11
Lily
Lily opened the doors of the European pastry shop and was welcomed with the scent of the familiar comfort foods.
“Lily!” Renee called from a little table against the window.
“Oh my God, you’re so tan!” Lily said as she squeezed her best friend tight.
Renee felt slimmer, tauter. She carried the glow of Italy with her, the hairs on her arm bleached blonde from the foreign sun.
“I can’t believe you’re back,” she said as she released Renee.
“Well, kind of,” Renee said with a small smile.
“What do you mean?”
“Two strudels,” the waitress said as she slipped the desserts onto their table.
“I mean…” Renee said as they sat down and whipped open the thick white linen napkins, “I’m going back.”
“But I thought it was just one term,” Lily said.
She slid the hot spiced dessert betwee
