by Emma Easter
Bryan felt his stomach boiling with anger. He blurted out, “You can suspend me! But it wasn’t Sienna’s fault.” He sighed and pleaded in desperation. “She just came back to school. Please don’t punish her for what was my fault alone.”
The expression on the provost’s face remained resolute.
Bryan tried again. “She has to stay because she’s a little vulnerable to . . .” he suddenly stopped at the now curious expression on the man’s face.
“Vulnerable to what?” the provost asked in a cold voice.
Bryan knew he had said a little too much. Anything he said now might get Sienna in more trouble than she was. He shook his head. “Nothing.”
The provost said with finality, “You better go before I change my mind and expel you and that Sienna girl!”
Bryan stood. He’d not succeeded at all. Instead, he’d almost made things worse.
“Go get the girl and come back here in an hour. By then, your suspension letters will be waiting for you. I suggest you pack your things as well before you come here as you will be leaving the premises immediately, as soon as I hand the letters to you both.”
Bryan left the office and walked slowly to the chapel. After telling Dr. Lincoln’s secretary what had happened so she would pass the news to him, he walked to the female dormitory and stood outside the building. With the new rules, male students weren’t allowed inside the female dorm and vice versa. He stopped one of the female students entering into the building and gave her a message to pass along to Sienna Gardner.
“Please tell her Bryan wants her to meet him in front of the chapel as soon as possible.”
*****
Sienna ran as fast as her feet could carry her. She knew something bad had happened, she was sure of it. When Bryan told her, he was going to try to ‘fix it,’ whatever ‘it’ was because he refused to explain further, she had known something was wrong. She didn’t understand fully what that watcher boy was saying about breaking the rules, but she knew it wasn’t good.
She got to the chapel and found Bryan right at the door. Her heart thudded at the perturbed look on his handsome face. She tried to take his hand, but he held them behind his back.
Frowning, she said in alarm, “Bryan, what is it?” Why did he refuse to hold my hand?
He led her into the chapel. A few students were there, probably waiting for the evening prayers. He sat at the pew near the window. When she tried to sit next to him, he shook his head.
She became terrified. “What’s wrong, Bryan?” What did I do to upset him? He pointed at the pew in front of his. “Can you please sit down there?”
“Why?” she cried. “Why can’t I sit next to you?”
He looked into her eyes and said, “I love you with all my heart, Sienna, but I have gotten you in trouble, and I don’t want to make it worse.”
“What are you saying? What happened?”
He groaned. “They made new rules in school just before you came back. There are a lot of them.” He named a few for her. “Most of them are about interactions between members of the opposite sex. We violated the rules by being alone together and kissing.”
She gasped. “The watchers! I heard them talking about it months ago, but I had totally forgotten about it.”
Bryan had a weary expression on his face. “It gets worse Sienna. The rules come with consequences, specifically expulsion. That watcher, Alan, he reported us to the provost.”
Her heart jumped in horror, and she cried, “Have we been expelled?”
“No,” Brian said. “Just suspended. The provost wants us to go to his office in about an hour to get our suspension letters. He said we have to leave the premises immediately after that.”
“No!” she exclaimed.
“Yes,” Brian said. He looked down. “It’s my fault. I saw those rules before you came back, but I still kissed you anyway. Now I have gotten you in trouble.”
She reached out and laid her hand on his cheek.
He shook his head and said softly, “We can’t touch each other, Sienna. It’s not expressly written in the rules, but it’s implied.”
She didn’t remove her hand. Instead, she searched his face and said with determination, “I love you, Bryan. I don’t care what the school authorities say. No one is going to separate us. If we have to leave permanently to be together, so be it.”
“But you told me this was where God wanted you to be. And I told you how God brought me here. This place is where he wants me for now. We can’t just quit the school permanently when it’s part of God’s plan for us.”
“But how are we going to be together with the stringent rules? We’ll ultimately get expelled if we continue our relationship here.”
“I can’t let that happen . . .”
“Bryan, no! What are you saying?” For the first time in months, her body began to tremble, and the familiar panic began to bubble up inside her. “Are you saying we should break up when we’ve just started dating?”
He put his hand on her shoulder, a distressed look on his face. “Breathe, Sienna, that is certainly not what I’m saying. I would never break up with you. I love you way too much.”
She tried to smile and took in deep breaths.
He smiled sadly at her. “What I’m saying is that we still have to obey the Lord. We have to find a way to be together without the knowledge of anyone in the school.
“You’re saying we should keep our relationship a secret?”
“Yes, we don’t have a choice.”
“How are we going to manage that?”
“I don’t know yet. We’ll have to find a way.” He looked at his hand on her shoulder and quickly removed it.
She shook her head slowly. “You see. It’s easier said than done. It means we can’t kiss, hold hands, or even really be seen together unless in a group. Right now, we are violating school rules.”
He sighed and looked at his wristwatch. “We need to get to the provost’s office soon.” For a minute, his eyes stayed glued to her lips, and she knew he would have kissed her if not for the stupid new rules. “I think you better go and get your things,” he said.
