Lessons of the Heart (39 page)

When my name gets called for runner-up, I’m elated. I walk across the stage and accept my small tiara with a wave to the crowd. Chase, of course, is nowhere to be seen when his name gets announced. When Cami and Lyle come up for their king and queen crowns, I can't help but cheer as loud as I can. Apparently I can have faith in the student body after all.

Even though the night started horribly, it turned out to be the best night ever. Dancing with my friends, acting like myself without worry of repercussions is the greatest feeling in the world. Well, at least it’s one of them. And as James plays with an imaginary ring on his finger, my mysterious heartburn comes back and my right hand comes up to press against my heart, sending my love secretly across the room.

“T
OMORROW’S GRADUATION NIGHT,” PENNY SAYS
, rummaging through my drawers for something to sleep in. She says she’s staying the night with me, but I know better. She’s really here to stay the night with Liam.

“I know. It’s been a long three weeks, but we’re finally at the end.”

James and I agreed that since we’re almost done with school we would keep up the charade of not being together, just because we don’t want to tempt fate. That didn’t stop me from sneaking over to his house last weekend, thanks to Liam. A girl can only hold out for so long.

“What are you going to do while I’m next door?” she asks.

I shrug my shoulders. “Probably watch a movie. Or carve my eyes out so I will stop imagining what you two are doing in there. Maybe jam a pencil or two in my ears just in case I hear anything.”

She laughs before finally grabbing one of my oversized nightshirts and slides it over her head. She twists her hair into a bun and gives me a quick smile. “Don’t wait up,” she says, quietly opening my door and slipping down to my brother’s room.

I roll my eyes and plop onto my bed, folding my legs underneath. Leaning against the wall, I start to imagine what my life will be like once school is out. No more Somerset, no more high school drama, no more Chase, no more half living my life.

My phone dances across my desk with an incoming message. I don’t even have to look to know who it’s from because James is the only person who would be texting me this late. Well, Penny would too, but she’s…occupied.

WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?

I smile at the text and quickly type out my reply.

NOTHING. JUST SITTING HERE TRYING NOT TO THINK ABOUT ANYTHING.

ARE YOU NERVOUS?

NO. JUST WANT TO SHUT MY BRAIN DOWN FOR A WHILE.

NEED SOME HELP?

WHAT DID YOU HAVE IN MIND?

LOOK OUT YOUR WINDOW.

My window
? I bolt to the window and throw it open quickly. James is standing in the middle of my front lawn with his hands shoved into his jeans and wearing one of his ratty old t-shirts and a baseball cap. It throws me for a minute because I don’t remember if I’ve ever seen him wear one before.

“What are you doing here?” I whisper-yell to him.

“Come down and meet me,” he replies, heading to my front door.

I quickly throw on a pair of yoga pants and tie my hair up in a ponytail before quietly making my way down the stairs. My parents are heavy sleepers, which is good because I can’t remember the last time I’ve tried sneaking out of the house, even if I’m just going out on the front lawn. I rush through the damp grass, allowing the blades to tickle my feet as I approach him.

“What are you doing here?” I repeat my previous question.

He smiles and closes the distance between us. “I wanted to see you because I have some good news and it didn’t feel right to tell you over the phone.”

“What news?”

James grabs my shoulders, running his hands smoothly up and down before rounding my back and pulling me in tightly to his chest. “I got a new job today. They called me during my lunch hour for one final phone interview and then when I got home they offered me the position. You are looking at the new geography teacher at Brighton High School.”

I leap into his arms and squeeze him tight. This is it. It’s finally happening. He’s moving to Boston with me.

“That’s the school close to Harvard, right?” I ask, pressing my lips to his.

He laughs and sets me back on the ground. “Yes, very close. Since you have to live on campus and I’ll be working near you, I can live close by and we can see each other without a major commute for either of us.”

“Funny thing you should mention me living on campus.” He eyes me suspiciously as I bite my lower lip. “I’ve been doing some research and yes, most students live on campus and it’s highly encouraged for freshmen to stay there. There are a few exceptions to the rules.”

“Which are?”

“Well, they say that visiting undergraduate students, those who are attending for only a year, are eligible to live off campus.”

“Obviously not you.”

“Obviously,” I say. “Then there are the commuters, who are occasionally granted nonresidential status at the time of admission. Their only requirement is that you must participate in activities and social programs of the Yard.” He stays silent, waiting for me to say something else. I blink up at him slowly and clear my throat. “And then there are the students who move off campus, typically because they get married.”

A twinkle sparks in his eyes as they soften to me. “Sweetheart, I’m glad you’ve done some research into this, but you and I won’t be living together your freshman year.”

Not exactly the response what I was expecting. “What? Why not? I mean, this is perfect. We can finally be together, by ourselves.”

“Exactly. And we will still be together, just not living in the same house.” He walks me over to the front steps and sits me on his lap. “I’m not about to take away your college experience just because we want to be together. Freshman year is filled with so many firsts and new experiences. Living with another person, making new friendships, going to parties, running across campus because you overslept…I want you to experience all those things. Plus, it’s Harvard. You’re probably going to have a ton of homework and won’t want to be too far away from others who are in your program. There will be study sessions, late night cram-fests, projects, all kinds of things you will need to be close for.”

