by Mary Smith
“I can read my mother like a book. If I was being Matched today she would be overjoyed.” He pointed over to his parents a couple of tables over. Graham had his mom’s coal black hair and tall frame. She looked calm, content while eating. “See, cool as a cucumber. So, it’s not me.”
Gia looked at me, and I patted her hand. “September will be here soon.”
Throughout the lunch, the guys talked about some sports team. While Gia and I talked about shoes that we had seen at the mall.
We cleaned up our mess, and I mingled with a few people. Of course, Mrs. Edwards was overly excited to see Thaddeus was right by my side, and how close we were.
My dad yelled for our attention and we all turn to look at him. My dad was always the one to announce the Matched pair. He called for Amaya to come forward. She walked over with her head high.
“Citizens of Unit, I’m proud to announce the Amaya Roberts will be Matched with Oliver Thomas.”
Gia and I both gasped and put our hands over our mouths. I shook my head in disbelief. Amaya was going to be a challenge for Oliver. I watch as he made his way to Dad and Amaya. Her face was red, and I knew that she was mad. I prayed that she doesn’t punch him in front of everyone.
“You’re going to have to calm her before she strangles him,” I told Gia.
She nods, and I see the sadness on her face. I knew that she wanted Oliver to be her Matched.
“It’ll be okay.” I reassured her.
“Everyone,” Dad hollered for our attention again. He stands between Amaya and Oliver. “Occurret vobis pares conjunctio amoris in perpetuum.”
It was done. They are now Matched.
The crowd begins to gather around them, offering their congratulations and best wishes.
“Come on.” Thaddeus headed that way, and we followed him.
I gave Amaya a quick hug, and I felt how tense she was. I think I even saw tears in her eyes.
“Well, you’re Matched.” I smiled brightly at her, but she narrowed her eyes at me.
“I’m not in the mood, Xaviera.”
I nodded, knowing that she was upset at everyone right now, and left her alone.
After several minutes, Thaddeus asked if I was ready to go, and I agreed. I told my parents I was going with Thaddeus.
When we got in his car, we headed out of Unit as we always did. I assumed that we were going to the city, but he went the opposite way. He was heading to the New York state line. Not that this was uncommon for Unit residents. Unit sat close to Canada and New York, so going over the line wasn’t a big deal.
We didn’t say a whole lot. I started thinking about Gia’s Matched. I thought it was going to be Oliver, for sure.
“Do guys get nervous?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“If you’re not a Matched guy, do you get nervous at a girl’s party? I’ve always wondered.” I watched his face as he thought about his answer.
“Well, yeah, some do. I know Oliver does, but he really wants to be Matched. Now, he is,” he explained.
“Oliver?”
“Yea, he loves Unit, and all that it stands for. He’s always been that way.” He shrugged.
“He’s like Gia then. Can you believe that it’s Amaya?”
“Well, I thought it was going to be you. Actually, when I saw you at the bank and you said it was your birthday, I texted him and told him. We all thought it was going to be you and him.”
My mouth dropped a bit. Oliver? I mean he was good looking and a sweet guy, but we had nothing in common at all. “May I ask a question? It’s kind of personal.”
“Sure.”
“What did you think when you came to my house that night?” I closed my mouth tight after asking because I hoped he would answer it.
“I didn’t think anything, actually. When Mom and Dad told me that they were going over to your house, I assumed it was to say ‘Happy Birthday’. I mean our mothers are Paired, and our dads do a lot of business together. It didn’t seem out of the ordinary. What did you think?”
“Nothing until we sat down. I thought that was a little strange.”
There was a moment of silence between us before I got the nerve to ask him. “What was your first thought? When Dad said we were Matched?”
He didn’t say anything at first and then he pulled into a parking garage. When he parked and shut off the car, he sat there boring a hole through the steering wheel.
