Soon enough it started growing dark outside. We'd discussed where to go for our last night, but settled on getting a pizza and hanging at home. Iryna told me it was far more special than I realized. "Do you know how hard it is to get good pizza anywhere but America? You will."
We ate, watched a movie, and held each other. After a while and without a word she scooped me into her arms and carried me back to our room, where we made love late into the night. I savored every taste, sound, and touch of her, etching them into my memory for the long, lonely nights to come. Two months ago she was just a figure on TV. Now my life was incomprehensible without her.
I remembered something Mitch had said in college when I'd griped to her that I'd never fall in love. "You will, but don't rush into it."
