The Year I Met August

by Renea Porter

Mom sighed, got up, and made him a plate to go. Taking the dish, he kissed her on the forehead before leaving.

  “Guess it’s just us,” Mom announced.

  I looked at Melanie and asked “Where’s Jacob and Cathy?”

  “Oh they went to her parents house, they are doing Thanksgiving today since they didn’t go yesterday.”

  “Nice.”

  The five of us made light conversation throughout the meal.

  Mom looked to August. “Does your mom have any traditions for the holidays?”

  He offered a weak smile before answering. “Not since my dad died.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  I reached over and squeezed his hand.

  “I appreciate you having me over. For once, I feel the holiday spirit.”

  That made my mom smile. After dinner, we started to clear the dishes when mom asked August if she could ask a favor.

  “Sure.”

  “Would you mind going up to the attic and retrieving the tree? There’s probably a box labeled ‘Decorations’, too. Murph, you go with him,” she ushered.

  We made our way to the dusty attic, and I quickly spotted the boxes off in the corner.

  “Sorry. My dad or Jacob are usually the ones given this task.”

  “I don’t mind. I’m happy to be here. Are you happy?”

  It was a genuine question, and I wasn’t sure where that was coming from. “Yes. I am. Very. And I’m really glad you’re here, too.”

  I passed him the boxed up tree and I grabbed the box of decorations. We headed back downstairs. Mom had Christmas music on and mugs lined up the island to make our own hot cocoas. Setting the boxes down, August and I got to work on making our hot chocolates. Mine had marshmallows and chopped chocolate, while August topped his with whipped cream that touched his nose when he sipped it. I laughed.

  Mom and Melanie were busy getting the decorations up while Brandon assembled the fake tree. It was being centered in front of the picture window. It was the first time we were celebrating the holidays in this house. It felt different. It felt weird.

  August took another sip and looked around the room. “So this is what celebrating the holidays looks like. It’s been so long, I had forgotten.”

  I couldn’t help but beam, even though my family was far from perfect. They were still my family. When the tree was assembled, we started to help with the lights, then the ornaments. The popcorn garland was put on last.

  August enjoyed seeing some of the wreath ornaments that had mine and Melanie’s pictures attached. Then mom spoke, “I have tons of pictures of them. I should show you some of Murphy one day.”

  I put my hand up. “We don’t need to do that.”

  August chuckled.

  My favorite Christmas song ‘Rocking around the Christmas Tree’ came on. Melanie grabbed my hand and swung me around the room. I laughed out loud the whole time, while August watched us with glee.

  After the tree was decorated, we all stood back while Brandon plugged the lights in. The final reveal was beautiful.

  “We did good,” Mom announced.

  From the outside, we looked like the perfect family. I could see why August envied that. While tonight was enjoyable, there was still a lot of hurt deep down. With time, I hoped the good days, like today, would outweigh the bad. For now, they did.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “I can’t believe you have to go back tomorrow,” August pouted sticking out his lower lip.

  “I know. A week goes by so dang fast. Especially when you’re having fun.”

  “True. But at least I get to drive you back. No tears this time, okay? It’s hard enough letting you go,” he confessed.

  “No guarantees, but I’ll try. Hey. I’ll see you again in less than a month, anyway for winter break. And that’s about two weeks, or so.”

  August pulled me into him. It was our last night together. I was spending my last moments with him, instead of at home with my family. It was actually my mom who encouraged it. But I still felt like I was being selfish.

  We lied in August’s bed, only the sound of our beating hearts surrounding us in the dark. I was dreading tomorrow, but it was unavoidable. I promised I’d do my best not to cry when we said goodbye, but I was almost positive that would be impossible.

  I fell asleep in his arms. My happy place.

  ***

  After we made love in the a.m., I started to pack up.

  August circled his arms around my waist from behind and nuzzled my neck. “One day, we’ll be able to see each other every single day. But I’m always just a phone call away, no matter what time; day or night.”

  I leaned my head against his shoulder. “I know.” I gave him a quick peck.

  He stepped back so I could continue folding my now clean clothes that had already been washed. Mom made sure I had a lesson in washing clothes, even though I had already been doing my own laundry for nearly six months.

  “I guess I’m ready, but I’m not.” I was the one pouting this time.

  “Go say goodbye to your folks and I’ll come pick you up in a few.”

  “Okay. See you in a bit.”

  I walked out into the brisk air, and put my bag in the car then walked to my house.

  Entering the house, everyone was sitting at the table eating breakfast, except Dad. “I just came by to say bye. I’ll see you in a month.”

  I got hugs from my mom, my sister, Brandon, my brother and his girlfriend. Jacob and his girlfriend were living with my parents until they saved money for their own place.

  “Stay out of trouble, little one,” Jacob told me.

  Mom kept fixing my hair. I guess she was having trouble letting go, too.

  “Don’t be a stranger, okay?” Mel said as she hugged me.

  “I won’t. I promise I’ll call you more.”

  “You better. August just pulled up,” she told me.

  Smiling, I waved and headed out to the car. The brisk air slammed against me once again before I entered the warmth of the car.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  I sighed. “I guess so.”

