I went to him, put my arms around his neck, and squeezed. “Thank you for coming.”
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.”
It was true. It had to be. I’d certainly given him enough reason to stay far, far away for a very long time … yet here he was.
“Any sign of your roommate yet?” he asked, a moment later.
I released him reluctantly. “Nope. But we e-mailed a few times and she seems nice. Her name’s Sarah. She’s from Nebraska.”
“Conveniently nowhere near an ocean.”
“Right.” That had been my first thought, too.
“Care for some friendly advice?”
“Always.”
He flopped on the bed. “Ground rules. Lay them down as soon as possible—preferably after parental departures but before you go to sleep tonight. You don’t want to wake up to a predawn alarm clock or nude yoga or anything else that might get your relationship off to the kind of rocky start from which some roommates never recover. Trust me.”
I grinned and sat next to him.
“Also, are you sure about this side of the room? The unwritten rule is that the first one to arrive gets first pick, but I know you’d probably hand this side over if Sarah from Nebraska so much as smiled at it. So if you’re sure, we should probably come up with polite ways for you to stand your ground. Another option is to wait till she gets here and discuss who gets which piece of furniture, but that’s always more trouble than it’s worth.”
Amused, I didn’t say anything. A second later, he turned to me, eyebrows raised.
“Sorry,” I said. “That was a real question?”
“Just wait. Tomorrow morning, when you open your eyes before the sun comes up and suddenly know your roommate really well … you’re going to wish you’d taken this seriously.”
I leaned closer, bumped his shoulder with mine. “What would I do without you?”
He lifted my chin, waited for my eyes to meet his, and spoke softly. “That’s one question, Vanessa Sands, you will never have to know the answer to.”
He pressed his lips gently to mine. As we kissed, I thought about how, for the first time, I actually believed this. I believed Simon and I would be together no matter what. Because he knew everything now. He knew about Colin. He knew that although Natalie had been technically killed by the other sirens, they’d been acting upon my distress call, making me at least partially—if not totally—responsible. He knew how I felt even stronger after her death than I had after Colin’s. He even knew what I’d have to do if I were to continue to curtail the accelerated aging process.
And he wanted to be with me anyway.
We kissed a while longer. When we finally pulled apart, Simon stood with a sigh and held out one hand.
“We should probably find your parents before your mother monopolizes all the mini fridges in a hundred-mile radius.”
I took his hand and he gently helped me up. “Can I meet you at the dining hall? I just want to freshen up.”
“I’m happy to wait.”
“That’s okay.” I smiled. “I won’t be long.”
He didn’t press. He squeezed my fingers as he released them, kissed my cheek, and said, “Take your time.”
I watched him go. When the door closed behind him, I surveyed the room once more. Besides the furniture and my bedding, it was bare, and my side would likely stay that way. As I’d packed during the days leading up to orientation week, I’d thought of Charlotte’s home in South Boston, the guest room during her stay at the beach house. Her home had been simply furnished. Her bookcases had remained empty, the fireplace spotless, like it’d never seen a match. She’d stayed with us several days in Winter Harbor, but aside from her suitcase and slippers, the room always seemed unoccupied.
Charlotte had kept things simple. She hadn’t wanted to settle in, to get attached. Because it was hard to feel comfortable in the present when your future could change at any time.
That was why I’d packed lightly. I didn’t know what my future held. For now it was college. Simon. My friends and family. A relatively normal life.
But later? In a month? A year? Two years? When no amount of salt water or random flirting gave me the strength I needed to live a relatively normal life? When it was time to do what I wasn’t sure I could ever do again?
I had no idea.
Still, I was hopeful. More so than I’d been in a long time. Which was why I’d brought a few things to help my dorm room feel like home.
My purse was on my bed. I reached inside for the envelope I’d placed there the night before, went to the nearest desk, and faced the wall—and a brown cork bulletin board.
I did as Simon suggested. I took my time, working carefully, arranging thoughtfully. When I was done, I stepped back to survey the result.
The forest green Dartmouth bumper sticker I’d received with my acceptance letter was centered at the top of the board. Beneath it were a dozen different photos—of my parents lounging in Adirondack chairs on the beach. Paige dancing with Betty as Oliver cooked in the background. Caleb grinning and pretending to attack the camera with a clam rake. Simon reading, hiking, and looking at the photographer like he’d be perfectly content to never look anywhere else.
These photos formed a loose circle around one other. It was a five by seven, and it was my favorite. In it, Justine and I are fishing in our red rowboat. Her head’s turned toward me and mine’s tilted toward the sky. My shoulders are pulled up near my ears as I laugh until tears fall at something she’s said.
“It’s scary,” I whispered, gently pressing my fingertips to her smiling face. “But exciting, too. You would’ve liked it.”
I stood there a minute more—until a familiar voice called my name from somewhere outside. I went to the open window and peered down at the crowded sidewalk.
“A cappella in the quad!” Paige shouted, waving two iced coffees—one for each of us, I guessed. “I have no idea what any of that means, but Fancy College Man assures me it’s not to be missed. You coming?”
I grinned. My parents stood just behind her, examining the campus map. Simon stood next to them, hands in his jeans pockets, smiling up at me. All around them, my new classmates talked and laughed with one another and their families.
“Be right there,” I called down.
And then I grabbed my purse, took one more look around my new room, and went to find out what else today had in store.
Dark Water: A Siren Novel Page 28