Her heart soared as she suddenly realized something. “We need to look at the silver lining in this. We’ll get to spend some time together uninterrupted before we come back here. You can visit me in Rosefield and stay for some days, and I can go visit you as well.”
He smiled ruefully. “Even without the rules, with our attraction to each other, that won’t be very safe.”
She searched his eyes. “We won’t be alone when you visit. Audrey and Trish will be in the house.” She laughed at the look on his face. “Yes, I know they are kinda boisterous, but you told me you liked them.”
“I think it’s a great idea, Sienna,” he said, looking excited.
She nodded, feeling equally excited. “How about we leave together and go straight to Audrey’s. You can stay for as long as you like. We will have so much fun together.”
“I would love that, but I hope Audrey won’t mind?”
“Her house is a bit small, but we will manage. She won’t mind, but you’ll have to put up with her and Trish’s endless teasing.”
He chuckled and stood. When she stood up as well, he reached out and took her hand. And then he groaned. He quickly let go of it and said, “I have to learn not to even touch you in school.”
“That will be hard.”
“Anyway, you need to go and pack your things. I’ll do the same. Let’s meet here in about twenty minutes. Is that okay?”
“Yes.” She gazed at him, longing to kiss him. But she couldn’t, she didn’t want to put him in more trouble than he already was. She turned away quickly. “I’ll see you soon. I can’t wait for us to go to Rosefield so I can show you around my town.” She almost clapped with glee.
He smiled widely. “I can’t wait too.”
She skipped away, feeling dizzy with excitement. She would get to spend weeks alone with Bryan, strengthening her bond with him. They would take regu
lar strolls through Rosefield holding hands and stealing kisses at the house. She could already see them now having long conversations on the porch, way into the night.
She reached the dormitory and began to pack the things she would take to Rosefield with her. Her roommate was not around, and it brought back memories of the time she packed up all her things and left the school. She had been broken and confused then. This time, she felt totally different. For someone being suspended, she was in high spirits, just as she’d been when she quit her job.
She finished packing and skipped out again. Reaching the chapel, she found Bryan was already there. They walked to the provost’s office together with their bags while she itched to take his hand.
Well, once we are out of here, we can hold hands.
They sat in front of the provost, and she tried not to look so happy. Bryan tickled her hands under the table, and she knew he was trying to hide his pleasure as well.
“Well, here is your suspension letter,” the provost said, handing them both white envelopes. “You’ve all your things with you?” he asked.
“We do,” Bryan said.
He looked from her to Bryan, and then his face turned red. He narrowed his eyes. “You know, I feel like you are both enjoying this. You look like you’ll leave here and do something even worse.”
Sienna’s heart thudded. Lord, help us!
“If you are both planning on leaving here together, please put that idea out of your mind. ‘Cause if we find out that you both did, you’ll be expelled immediately.”
Sienna drew in a sharp breath.
Bryan said, “We are not planning on doing anything wrong. It’s just that I live a bit far from here and Sienna’s . . .”
“Don’t even think about it!” The provost barked. He looked at Sienna. “You’ll be leaving first today. Bryan, you’ll leave tomorrow. And as I said, if I even hear a rumor about you two meeting at some point before you come back here, you’ll both be kicked out of the school; do you understand me?”
Sienna turned to face Bryan, her heart sinking in despair.
“I said, do you understand me?”
Bryan’s expression held a grim determination. “Clearly, sir!”
“Good! Now Miss . . .” he looked down at her name on the suspension envelope he’d just written, “Gardner, you can leave now. Bryan, you’ll wait here until she’s out of the premises.”
Sienna sat frozen, disbelieving how far this man would go to keep them apart. It was like he had a personal vendetta against them.
The provost narrowed his eyes in anger. “Miss Gardner! You can go now!”
She stood slowly and looked down at Bryan.
He looked at her with helplessness in his eyes and mouthed, “I love you.”
With tears flooding her eyes, she whispered, “I love you, Bryan, with all of me.”
The provost looked furious. “Go!” he ordered her. “Before I expel you!”
She went out of his office and slowly went down the stairs of the admin block. All the way to the school gate, she refused to give in to the sob that kept threatening to escape her lips. Outside the gate, as she stood to wait for a taxi, she vowed in her heart that nothing anyone did would ever separate her and Bryan. They were going to be together now, no matter how many stumbling blocks the school put in their paths.
Chapter Fifteen
Trisha put on a simple knee-length black dress for her date with Stan. She had no idea where he was taking her, but he’d called to let her know she was to wear something nice. This was the best she could get herself to do, or wanted to do at this point. She put on a pair of black open-toe flats, took a deep breath and then picked up her purse.
She surveyed her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was held up in a severe pony-tail—to remind Stan that their date meant nothing to her—and her belly had grown so much that her dress rode up her thighs. She put her hand on her bump as she thought about the baby. Her utmost desire had been for her child to be raised in a two-parent home, but it would not be possible now.
She smirked. Unless of course, Stan remarried before the baby was born—which she wouldn’t put it past him to do—so he could torment some other unsuspecting woman with his infidelity.
No strange woman is going to raise my daughter.
