Dwight laughs softly. “I’m guessing that’s why he opted for the linen pants and blazer combo, right?” he asks, looking down at the photo.
I laugh. “Yep! That’s my dad…wasmy dad…” I correct myself, fighting the sting in the backs of my eyes.
Dwight wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into his side, where I rest my head on his shoulder. “Tell me about them… your parents.”
“My mom was borderline OCD. Everything had to be colour coded, in alphabetical order, and symmetrical. If something was off by even a millimetre, she’d freak. She was great though, always there if I needed anything, I could talk to her as more of a best friend than a mom. My dad was funny, always telling those bad jokes that were only funny to him. He’d always make a point of embarrassing me in front of friends whenever he got the chance. He was stubborn too.”
“Oh, like someone else I know,” he says with a smirk, and I shove his shoulder with mine playfully, fighting a smile.
“He was the best dad ever…”
“I’m so sorry, Quinn. Nobody should lose a parent so young, but for you to lose both in such a short space of time…fuck. You’re so strong, so incredibly brave.”
“I don’t feel like it.”
He tips my chin up to look at him. “You are.”
Am I strong like he says? Am I brave?
Seeing the truth behind his words and the sincerity in his voice makes me want to believe it.
We scoop all the photos into a pile and move to sit on the couch, where we spend the next hour flicking through them, where I laugh at my dad dangling from a tree in our back yard when my neighbours’ son and I accidently kicked a soccer ball into it, and it got caught.
I cry at a photo I didn’t know existed, of my mom reading me a bedtime story when I was little, my body curled into her side. If I was alone right now I don’t think I’d be able to look at these, but just having Dwight is here, by my side makes me feel more at ease.
“You’ve got a lot of memories here.”
“My mom was obsessed over documenting every little thing. She always said memories are the most important things we own, over time they fade, but photographs last a lifetime.”
“She was right. Memories are precious and they should be cherished. You know, you should put these in an album or something.”
“I know, I just haven’t gotten around to it… to be honest, this is the first time I’ve looked at these since before they died, it was just too painful.”
“And now?”
“It still hurts to look at them, to see us happy before everything went to shit, but it’s easier somehow… because you’re here.” I glance up to meet his eyes and smile.
“Thank you for sharing them with me.” He leans down and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “I don’t have many photos of me and G-” he cuts himself off, his jaw tightening as if he’s said too much.
“You can talk about her you know. Don’t feel like you can’t talk about her to me, I want to hear.”
“You do?” My statement seems to take him by surprise.
“Dwight, she was a huge part of your life, that’s not just gonna go away. Whenever you want to talk about her, don’t be scared to, not to me.”
He smiles and takes my face in his hand, pulling me in for a kiss. It’s soft and unhurried, deep. “You’rewaytoo mature for nineteen.”
I reach up to kiss him again. “I just wanted you to know that… whenever you’re ready to talk about her, I’m here.”
Chapter 29
Quinn
Itake a quick glance around me as I head down the corridor that leads to Dwight’s office, hoping that no one will notice me and become suspicious.
What’s suspicious about a student going into her professor’s office? I hear you ask. Well, ordinarily it’s not, on the odd occasion, but this is becoming a daily occurrence.
Most classes are over, so the building is all but deserted so the coast is clear.