“I don’t know what I thought.” He laid his head back on the headrest. “See, when I turned of age, I had it all planned to leave and not come back. But,” he paused closing his eyes. “Mom begged me not to. I’m my father’s only son. It’s his dream for me to take over the business that he created, and at the time, I didn’t want that. So, I asked if I had been Matched and she said I was. I told her that I didn’t want to be, and she said if I stayed, she would see if I could be unmatched.” He opened his eyes turning his head toward me. His blue eyes were sad.
“So, did she try? Did she talk to my parents?” I could hear the cracking in my voice.
“No, she told me the other night that she didn’t because she thought that I would eventually change my mind.” He faced forward. “What about you? Why did you stay?”
I blinked the tears away trying to keep my emotions in check thinking about my reasons. “My parents. I’m their only child and leaving would be hard on them. On top of that, there’s no one to carry on our bloodline. Who would control Unit after my parents? And I won’t lie; I was curious about my Matched, but at the same time I didn’t know if I wanted to be.”
He nodded understanding my dilemma. “Why is leaving important to you?”
“I wanted to see if I could do it on my own, and I want to see the world. It would be hard for me to do if I remained in Unit.”
“Why is traveling so important to you?”
“I’ve always wanted to. I mean,” I sighed. I wanted to open up to him, but I didn’t want to tell him everything, either. “I want to see what’s outside Unit. I know there’s more than just this.” I waved my hand at the nothing I felt in front of me. “I want to explore. Maybe even met others from different clans?”
Thaddeus doesn’t say anything. He only gets out of the car comes around and opens my door. I wasn’t sure where we were, so I waited for Thaddeus to take the lead.
Then…it…happened.
I felt it before I realize that it was happening. His fingers touched the back of my knuckles and then laced with mine. I didn’t know how to act at first as he began to head towards the elevators.
I was holding hands with a guy.
With Thaddeus Edwards.
With my Matched.
Thaddeus was acting like it wasn’t a big deal as the elevator passed each floor until we reached the one we wanted. When the doors opened, we were in a large mall. It towered several floors up and there were even lower levels.
“Oh wow.” I gulped looking around me.
Thaddeus chuckled. “Figured you would like it here.”
“Did you laugh?”
“Maybe.” He winked, then rubbed his thumb over my knuckles, causing my heart to race faster. “Come on, I have the perfect store for you.”
We go to the left and head towards the end of the mall. “Okay.” Thaddeus lightly tugged on my hand, halting me in my path. “Close your eyes.”
“What?” I furrowed my brow.
“Please.” His blue eyes pleaded with me.
I take a deep breath, unsure of what he has planned and I closed them.
“Just walk straight.”
I took a few steps forward.
“Turn left.”
I did.
“Open them.”
I slowly opened my eyes and almost fainted where I stood. It was a shoe store but not any shoe store. It was ginormous. Heels, flats, wedges, and everything in between were displayed all the way to the ceiling.
“Am I in heaven?” I gazed up to Thaddeus.
He smirked at me. �
��My mom loves this store, although, my dad’s credit card hates this place. I thought you would like it too.”
I laughed at his comment and turned my attention back to the store. “Let’s see how my card holds up.” This time I pulled on his hand, and we entered.
Two hours later, I narrowed my selection of the whole store down to five pairs. I stared at each pair on the bench as Thaddeus sat next to the boxes.
“Only five?” He joked.
I squint at him. “Don’t kid about my love of shoes.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “My apologies, I wasn’t trying to make light of the situation that has you bouncing on your toes.”
“Oh that’s not it; I drank a lot of water at the party,” I confessed.
“Well, go the bathroom. It’s right there.” He pointed over his shoulder. “I’ll watch these.” He pointed to the boxes.
“Okay, I’ll be right back, and then I’ll narrow it to two, promise.” I grabbed my purse and almost sprinted to the bathroom.
When I came back out, I went to the bench where I left Thaddeus, but he was gone as were the shoes.
“Looking for these,” Thaddeus holds the bag out coming up behind me.
