Not for long. That was his biggest promise. It wouldn’t be much longer. Things had to be this way right now. Because of her parents. Because of her scholarship. Because of responsibilities they each had. It wasn’t their time yet, but their time would come.
She just had to be patient. She just had to trust that it would happen.
But that also meant having to remember so many things. Having to keep so many secrets.
She waited until they were out of sight before she continued along the sidewalk to the door that led into the study rooms. She was glad this wasn’t one of the times that a study group would be waiting for her to join them. She didn’t want to look at anybody right now. She didn’t want to deal with any questions or those looks people gave her, when she knew they were trying to figure out what she was thinking.
Not that they would ever be able to.
It wasn’t unusual for Julia to lose track of time when she was studying, and by the time she heard the handle of the study room door turning, it was already late. She figured it was one of the library staff coming to tell her she needed to leave because the library would be closing soon.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I had been here for so long. Just let me grab everything and I’ll be out of here,” she said.
“You can’t do things like you pulled today, Julia.”
She spun around to the voice and saw Les just inside the door.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“You came stomping up to me out in the middle of campus in front of everybody, and you’re asking me what I’m doing?” he asked.
“Where were you?” she snapped. “You were supposed to give me a ride.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked. “What ride?”
“I told you I was lending my car to Lynn and would have to take the bus. Then I told you I was catching it right after I had to do my shift at that opportunity fair for my class project. And you said you’d be there,” she said.
He rolled his eyes. “I meant at the fair. I was going to be at the opportunity fair. How could you possibly turn that into me offering you a ride?”
“I honestly couldn’t imagine that you would hear I would be taking the bus and standing out at the stop in this cold, and not offer me a ride. Things are hard enough as it is, I didn’t think you would want to make it harder for me.”
“I’m not making anything harder for you,” he said. “Don’t put this on me. Your choosing to uber-schedule your life, or where you go during the day, has nothing to do with me. And you can’t come up to me like that. That guy’s doing interviews all over campus for the next couple of days. He’s recording everybody,” Les protested.
“And we have to make sure you protect your reputation,” Julia sneered. “You wouldn’t want anybody seeing you speak to somebody like me.”
“Do you want people seeing you speak to me? You want somebody to snap a picture and send it to your parents? Maybe I can give them a little bit of insight into what actually happens during your study-abroad program,” he said. “Look, I’ve tried everything I can to help you. I don’t know what it is you want from me. But this is getting really out of control. I tried to tell you that, but you’re not listening.”
“I’m listening,” Julia said. “But right now, I’m the one who’s busy.”
She started to go back to studying but could see the security guard approaching the glass doors of the study rooms. She gathered all of her materials and stuffed them into her bag. Walking past Les, she smiled at the security guard.
“I’m leaving,” she said. “Sorry for being here so late.”
“No problem,” he said. “Looks as if you’re working really hard. Getting some extra help?”
She looked over at Les. “I need all the help I can get.”
The security guard laughed and nodded. “I’m sure you’ll do fine. Have a good night.”
She smiled at him. “You, too.”
Without another glance behind her, she walked out of the library and into the sharp chill. She wished she had the scarf, but she had forgotten it at her apartment. She needed to remember to return it before anybody recognized it and created an awkward situation.
Chapter Twenty-Eight Now
Just as Xavier had envisioned, soon after finishing Thanksgiving dinner, we all went into the living room and ate thick slices of pumpkin pie while we decorated the tree. That was several hours ago, and now I’ve transitioned away from the pumpkin and to the full-on Christmas hot cocoa with peppermint.
Stirring it slowly, I stare at the tree in front of me. All around me, the living room is dark, accentuating the glow of the lights even more. It’s the first time since I was a teenager that I’ve had a real Christmas tree, and this one is spectacular. Even when I was younger, we never went out to a tree farm to get our trees. We picked them up from outside grocery stores if we weren’t in Sherwood, or from one of the cute little lots in town when we were.
Going to the farm was something I’ll never forget. Having most of my favorite people around me, watching Xavier revel in the beauty of a season that’s been stolen from him year after year, seeing Bellamy rest her hand to her belly and thinking about next year, when we’d have a new baby to bring with us to find our next tree. It was incredible.
We chose the biggest tree I thought could reasonably fit into my living room, but now
