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Mom’s giving me the evil eye, making me feel like a kid again, so I’ve got to go. Have a great day.

Tay

Tay,

As a person with tiny fists, I must tell you not to underestimate her. They can be deadly. I don’t mind about you using the board as wallpaper—in fact I just set the photo you sent of the Great Wall as mine.

The guys just left my house after our weekly pajama & breakfast tradition. I showed them your photos and all three of them were practically drooling. Zack asked me to compliment you on being such an excellent photographer, so kudos! I’m sure you’ll fit right into our group. The guys already like you, which doesn’t happen with a lot of people.

My schedule for the day consists of running, reading and swimming. It’s definitely not as good as yours, but it’s good enough.

Have fun today!

Ems

Ems,

Let me see if I got this straight. Every Saturday your friends go to your apartment for breakfast still in their pajamas? They just drive there in PJs? Isn’t that a little weird?

The temple today was incredible, without a doubt some of the most beautiful pictures I’ve taken in my life. I’m sending two attached, hope you and the guys like them. By the way, thank Zack for the kudos.

I’m heading to bed now. I’m beyond exhausted and tomorrow we’re leaving bright and early for Tibet. I don’t know how the Internet service will be there, but I’ll write you as soon as I can. And before I forget, Penelope found out. You were absolutely right—small fists can’t be ignored!

Hope you have a great beginning of the week.

Tay

Newbie,

Do not mock the tradition!! And you got it perfectly right. Every Saturday morning for the past year, my friends have come over for breakfast still wearing PJs. And yes, Jody and Brad drive over in sleepwear, which is not weird at all. At least, not for us. Since Zack is my next-door neighbor, he only has to cross the hall in his silk pajamas, which he does daily. And before you say anything . . . yes, his silk pajamas are weird.

Once again I loved the new photos. You really are extremely gifted. I was thinking, when you come back, you could come over one night for pizza with me and the gang and show us the photos. What do you think?

By the way, when are you coming back?

Have fun in Tibet, and, needless to say, I’m green all over again.

Ems

Ems,

Tibet is absolutely breathtaking. Of all the places I’ve been in my life, there’s not one that compares to the beauty and peace I saw there. I can understand perfectly why Tibet is holy ground.

I’m sending you some of the photographs I took these past three days. In my opinion, they were the best shots I’ve taken this entire trip, but still they don’t begin to do justice to the scenery or the history of the place. I’m not a Buddhist, but there’s no way you can walk the streets of Lhasa and not feel that what happened there was a heinous crime.

Changing subjects, I wasn’t mocking the tradition. I’m sorry if it felt like that. If anything, I was hoping for an invite.

Pizza night sounds great. I’ll just need a few days to sort the best shots to show you, since I’ve taken over 2000 and I still have a few days here.

I’ll be back in the US Sunday night, but I have piles and piles of work waiting for me in NYC, so I don’t know when I’ll be able to go to New Haven.

Tay, AKA Newbie

P.S. As much as I loved Tibet, I hated not hearing from you the past three days.

Tay,

Oh wow! 2000 photos in a week and a half? That’s impressive.

I’m also not a Buddhist, but I have great respect for the Dalai Lama and his efforts to free Tibet. I’ve read and watched Seven Years in Tibet countless times and it still brings tears to my eyes. A visit there is definitely on my bucket list.

The photo you sent of Lake Namtso has now replaced the Great Wall on both my phone and laptop. It’s easily the most beautiful photo I’ve seen in my life.

About your invite, I’ll think about it . . . it will all depend on what kind of PJs you wear. My eyes can only take one silk or satin clad man. ;)

I’m assuming you leave China on Saturday, so what’s on the itinerary for the next two and a half days? And what’s in the piles and piles of work back in NYC?

Ems

P.S. I’m also happy to hear from you after three days. :)

Ems,

My piles of work consist mostly of last details concerning a photography exhibition. I need to finish appraising some of the pieces, making sure that all of the prints are in the gallery in all the right frames and sizes. And finish working on the layout.

What about you? Other than the fact that you have the job Poppy dreams of having, I have no idea what you do.

The itinerary for the last two days of our trip is Hong Kong. Today, we visited the city, which is kind of weird after having spent the past several days in small rural villages. Tomorrow, as per Poppy’s request, we’re going to Hong Kong’s Disneyland.

What about you? What you’ve been up to these last few days? And, concerning my invitation to PJ&B, do not worry, I’m a cotton- or flannel-clad man.

Tay

Tay,

Happy to inform that cotton and flannel is completely acceptable for PJ&B, therefore next time you’re around, you’re certainly welcome to join in the fun.