“Thaddeus,” I groaned. I should have known better.
“Like you really were going to narrow these down to two, Xaviera?”
“Maybe,” I lied.
Thaddeus laughed. An actual laugh. “You’re not a good liar.” He stepped closer to me and my breath caught. “Besides, I like seeing your face when I buy you things.” His steel blue eyes pinned me in place. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. “Let’s grab some ice cream.”
Thaddeus took my hand, and we strolled out of the store. He carried my bags for me, and we went up to the top floor to the ice cream shop.
I ordered a caramel sundae, and Thaddeus had chocolate chip ice cream in a waffle bowl. Even though it was a crowded mall, we were able to find a table near the end of the food court.
“Thanks for the shoes and the ice cream.” I moaned as I slide the spoon out of my mouth. “This is really good.”
“I think mines better.” Thaddeus put some on his spoon and brought it over to my face. I didn’t know how to react. Was he giving me a bite of his food? “I don’t have cooties. I promise.” I opened my mouth, and he slid the dessert inside. “Good, right?”
I nodded focusing back on mine in front of me.
“Your cheeks are red,” Thaddeus said while taking another bite.
I’m surprised my head didn’t catch on fire. That was the most intimate thing I’ve ever done besides holding his hand and that happened a couple hours ago. “I think it’s warm in here,” I lied.
He stared at me, and he knew I was lying but didn’t call me out on it.
We finished our ice cream, and Thaddeus asked if there was anywhere else I wanted to go. “Anymore shoe stores?” I giggled.
“Not to the magnitude that we just saw, but if you want to go to another one, we can.” I could see that he was trying to be kind but didn’t want to.
“Thaddeus, we’ve been here for almost three hours. I don’t need to shop anymore.” I smiled at him.
“I’m very relieved by that.” He laughed again.
I smiled knowing that he had a joking side.
Thaddeus held my hand all the way to car and the entire drive. A small gesture as holding someone’s hand might seem meaningless to some, but to me, it was something different. It was the first touch from my Matched. When he laced his fingers through mine, I felt the softness of his skin against mine. His lovingly act of his feathery touch across my knuckles sent shivers through me.
I wondered if other girls felt this way with their Matched, or I guess, boyfriends. If I felt like this holding his hand, what would our first kiss be like? My luck, I would pass out. I glanced over at Thaddeus and his full lips. I wonder what they would feel like on mine. Would I be a good kisser?
For years, I’ve read every girly magazine on how to perfect a kiss. Of course, I have no clue because I’ve never done it. I’d probably suck at it.
“Xaviera, you’re staring at me. Everything okay?” Thaddeus asked driving up my driveway.
“Yes,” I abruptly answered. “I was in dreamland.”
He didn’t respond as he got out of the car and retrieved my bag of shoes from the trunk. When he shut my car door, he lightly pinned me against the car. Our bodies were close, but not touching. “Am I ever in dreamland with you?” His eyes searched my face.
I felt all my blood rush up my neck and cheeks. “Sometimes,” I whispered.
“Mmm.” He pursed his lips a little and the world stopped. He was going to kiss me. He kept looking at my lips and then connected with my eyes again. “I should get you inside.” Thaddeus was so close that I could smell the remains of his ice cream on his breath.
I couldn’t move. I was unable to have a coherent thought at that very moment. If someone asked me my name, I wouldn’t know it because all I saw was Thaddeus full lips mere inches from mine.
He backed up, and he took my hand leading me up the sidewalk. When we reached the door, he handed me the bag. “I had a great day with you.” He gave me a smile.
“If you keep smiling people might think you’re nice.” I giggled trying to remain calm from the closeness of him.
“If you keep flirting, Unit will be talking in the morning about us.” He leaned in a little closer.
“Why?”
Thaddeus’ hot breath was on my cheek. “Because I’ll have to kiss you right here, on the front porch.” He lightly pecks his lips on my fire hot cheek and left me standing there.
