“Well, it’s not great, but it’s better than the city,” she said, tilting her head back and squinting at the sky.
I did the same and saw a few winking stars.
The neighborhood was quiet for a Friday night. You could hear just the faintest hint of music from far away, but other than that, the loudest sounds were distant cars and wind rustling the leaves in the trees.
“Your friends really are nice,” she said, shifting even closer to me. Her warmth enveloped my right side, leaving my left chilled.
“I’m glad you liked them. I think they liked you too, but I’ll have to wait to get their assessment. If you know what I mean.” They had more important things to be doing tonight. Naked things.
“Right,” Vail said, laughing softly. “They seem very much in love.”
I sighed. “They are. I’m really glad they found each other.”
“Do you believe in that? People finding each other and being a perfect match?” Her tone was skeptical, and I couldn’t see her face.
“No. Obviously not. But I can’t deny that some couples just seem… I don’t know. They seem like they’re meant to be.” James and Delaney were one of those couples and I’d seen their friends in action too. Hunter and Stace, while unexpected, were like that too.
“It’s easy to be like that in the beginning. Look at our parents.” It was true that at the start, all of my father’s relationships had been full of promises and hopes. He’d tell the new one the same words he’d said to the last one, but this time, no definitely this time he meant it. This one was different.
And then a few years later it “wasn’t working out” and she was moving out.
Was he just lying to himself? Did he really believe that? Why did he keep doing it and dragging me along?
I would never get any answers from him, so I never bothered asking.
“I know. You’re right.” But there were other people in the world who meet someone and spent their whole lives together. It happened often enough that you could point to examples. Not in my family, but in other people’s. What was it like, to meet someone and spend a lifetime together?
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
The cold had gotten ahold of me and even Vail’s warmth couldn’t stop my shiver.
“We should go inside.”
I didn’t want to move and break this moment, but any minute now my teeth were going to start chattering and that was just embarrassing, so I got up, turning to give Vail a hand as she rose to her feet. We crept back inside the house and it was a relief to be warm again.
“Do you want anything?” she asked, closing the window and locking it.
“I should probably get home. It’s late.” It wasn’t that late for a Friday night, but my thoughts and emotions were all scattered, and I needed some time to sort them out. Being with Vail always scrambled me up.
She wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold too. “Right. Well, thanks for inviting me out. We should do it again. Are you teaching tomorrow?” I was surprised she hadn’t memorized my schedule.
“No, I’m teaching on Sunday morning instead.” I’d swapped with one of the other instructors.
“Guess I’ll see you on Sunday then.” Her smile was back, and it made my heart flutter like it had tiny wings.
Vail walked me back downstairs and I swung my keys around my finger.
“Say goodnight to the kitties for me.” It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her to give them kisses from me, but that would have been too much.
“I will.”
The stars faded the closer I got back to the city and I tried not to be sad about it.
Chapter Fourteen
Vail