About my job: I’m a freelance editor and a professional book reviewer, meaning that I make a living out of reading books and writing about them, which is also my hobby. Therefore . . . I HAVE THE BEST JOB EVER!!

Penelope never told me she dreams of working with reviews, that’s great! She’s a very smart girl, who always sees what most people fail to. I’ve never read any of her writing, but if it’s anything like her oratory abilities, she’ll be very successful. Tell her that if she wants, we can sit down and I can help her get started.

My days have been pretty ordinary. Breakfast with Zack, running, reading, writing, tanning . . . yesterday I had the book club meeting, which got me out of my shorts, bikini and tank tops ensemble for the first time since Friday night. Oh the shame! :)

Since I’m tired of telling you how incredibly jealous I’ve been, I’m giving you the reaction I’d be having if I was there on Disney day: SQUEEEEEEE!!!! This is one thing you must know about me . . . I love Mickey and everything that’s related to Disney.

I hope you have a Magical Disney day, you lucky, lucky man.

Ems

Ems,

I wish I could see you squeeeeeeing. That must be quite a sight.

Disney day beat me to the bone. I haven’t been to a park in a few years and almost forgot how tiresome it can be, but my dear sister made sure I have some great Disney memories. I’m sending some pictures, including one that I took especially for you.

Talking about my sister, I’ve told her that you offered to help her get started on reviewing, which made her squeak in my ear. Now she’s a pain in the ass, and can’t wait to get back home and start working on her writing.

Tomorrow the schedule is a shopping spree before heading over to the airport. Since it’s not really my thing, I’ll try to get some work done.

Since it’s my last night here, I want to tell you how much I enjoyed sharing this trip with you. I’m so glad we met before I came.

I’ll try writing from the airport tomorrow.

Tay

Tay,

Since your trip is pretty much over and I think you won’t be sending any more photos, I can honestly say that the one of you with Mickey and Minnie was definitely my favorite. Thank you for taking it especially for me.

I got the sweetest thank you email from Penelope today. She told me that she’s staying in NYC with you and your folks until Wednesday. Because of the club and some other personal things, my Thursday is pretty packed, so we arranged to meet and talk on Friday. I’m beyond excited about it.

I enjoyed sharing your trip with you more than you know. Getting to know you a little better also didn’t suck. :)

Hope to see you soon and if we don’t talk before you board tomorrow, have a safe flight.

Ems

Ems,

The girls went wild on their shopping spree and we’re extremely late. I’m typing this to you from my phone in line to pass through security.

The picture attached is something my family has done ever since I was a kid, hope you enjoy it.

Tay

P.S. Getting to know you didn’t suck either. See you soon.

Tay,

The sad face picture was hilarious. You have a great looking family. It’s incredible how much you all look alike.

Have a safe flight and let me know when you’re safely on American soil.

Ems

Ems,

Did you just indirectly call me great looking? If you did, thanks. So are you, by the way. Now I’ve got to turn the cell off because I’m getting the stink eye from a male flight attendant. See you back home.

Tay

While Taylor made his long journey back home, Emily had the most pleasurable weekend with her friends—however, Taylor never left her mind. He had become a constant in her thoughts in much the same way that her two best friends, the Webbers and her sister and brother-in-law were. Despite only having seen each other three times, there was no denying that he had made his way into her very small group of friends. And she was very happy with that.

In the midst of her happiness, though, remained the part of Emily that had been broken by so much pain and suffering, which left her uneasy. She couldn’t pinpoint where exactly the feeling was coming from, but she knew it had a lot to do with how her emotions behaved around Taylor: the calmness and safety she felt around him, the comfortableness in joking and teasing, the excitement when she saw his email in her inbox—all of that was so unlike her that, whenever she was around him or heard from him, it was hard to recognize the controlled person she’d made herself become.

On Sunday afternoon, during a phone call with Charlotte, Emily shared those thoughts with her sister, who knew that conversation was bound to happen from the first time Emily had mentioned Taylor’s name. For that reason, she already had her answer ready.

“Emmy, these are all good things. Being in control all the time isn’t good. Makes you kind of crazy,” she stated with her characteristic mixture of playfulness and seriousness. “You should relax and enjoy being young, hanging out with your friends, laughing . . . isn’t that why you crossed the country? To be free from those demons?”

“Yeah, but losing control worked wonderfully for me the last time,” Emily said.

“Of course it did, smartpants. Aren’t you happy having Zack and Jody in your life?” Charlotte received a mumbled “yes” for an answer before continuing. “You’ve both established that neither of you date, so stop with the ridiculous fears. If you like being his friend, than be his friend. Stop fighting happiness Emmy, your life has been tough enough. Now’s the time to enjoy the good shit that comes along.”