  I got in the car and buckled my seatbelt.

  Halfway into the car ride, August made a stop at the gas station so we could get gas and a have a potty break. As usual, he stocked up on all my favorite snacks for the rest of the way. Immediately, I opened the chocolates and tormented August by pretending to feed him a piece, but I’d plop one in my mouth, instead.

  “You’re lucky I’m driving,” he teased.

  I laughed. Putting the goodies away for the time being, August reached over, taking my fingers and kissing them.

  Four hours passed way too quickly. “This is where I leave you,” August said, putting the car in park

  Stepping out of the car, I frowned. August was already out of the car and wrapping his arms around me, as he rested his chin on my head. I savored the moment, wrapping my arms around his waist. I loved him with everything I had. And he probably had no clue how much I needed him when he was around. His love was like a drug, and I craved the high. Just a fix that would cure everything until I saw him next. I’ll be losing my mind until the next time I saw him. I was addicted to him. That much was true. Addicted to the buzz he caused.

  Unlatching from him, I leaned up and brushed my lips with his.

  All I could think about was him leaving again. And I was here. One day, we’d be able to be together completely. So much so that we’d be sick of each other.

  “I guess this is it until next time,” I said, avoiding the goodbye word. I’m never good at saying that.

  “Be good.” August said.

  “Always.” Backing up, I held onto his hand, my arm stretched out until I was no longer holding it. “I love you.”

  I didn’t want him to feel pressured into saying it back just because I had. But that was my truth. Right there out in the open. I felt like I had just handed over my heart. Maybe I had. And that was okay, as long as he held it gently.

&n
bsp; “Murphy,” he called me, leaning out the window.

  I turned. “Yeah?”

  His lips curved up into a huge smile. “I love you, too.

  That made the tears stall as I smiled back at him, before turning toward the building.

  Once I made it to the door, I looked back and waved. He waved back with a bright smile. He didn’t pull away until I was inside. I hoped he saw the smile I was trying my best to show through the dewed glass. As he pulled away, I thought, There goes my heart. We’d been together nearly six months, so it wasn’t like this was new for us. Even though I didn’t need him to say it back, I knew he felt the same about me through his actions. I couldn’t help the stray tears that escaped my eye. I missed him already, and my heart ached.

  Quickly swiping the wetness from my eyes, I crossed my arms and walked to the dorm room. It was early afternoon and there weren’t many students around yet. In my dorm, I unpacked and realized I barely had any laundry. I settled on my bed, trying to study. A week away had already screwed up my mindset. Mindlessly, I played with the chain that resided around my neck the chain and locket that August gave me.

  With winter break right around the corner, I had to focus. Gwen wasn’t back yet, so I forced myself to study. After an hour, I dug into the candy that August got me. I smiled at the thought of how caring and thoughtful August was. How he remembered all the tiny details. I was deliriously in love with August. There was no denying that. There was still a lot to learn about each other, but that happened over time. I just hoped he wouldn’t break my heart.

  Two hours after studying, Gwen came bounding through the door.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” she said.

  “Hey there, yourself.” Getting up from the bed, I reached for her to give her a hug. Then I stepped back. “How was your break?”

  She beamed. “It was wonderful. How about yours?”

  Sitting back down on my bed, I talked while she unpacked. “Mine was good. August and I are good. We worked things out. Obviously, it’s not the ideal situation. I just asked him not to do that around me or in my presence. He said he would try his best. So we’ll see.”

  “That’s all you can ask for. I’m glad you worked things out, though.”

  “Thanks.” I sighed. “I’ve been studying for, like, two hours.”

  “Ugh,” Gwen groaned. Want to go grab a bite to eat?”

  “Sure.” I bounced off my bed and grabbed my bag. “Well, August did ask me to be his girlfriend.”

  Gwen reached over and shook my shoulders. “Murphy’s got a boyfriend.” She teased.

  “So much for not complicating things while I’m here and he’s there.”

  She and I bundled up and walked a few short blocks to the local pub. It was crowded inside. We scanned the room in search of a table. As soon as two guys got up, we took the booth, figuring they were done with it.

  I wasn’t old enough to drink, but I definitely needed food. Five minutes later, the guys returned to the booth we had taken with beers in their hands.

  “I think you ladies took our seat,” a tall gentleman said.

  Gwen offered the fakest smile I had ever seen. “We thought you were done. Feel free to join us, because we aren’t moving,” she stated.

  My eyebrow arched up at her brazenness.

  The shorter guy spoke up, “We’ll just try to find a seat at the bar.”

  Once they were out of earshot, Gwen said, “I thought so,” and we both giggled.

  “I hate jocks. Rich boys always think they are entitled. Now, where’s the waitress? I need food,” I said.

  Gwen wasn’t shy about putting people in their place. I loved that about her.

  ***

  Two hours later, I was walking back into the dorm when my phone alerted me of a text.

  A: Made it back home a little bit ago. Oh, and I love you, too.

  My smile widened. Glad you made it. I miss you already.

  A: I miss you, too.

  I ended the text, because we could go back and forth all night if I let it. In the dorm, I got settled into bed. Gwen had run into a few people she knew and stayed back. She invited me to join, but I told her I was exhausted. It wasn’t a lie. I really was exhausted.