“You’re really bumming me out right now,” I say, laying my head on his shoulder.

He chuckles and kisses my forehead. “I’m not saying that we won’t be seeing each other. We still have the weekends. And you need to come with me to look at houses and apartments to rent in the area because eventually you will be moving in with me. Just not the first year. Wait and see how everything goes. Maybe you’ll change your mind and want to stay on campus the full four years. Maybe you’ll meet someone else and you won’t want me anymore,” he says quietly.

Lifting up head up, I grab his face and stare into his eyes. “I can guarantee you that won’t happen. Why would I want anyone else when I have the most perfect man on the planet right here with me? After everything we’ve gone through, how could you even say that?”

James kisses me slowly, pulling me closer to him. The gentle brush of his tongue parts my lips, creating a soft hum to escape. I pour myself into this kiss, wanting to erase the thought completely from his mind. I pull back and press my forehead against his.

“Don’t ever think that again,” I say with finality.

“Okay.” He winds his hand around my ponytail, tugging it so it makes my head tilt back. “I like this defensive, possessive little minx you’ve turned into.”

I smile. “You’re mine. I protect what’s mine.” Our lips meet again and he lets go of my hair.

“That we can agree on. Okay, so are we clear about our living arrangements for now?”

“For now. We’ll revisit the issue in a year,” I say, placing one last kiss on his lips before we stand up.

“You better get back inside,” he says, looking back at the door. “I just wanted to come by and tell you the good news. Feel up to a Boston road trip in a couple weeks?”

I smile and nod. “You know I’m always up for a Boston trip.”

“Maybe I’ll book us in the same hotel as before.”

“Two rooms again?” I ask, raising an eyebrow to him.

He laughs, shaking his head. “Now that seems pointless, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I suppose but I mean, for nostalgia purposes it’d be fun. You can woo me all over and make me fall in love with you again.”

Heat courses through my veins with the look James is giving me, making me forget that I’m standing on the cold cement steps in front of my house. It makes me want to rip off his hat, grab his hair and throw him down on the ground to get lost in his body.

“Don’t give me that look. I know what that look means,” he growls quietly in my ear.

I press my thighs together to try and quell the throbbing ache that just formed. “What look? This look?” I mimic the look again and watch as his eyes darken.

“Okay, now it’s time for me to go. Be a good girl and go back to bed,” he says, kissing my nose.

I stick my lower lip out and pout. “That’s the kiss you’re going to send me off to bed with? What am I, five?”

He laughs then places his hands on the sides of my neck, letting his thumbs brush over my cheekbones. “When you play games like that, yes. But I’ll leave you with this instead.”

Fireworks ignite behind my eyelids when our lips meet, sending shivers and goose bumps to run across my skin. My heart pounds harder in my chest as I wrap my arms around his neck while our lips move in sync with each other. It’s soft and wet and highly romantic.

My favorite kind.

When he releases his hold on me, I turn around and watch him retreat backward down the sidewalk.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at graduation,” he says. He climbs into the cab of his truck as I blow a kiss goodnight to him. He presses it to his chest before driving back to his house.

I quietly tiptoe up the stairs back to my room, making sure to avoid Liam’s room at all costs. I want to keep my ears from bleeding from the noises that may or may not be coming from there.

Crawling under the covers, I press my head down onto my pillow and close my eyes, dreaming of Boston.

The next evening everyone is milling about in the gymnasium, creating a cacophony of loud voices and clicking heels as they wait to file outside where the graduation ceremony will take place on the football field.

Penny runs up to me, holding onto her cap so it doesn’t fly off her head. “This is it,” she loudly squeals.

I smile and give her a brief hug. “This is it, the final page of our high school career. It’s kind of bittersweet, isn’t it?”

Her lips twist to the side before breaking into a smile. “Hell no. I’m excited about the future. Life on our own, no parents, total freedom.”

“Bills, homework, buying our own food,” I add, bringing her back down to earth.

“Yeah, but it’s totally worth it.”

“So Liam is okay with you being away from him?” I ask.

Her smile falls slightly, but she recovers it. “No, but we’re going to make it work. I mean, NYU isn’t that far away.”

I shake my head. “You’re right, it’s not. Just a train ride away. You’ll make it work, I know it.”

“I hope so. I’m a little afraid of being there by myself. Liam said that he’s going to try to come down as often as he can.”

“It's a shame you decided not to attend Boston College. We could hang out all the time.”

She crinkles her nose. “And be the third wheel between you and James? No thanks. Besides, you need some alone time together now that you’ll be able to be in public and all.”

“It still doesn’t feel real to me, you know?”

She wraps me in another hug and smiles. “Believe me, it’s real.” She winks at someone over my shoulder.

“Congratulations Ms. Morris, Ms. Fosse.”

His voice causes the familiar fluttering of wings to stir up in my stomach as I turn around and come face to face with him.

“Thank you, Mr. Dumont,” Penny says. “We sure are going to miss you around here but hey, congrats on the new job.”

James smiles brightly and straightens his tie. “Thank you. I’m very excited about my new position and can’t wait to start this fall.”

“I bet you can’t,” Penny says suggestively.

I roll my eyes at her and can’t help the laugh that escapes. “Yes, thank you, Mr. Dumont. Your new job sounds exciting. And Boston, you know I love Boston.”