed her as the cold fog swept by.
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you too.”
“Will you come to Austin and stay with me?”
“Maybe next month,” he replied.
They kissed again, and then they turned and walked in opposite directions, Julia scurrying
toward the entrance to the train station. She started crying again as she looked back at Ross, who
stood there for a moment, watching her. Eventually he smiled, slipped his hands in his pockets to
shield them from the frigid air, then turned and began walking briskly up Diamond Street, back toward
the Silk Road.