  Chapter Twenty

  The blaring sound of my alarm alerted me to the time. I groaned at the thought of waking so early for class. Once I pried my eyes open, I noticed Gwen hadn’t slept in her bed. That was unusual, even for her. She never even came home at all. Her purse and phone were nowhere to be found. I was worried.

  I got dressed and grabbed a bagel on the way to class. With ten minutes to spare, I was able to finish my breakfast before class started. Then the professor decided to give us a pop quiz. Good thing I studied forever last night. He said it was just to see how much we remembered. I shook my head and passed the paper to the student next to me. How much could one person forget in a week?

  Unfortunately, it was not an easy test. Hopefully, I passed. At the end of class, I turned in my paper and went to my next class where another test was sprung on us. After my two classes and tests, I was ready to head back to the dorm. The dorm was empty when I went inside, so I sent Gwen a text.

  She called me right back.

  “Are you okay? You didn’t sleep here last night and I’m worried,” I said before she could even say hi.

  She was crying hysterically into the phone.

  “Gwen, what happened?” I asked.

  “I was…raped last night. I’m at the hospital getting checked out. I think they are doing a rape kit.”

  “Oh my god, Gwen. What can I do? I can come to the hospital.”

  “No,” she stated in a firm voice. “They should be done shortly. I’ll be home soon.”

  “Okay. If you need me, call me.”

  She sniffed. “Okay.”

  We hung up. She sounded frightened, and I wished I would have called or texted her sooner. I wanted to be there for her.

  An hour later, she walked into the room. I immediately went to her. She cried into my shoulder. I held onto her and helped her sit, because it felt like her legs were about to give out on her. Sitting next to her, I rubbed her shoulder while trying to comfort her.

  “Can you tell me what happened?”

  Surveying her appearance, I noticed her hair was a mess, one eye was black and blue and one side of her lip was puffy and bloody.

  “I was walking back here last night, and someone attacked me from behind. I never saw what he looked like.” She cried. “He had my face pressed into a brick wall, and he entered me from behind.” She cried harder.

  I did my best to comfort her, and listened as she continued talking.

  “When he was done, I tried to look at his face, but then he hit me.” She pointed to her face. “He was wearing a hoodie so I couldn’t make out his face. But his voice… I’d remember that if I heard it. It sounded oddly familiar, though. Luckily, I had my phone on me, so I immediately called 911. The police took my statement. He’ll probably never be caught since I couldn’t describe him.”

  It’s scary when a rape happens, especially on a college campus. He could do it again, leaving more victims in his wake.

  I put my arm around her again. Then we lied down on her bed. I told her everything would be okay.

  “You did good calling 911 and agreeing to go to the hospital. Maybe they will find him if there is any DNA found.”

  She clutched onto my hand as I held her. She whimpered into her pillow, and I lightly stroked her hair with my other hand. I was crying, too.

  “I think I’m going to go shower before bed,” she whispered.

  “Okay. I’ll be right out here if you need me.”

  I felt helpless. There was nothing I could do to make this go away. Nothing. And that killed me.

  Twenty minutes later, she emerged in her pajamas.

  “Do you want me to get in bed with you?” I asked.

  She nodded her head, so I pressed my back into the wall and held her.

&nbs
p; “Don’t you dare tell a soul,” she told me.

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  Who would I tell? I barely talked to anyone outside our normal circle. Surprisingly, she fell right to sleep while I held her.

  By morning, she was facing me. The side of her face was black and blue with a little yellow tint. Her lip didn’t look much better. I caressed her arm gently so I wouldn’t alarm her. She stirred awake.

  “What did I miss in class yesterday?”

  “Two of the professors decided to spring us with a pop quiz. No one had time to study beforehand. If you want, I can cover that up with makeup,” I offered.

  She nodded. “I want to be brave and walk into class like this, let everyone see, but I can’t be brave today.”

  “Okay.”

  We both got out of bed, and then dressed.

  “Alright. If you’re ready, come and sit,” I told her with the makeup spread out in front of me.

  She was almost the same skin tone as me, so the concealer would work great on her. First, I worked the side that wasn’t touched by his hand. Carefully, I worked my way over to where she was worse for wear. She flinched.

  “I’m sorry,” I told her. “It’s probably going to hurt for a minute while I cover it up.”

  She braced for it, put her brave face on, and I continued. I was as gentle as possible, even though the wound was fresh. I saw tears building up in her eyes, and I stopped for a brief moment while she blinked back the tears. She took several deep breaths while I finished her up. She was so brave. The bravest person I knew.

  I finished her look by lining her lip with pencil, and then colored her lips with a deep burgundy lipstick. By the time I was done, you could hardly see underneath. Then I presented her with a mirror.

  “Oh my god, Murphy. You should be doing makeup professionally.” She took a closer look. “You can hardly tell.”

  “I know. I did good.”

  “Thank you so much.” She stood and hugged me.

  “You’re welcome. It’s not your usual regimen, so if anyone asks, just tell them you have a family function to attend later or something. You look beautiful.”

  She smiled.