There was no air left in my body. There was no air left on this earth. I couldn’t move from that position. I was like a statue.
Thaddeus kissed my cheek.
I can’t think of anything as my heart slammed into my chest, and my breathing was ragged and uneven. When I’m finally able to move, I go into the house and up to my room.
I went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face trying to bring myself back to normal. I looked in the mirror. Water dripped down my face as I stared deep into my brown eyes.
He held my hand. He kissed my cheek. He bought me shoes.
“Xaviera,” I heard Gia yell my name.
“Upstairs,” I hollered back being pulled from the thoughts rotating in my head.
“Amaya’s on her way.” She stopped as she saw me. “What happened to you? You look ill.”
“I’m fine. I just got back. Thaddeus and I spent the evening together,” I explained patting my face dry.
“Amaya’s losing it.” She sat on the edge on the bed.
I saw the sadness on her face. I had always known that she had a crush on Oliver. “What about you?” I asked.
“I’ll be Matched soon, right? Guess I’ll know then.” Gia picked at her yellow nail polish.
I gave her a small hug. I felt so bad for her. “It’ll be okay.” The click-clack of heels was loud coming up the stairs, and Amaya appeared in the doorway.
Her usual put together look was disheveled and her green eyes blood shot and puffy. “Oliver. Oliver Thomas. My parents thought that my Matched should be Oliver Thomas,” she growled tears leaving her eyes.
“Well, he’s nice and good looking,” Gia tried to sound positive for her.
“I don’t care.” Amaya stomped her foot. “I don’t want him to be my Matched.”
“Amaya.” I walked over to her, and she collapsed crying in my arms.
“Why me?”
Gia came up and hugged us both, as Amaya continued to sob.
After several minutes, she calmed down. We got her up off the floor and onto my desk chair. I handed her a few tissues, as she cleaned herself up.
“So, what happened after the party?” Gia asked carefully.
“Well, we got home and Mom told me to go to the office to get pen and paper. You know how she is about thank you notes.” Amaya pushed her hands through her brown h
air. Her purple highlights shimmering off the light. “And there he was, standing in the middle of the office. I told him that I didn’t want him to drive me home. I didn’t want to be around him.”
I looked at Gia, who was trying not to cry herself. “Did he say anything?” I really hoped she wasn’t rude to Oliver.
“'Hi’. That’s what he said. What is that anyway? ‘Hi’.” She mimicked his voice.
“It’s a greeting,” Gia told her.
“Ugh.” Amaya rolled her eyes. “I’m praying to Mother Nature that she will hear me and let me be Pushed Back.”
“What?” Gia and I exclaimed.
“I’m not having a ceremony with him. Trust me.” She stood up. “I need to go home and take a hot shower.” Amaya didn’t say anything else just walked out of my room.
When I looked at Gia, her tears finally fell. I handed her a tissue. “I’m getting Graham, aren’t I?” She wiped her face.
“I don’t know. There are more available guys in town besides Graham,” I tried to sound hopeful.
“I wanted Oliver,” she openly admitted.
I hugged her tight. “It’ll be okay.” That was the only thing that I could think to say. I truly don’t know if it will be okay.
Chapter 8
Just Another Weekend in Unit
I had two weeks of classes before a short break, and then fall semester started. I had a lot of work to do in those two weeks and because other tellers were taking vacations at the bank, my schedule was becoming more chaotic. This week had passed so fast that I felt my head spinning.
Amaya was barely talking to anyone and hadn’t been on campus since her birthday. Gia and I went over to her house, and her mom said she was ill. I texted her numerous times, but she would hardly say anything back. My father allowed me to go out on my own without my Protector, except Thaddeus made sure that Graham was close by since he was in the city working this week.
Gia didn’t come to school today either. Her mother and she were going dress shopping, so I was at the library alone today.
I was at the library in deep thought about a project I finished and hoping it is good enough for a high grade, when my phone alerted me of a text.
