changed – the person in the image changed – surprising me.
I pushed the thought aside. That was not what I wanted. I don’t know how Ethan had wormed his way into my head, but he wasn’t going to stay there. He was not part of my plan – of any plan. Now, more than ever, I had to stay the course.
And that meant I had to finish the tests. There was no other option.
I pulled back from the embrace and looked into Dex’s eyes. ‘Me too,’ I said, because it was time to start saying goodbye to some things.
And that’s when I decided that graduation night and being with Dex was exactly the right time to start the rest of my life. Because if the final test went the way I was starting to believe it would, then the day after in Roxbury … everything was going to change.
Mom was setting the table for dinner. Just two places which was a relief. I didn’t think I was up to seeing Ryan or Lucas tonight.
Mom was a great cook, but she preferred desserts. So we snacked on grilled cheese sandwiches followed by one of her famous peach tarts. Baking was one of the only things that really soothed Mom, so I always made sure I ate every last crumb and told her how delicious it was. If I could manage it, I’d even back up for seconds just to see the twinkle in her eye.
‘So you and Dex are spending a lot of time together lately,’ Mom hinted.
I shovelled a large spoonful of tart into my mouth and nodded.
She rolled her eyes. ‘Fine, fine, you don’t have to tell me about your boyfriend. I just want you to know that I think he’s a lovely boy. The two of you are a good match.’ She lifted her glass to salute her approval.
I shovelled another spoon into my already full mouth and nodded between chews.
Mom smiled. ‘Okay, I get the picture. Anyway, I just wanted you to know I’m very …’ She straightened in her seat. Mom never did these conversations well. You know, the ones with ‘feelings’. She cleared her throat. ‘I’m glad you’ll be going to Harvard. I would have missed you if you’d gone to a college far away.’ And with that she stood and cleared the plates.
‘Love you too, Mom,’ I mumbled through a mouthful of tart as she walked to the kitchen.
Before I had a chance to swallow, my cell phone rang.
‘Hello,’ I said, my voice barely audible.
‘Sabine? Hello? Are you alive?’
Miriam.
‘Maybe she’s with Dex,’ Lucy snickered.
‘Or under him,’ Miriam added.
It was time for our Sunday night conference call.
I rolled my eyes and swallowed as much tart as I could manage. ‘Peach tart, you tarts!’
They both laughed.
‘Well, did he or did he not take you to some fancy restaurant in the city today and then to the back row at the movies?’ Miriam demanded.
I sighed, thinking of the not-so-successful date.
‘So …’ Lucy prodded, her voice sounding a little breathless. I could just imagine her sitting on her bed, bouncing up and down eagerly.
I considered telling them that it hadn’t gone so well. But that would only get back to Dex one way or another, so instead I did what I did best.
I lied.
‘It was great. Dex pulled out all the stops and took me to Le Bon Gout for lunch. You guys know how much I’ve wanted to go to that place. Best of all, even though I was still a bit tired from the party, Dex was just a honey. He talked about Harvard, about our future …’
‘About graduation night,’ Lucy chimed in.
I laughed. ‘He might’ve mentioned it. All in all, it was pretty perfect.’
‘Well, that’s Dex for you, he is the perfect guy,’ Lucy said.
‘So true,’ I agreed.
In theory.
‘Aw, you two are so made for each other,’ Miriam said, boarding the we-all-love-Dex express. ‘You know that of everyone, you two are pitted as the ones who’ll make it. I can just see it now – Mr and Mrs Dex Holdsworth.’
‘Ah,’ I stammered. ‘One step at a time.’
‘That’s right, Miriam, at least give them a chance to have a proper test drive first,’ Lucy
I pushed the thought aside. That was not what I wanted. I don’t know how Ethan had wormed his way into my head, but he wasn’t going to stay there. He was not part of my plan – of any plan. Now, more than ever, I had to stay the course.
And that meant I had to finish the tests. There was no other option.
I pulled back from the embrace and looked into Dex’s eyes. ‘Me too,’ I said, because it was time to start saying goodbye to some things.
And that’s when I decided that graduation night and being with Dex was exactly the right time to start the rest of my life. Because if the final test went the way I was starting to believe it would, then the day after in Roxbury … everything was going to change.
Mom was setting the table for dinner. Just two places which was a relief. I didn’t think I was up to seeing Ryan or Lucas tonight.
Mom was a great cook, but she preferred desserts. So we snacked on grilled cheese sandwiches followed by one of her famous peach tarts. Baking was one of the only things that really soothed Mom, so I always made sure I ate every last crumb and told her how delicious it was. If I could manage it, I’d even back up for seconds just to see the twinkle in her eye.
‘So you and Dex are spending a lot of time together lately,’ Mom hinted.
I shovelled a large spoonful of tart into my mouth and nodded.
She rolled her eyes. ‘Fine, fine, you don’t have to tell me about your boyfriend. I just want you to know that I think he’s a lovely boy. The two of you are a good match.’ She lifted her glass to salute her approval.
I shovelled another spoon into my already full mouth and nodded between chews.
Mom smiled. ‘Okay, I get the picture. Anyway, I just wanted you to know I’m very …’ She straightened in her seat. Mom never did these conversations well. You know, the ones with ‘feelings’. She cleared her throat. ‘I’m glad you’ll be going to Harvard. I would have missed you if you’d gone to a college far away.’ And with that she stood and cleared the plates.
‘Love you too, Mom,’ I mumbled through a mouthful of tart as she walked to the kitchen.
Before I had a chance to swallow, my cell phone rang.
‘Hello,’ I said, my voice barely audible.
‘Sabine? Hello? Are you alive?’
Miriam.
‘Maybe she’s with Dex,’ Lucy snickered.
‘Or under him,’ Miriam added.
It was time for our Sunday night conference call.
I rolled my eyes and swallowed as much tart as I could manage. ‘Peach tart, you tarts!’
They both laughed.
‘Well, did he or did he not take you to some fancy restaurant in the city today and then to the back row at the movies?’ Miriam demanded.
I sighed, thinking of the not-so-successful date.
‘So …’ Lucy prodded, her voice sounding a little breathless. I could just imagine her sitting on her bed, bouncing up and down eagerly.
I considered telling them that it hadn’t gone so well. But that would only get back to Dex one way or another, so instead I did what I did best.
I lied.
‘It was great. Dex pulled out all the stops and took me to Le Bon Gout for lunch. You guys know how much I’ve wanted to go to that place. Best of all, even though I was still a bit tired from the party, Dex was just a honey. He talked about Harvard, about our future …’
‘About graduation night,’ Lucy chimed in.
I laughed. ‘He might’ve mentioned it. All in all, it was pretty perfect.’
‘Well, that’s Dex for you, he is the perfect guy,’ Lucy said.
‘So true,’ I agreed.
In theory.
‘Aw, you two are so made for each other,’ Miriam said, boarding the we-all-love-Dex express. ‘You know that of everyone, you two are pitted as the ones who’ll make it. I can just see it now – Mr and Mrs Dex Holdsworth.’
‘Ah,’ I stammered. ‘One step at a time.’
‘That’s right, Miriam, at least give them a chance to have a proper test drive first,’ Lucy
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