“Yours is still blooming? Mine died, like, a month ago.”
Aunt Vera glanced at the plant over her shoulder. “I’ve never had one live this long. It must be happy right there.”
I swallowed. When I’d extended the longevity of the blooms, I hadn’t thought about when the blooming would end. Was this poinsettia going to bloom indefinitely? If so, I’d have to sneak it out of the house and find it a place at the academy.
“So, where are you two going for dinner?” I asked loudly, drawing their attention from the poinsettia.
“Delilah’s,” Bryce answered.
“Fancy.” I nodded approvingly, but my mind jumped to the last time I was there. It was the restaurant Callan had taken me to on Halloween, where we’d snuck in the kitchen and he’d whipped out a Michelin-star-worthy meal.
“One of you should order the Mediterranean veggie pasta. It’s delicious.”
My aunt, who had just finished arranging our flowers in the vases, raised her eyebrows at me. “When did you eat there?”
I blinked, realizing my mistake. “Oh, I went there last fall with some friends.”
“Look at you, growing up and stuff. Going to fancy restaurants without me.” She kissed my forehead and then walked past, grabbing her red leather jacket and slipping it over her black dress. She looked stunning, her dark hair curled and lips touched with a deep-red stain.
“Have fun. Feel free to stay out late,” I called after them as they left. It was our inside joke whenever they went on a real date.
“Just late enough that you’ll still be up to eat the dessert we bring back for you,” Aunt Vera said with a smile.
I watched them leave from the balcony, giving a little wave and then sighing quietly as I returned to the house. I wasthrilled that after years of raising me, my aunt had finally found love.
Her twin sister became a mom at the young age of twenty, and I always thought Aunt Vera swung the other way because of it. While my dad helped support us financially, he and my mom never married, and he lived in a different state, never taking to parenting.
In many ways, my aunt helped my mom raise me since birth before she took over in full six years ago. The deep lines of exhaustion and grief that had sunk into her beautiful face for years finally lightened, and since Bryce had been in the picture, she was glowing.
Maci came over shortly after they left to work on an essay for an English class we were both taking this semester. We hadn’t spent much time together outside of class since the day we’d gone snowboarding with Alex, Callan, and Nevah.
I tried to tell myself the distance was because we were both busy and not because I was getting so much more involved with my life at Evergreen Academy. But perhaps it was both. We’d known that our relationship would change as we started college and that we would be going our separate ways to our four-year schools.
When I’d talked to Aunt Vera about it, she’d said that being able to maintain friendships as they evolved in form and frequency was a sign of maturity, and I hoped that was true.
Still, the distance had me opening up to Maci more than I had in a while.
“How has everything been with you lately? I know we haven’t had much time to hang out outside of English class. Have I missed any major life changes?”
Maci sat up from where she’d been sprawled in front of her laptop on my bed. “Actually, there is.” Her brown eyes shone brightly. “You know how Alex came with us snowboarding in January? Well, we’ve hung out a couple times since. I’m starting to wonder if this is going somewhere.”
“So you and Jace are officially over?”
She nodded. “Yep.”
“Do you and Alex have similar interests?” For some reason, his comment about me majoring in art came into my head again. Maci was future focused, wanting to secure a career that would bring stability and financial security. From Alex’s comment, it sounded like he had similar ideals.
“I mean, yeah. He’s really smart and committed to school, like I am. He’s planning to transfer to a four-year. We’re even both interested in majoring in business administration.”
I frowned. “I thought Alex told me he planned to major in engineering.”
“Well, you know how it is your first two years in college. Plans can change.”
I nodded, accepting her explanation tentatively. “True. Well, that’s good, then, Maci. I’m really happy for you.”
She smiled and then said, “And what about you? Are you still hanging out with hot tutor? I was squealing inside when he came snowboarding with us. That wasn’t his girlfriend with him, was it? She was gorgeous.”
I sorted through Maci’s questions. “Yes, we’re still hanging out, but it’s just tutoring. And no, she’s not his girlfriend, but I agree. She is gorgeous.”
