“What are we doing?”
“I’m walking you to class. You’ve only got a few weeks left. I’ll wait for you in the hallway.”
“Do you really think that’s necessary?”
“I’m fast, but so are they. They are capable of a lot of damage in the few seconds it would take me to get to you from here. Without being able to sense when something’s wrong, I would feel better being closer than not.”
I thought a moment, and then nodded. Anything that was safer for Bean had to be the right answer.
The last few weeks of school came and went without incident. Jared stood in the hallway during my classes, and joined me, Beth and Chad for lunch. Without Ryan around, Josh found another table, and Kim was too angry with Jared to tolerate him.
The crisp air was just a memory by the time my junior year at Brown ended. The Main Green bustled with students who made their way to the Van Winkle Gates to see the graduating class make their last march through.
Before the last stragglers made their way through the gate, Beth, Chad, Jared and I walked to College Hill to beat the rush. Beth prattled on about her family begging her and Chad to visit over the summer. She barely noticed the congested traffic. She had become a true East Coast woman. Even her accent had diminished. She sounded more like Ryan than her family.
“So what’s for lunch?” I asked, tapping Beth’s arm.
Jared squeezed my hand. “I thought we would revisit the place of our first date.”
Beth slipped me a box, a bit larger than her hand, and without warning, I tossed it to Jared. I loved throwing things at him, because he
“What’s this?”
“Your birthday present.”
“It’s my birthday?”
“It’s the ninth, isn’t it?” I said with a mischievous grin. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Then I guess it is,” he said. He kissed my cheek, and then pulled on the ribbon. “A book?” He thumbed through the pages. “A blank book?”
“A journal. You were down to the pages of yours, and I thought it would be a good time to start a new one.”
Jared’s eyes turned soft, and he took me into his arms. “It is the perfect time.”
Chad rolled his eyes, and Beth sighed. “I remember that,” she said, her thoughts lost in the sweet, mysterious first days of my relationship with Jared.
“Come on, Ryel. You’re making me look bad.”
We walked across campus, taking in the atmosphere. Electricity seemed to be in the air, along with the smells of summer. The chatter was louder than was normal; the young faces of students more animated. They would all embark on vacations, travel home, or spend their summer break on the beach or by the pool. I would most likely fill my summer trying to land punches on brother-in-law, or watching Jared read over the Naissance de Demoniac. The beach sounded much better.
Jared stopped in his tracks.
“Oh, no,” Beth breathed, looking up at the building that was once Blaze.
I glanced at her, and then followed her gaze. “Shanghai? I thought you said you wanted to go to Blaze?”
Clearly disturbed, Jared let go of my hand. “Did you know about this?” Jared asked Chad.
“No,” Chad said, shaking his head. “But I’d never eaten at Blaze, either.”
I looked around, and realized we were standing in front of what used to be Blaze. The location of our first date was gone, replaced by sushi takeout. My jaw dropped.
“Seriously?” I said to no one in particular.
Beth’s mouth pulled to one side. “I was looking forward to their sweet potato fries.”
I felt my eyes bulge. “Jared!”
Chad huffed. “They still have one on the east side. On Hope Street, I think.”
“I can’t believe this. I just can’t believe they….” My voice trailed off, too upset to finish.
Beth rubbed my shoulder. “That has to be upsetting. I’m sorry, honey.”
Chad grabbed Beth’s hand and stomped up the stairs. “This is not a tragedy. It spoils the sentimentality, yes, but it’s still the same building. Make new memories. I’m hungry.”
Jared pulled me to his side. “It’s bothersome, but Chad’s right. We can’t do anything about it. If we are in the mood for sweet potato fries, we can go to the east side.”
I nodded. “They have them at Cuban Revolution downtown, too.” Jared nodded, and then led me up the stairs. I trudged behind him, unwilling to let go of my disappointment.
We stood in line with Beth and Chad. Jared reminded me that because I was pregnant, I should skip the sushi, so I grudgingly looked for something else. Double disappointment for the day. I silently hoped Bex wouldn’t be busy later. I had a sudden urge to take a swing at someone.
We went to Shanghai. It still overlooked Thayer Street just as I remembered, and it still had some leftover lighting from Blaze. Beth giggled at Chad’s overzealous appetite. Jared smiled at them, and reached under the table to touch my knee. Life seemed so ridiculously laid back that the only issue I had to complain about was the closing of our favorite restaurant. That thought caused the corners of my mouth to turn up, and I continued shoveling my chicken and shrimp Pad Thai. As much as I wanted to hate their food out of spite, it was good. So good, in fact, that my plate was empty before Chad’s.
Beth stared at me. “You should have mentioned earlier that you were hungry, Nigh. We wouldn’t have waited until you were starving.”
“I didn’t know I was starving,” I said, leaning back in my chair. I looked down, noticing that my stomach had already started to pooch out.
Beth rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. If you even think about saying you’re fat….” Her words fell away as she noticed my protruding belly as well. “Food baby?”
I looked to Jared, and nodded. “Real baby.”
“What?” Beth wailed.
“That was a productive honeymoon,” Chad said.
“When were you going to tell me? I’m your best friend, and I had to find out because you started showing? How long have you known?” Beth was obviously upset, but her high-pitched whines had garnered the attention of everyone in the restaurant.
Jared leaned in and kept his voice low. “Just a few weeks, Beth. You’re one of the first to know, I assure you.”
Beth frowned. “She’s already showing and you’ve only known for a few weeks? I don’t believe it. You’re only going to have a real, live baby. Why would I need to know something so trivial? It’s not like I need to prepare at work or anything.”
I smiled. Beth was grumbling to herself at that point. “I should have told you earlier, Beth. You’re right. I’m sorry.”
A grin exploded across her face, and she rested her chin on her fist. “You’re forgiven. When can we go shopping? Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?” I didn’t mirror her fervor, instead sensing the same overwhelming nausea I felt when Lillian bombarded me with wedding magazines two years earlier.
Jared took a breath. “We don’t know. It’s still new and overwhelming to Nina, so perhaps giving her a break from the reality of it would help the most for now.”
“Oh. Right. You’re right. We can talk about all that later,” she said, waving her hand dismissively.
We finished eating and left. A minute later, we waited at the light — the same light Jared had honked at me nearly scaring me to death right after we first met. Beth had resorted to not talking at all, instead of risking saying something she wasn’t supposed to. Chad tried distracting her with other questions, but she only offered nods or head shakes.
Just as the light turned green, an arm reached across me, grabbing Jared’s elbow.
“Long time no see,” Kim said.
Beth smiled, but Kim was obviously not in an amiable mood.