She sat down on the bed for a few minutes, feeling hot in spite of the air-conditioning, and slightly achy. This was one of those weekends when she would have just stayed home, curled up on the sofa with a book. Instead, she had to go out on this sham date.
She exhaled and stood up again. This pregnancy was difficult. Her feet were swollen, and she was continuously out of breath.
She went to the living room. Sienna was there, doing exactly what she’d just been dreaming of—lying on the sofa, reading a novel. Sienna had come back from her Bible college in tears yesterday and had narrated how she was suspended because she’d been caught kissing Bryan. It had sounded unbelievable and almost laughable. And Trisha would have laughed out loud if not for Sienna’s tears.
“They can’t suspend you both for kissing!” she had exclaimed. “You are full-grown adults for goodness’ sake!”
Audrey had added, “I think you should leave that strange Bible school.”
But Sienna had refused. “I know that’s where God wants me to be right now, and Bryan feels the same.”
“Are you okay, today?” Trisha asked, looking down at Sienna on the sofa.
“I’m better.” Sienna smiled and put her novel aside. “You look great, Trish.”
“Yes, off to my first forced date with Stan.” Trisha looked around. “I hope Audrey doesn’t come out here before Stan arrives. She’ll make his life a living hell, and as much as I don’t care for him anymore, I am in no mood for any drama today.”
Sienna laughed. “That’s Audrey for you. But I think she’s packing for her trip to Atlanta tomorrow.”
“Oh, yeah! She told me about that.” Trisha chuckled. “After her conference, she’ll go to Miami to see her beau.”
Sienna’s expression suddenly turned sad, and Trisha pressed her lips together.
She misses Bryan. She was clearly crazy about the guy. “Don’t worry about it, Sienna. You’ll get to see him in school soon. For now, I guess you’ll both have to be content with chatting on the phone.”
“But we won’t be able to have any kind of meaningful relationship there.” Sienna put her head down. “It’s just so unfair.”
Trisha gathered her in her arms. She sighed as the loud beep of a car horn startled her. “I guess Stan is here.” She drew back from Sienna and smiled at her. You’ll find a way. You’ve always said God will make a way for you. Believe it now.” She stood. “I have to go.”
She went out the door waving at Sienna.
Stan was walking toward her, a bouquet of pink and red roses in his hand. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Did he think bringing her flowers all the time would make her change her mind, with everything he had done in their marriage?
“Hi, Trish, you look great.” He handed her the flowers.
She took the flowers reluctantly, went back into the house and dumped them near the front door. She walked back to him and asked. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere nice,” he replied, smiling slightly.
She shrugged, determined not to ask where specifically they were going, and walked to his car. He opened the door for her, and when she entered, he went around and got into the driver’s seat. He drove for a long time, passing her bookshop, the fire station, and ‘Satin Dreams’—the popular bridal store where all the brides-to-be in Rosefield shopped. When he raced past the public library on the outskirts of town, she frowned. Turning to him, she asked, “Why are we leaving Rosefield?”
He didn’t answer.
He continued to drive while she wondered where he was taking her. Finally, he stopped in front of an old two-story building in Green Valley. She stared at it. It looked really familiar.
And then she gasp
ed. It was the motel they had honeymooned in twelve years ago after they got married. They both had no money then, so just finding a place they could afford outside Rosefield to spend their honeymoon in—even if it was a two-bit motel—was a dream.
She smiled, feeling nostalgic as she remembered how happy they had been at the time, how in love they were. When they were led up the stairs to their rooms, she in her wedding dress and he in his tuxedo, she remembered giggling and holding on to Stan. Once they got to the door, he’d carried her into the room.
She turned to him. “You brought me to Apex Motel?”
He nodded, looking pleased with himself.
She smiled at him. His smug grin was justified. This was a well-thought-out date.
“This brings so many memories of happier days,” she said in a whisper. When she exited the car, she looked up at the brown-and white-building. “It still looks basically the same.” She chuckled. “Who knew it was still here.”
He said to her, “I came and checked it out earlier in the week when I was thinking of what to do for our date. It has a restaurant now where we can have dinner.”
Her heart suddenly went into her mouth. He was expecting her to stay here with him; to pretend that they were on another honeymoon. She smiled coldly. “You do know there is no way I’m going to stay in the same room as you. We are not ever going to be together in that way again.”
For a few seconds, he looked downcast, and then he suddenly seemed to think he deserved it, so he gave her a small smile. “I know. I just brought you here to bring back memories of happier times; to remember those days when we were madly in love.”
“Before you ruined it all,” she said.
He sighed loudly. “Let’s just go in.”
They entered, and Trisha couldn’t help smiling. Everything looked the same. From the massive mirror on the wall to the worn-out leather loveseat near the console table, the furnishings in the lobby were older than they were then, but they were still arranged in the same position.
The host, a tall man in a red suit, led them past the lobby to a room she hadn’t been to when they came here—a modern-looking restaurant. The restaurant had only a few people in it and was moderately quiet. He sat them at a table with a huge spherical urn as a centerpiece and a waiter came to take their orders. He handed Trisha a menu, and she perused it. After she told him what she wanted and Stan reeled out a list of unhealthy carbs, the waiter left.
