He settled back on his heels, shoving his hands into his pants’ pockets. “I assume we met here in this park because you know how to find the answer?”
I smiled, pleased he’d caught on. “I have a lead. There’s a professor in New York who specializes in mythology, especially Latvian mythology. I’m on my way there now.”
His brow furrowed. “You’re going to New York now?”
I nodded and blurted out my next request, preparing myself for a negative response. “Will you come with me?”
“Yes.” His eyes grazed past my shoulder to my old clunker. “In my car.”
I threw my arms around his neck. “Thank you! Thanks for coming!”
“Are you kidding?” He pulled one hand down and slipped it into his. “There’s no way I would let you go by yourself.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Aaron spent the first half hour of the drive on the phone with his mom, explaining to her that he was staying the night at a friend’s house near campus and wouldn’t be home. She didn’t sound too alarmed or worried, so it must not be the first time he’d stayed out. Either that or, like mine, Aaron’s parents were accustomed to him telling the truth and wouldn’t suspect a lie.
“What did you tell yours?” he asked after he hung up.
“I haven’t told them yet,” I admitted. “I’m waiting until I get closer to New York.”
“Are you telling them the truth?”
“Not all of it. We’re staying the night at Dana’s cousin’s place. I’ll tell them that part, just not where we are.” Or who I was with.
“How are you going to find this professor?”
I pulled up a contact name in my phone and waved it at him. “Professors are very old-school. I found a landline and a home address under his name.”
Aaron squinted. “Skylar Kestovely. I guess not a lot of people would have that name.”
“Definitely unique,” I agreed.
“So what’s the plan? You knock on his door and start blurting out your questions?”
“Much friendlier than that. I’ve already talked to him. We’re taking him out to lunch tomorrow and talking about it then. Comfortable, informal environment.”
A short half hour later, we pulled up to a shabby apartment complex on the outskirts of Manhattan. Aaron drove into the parking garage across the street and paid the fee. I climbed out, wrinkling my nose at the sight. Paint peeled from the shutters, and aluminum cans and Styrofoam cups littered the parking area. Somewhere close by, a dumpster reeked of decomposing food.
“Nice,” I muttered.
Aaron took my hand in a solid grip. He didn’t say it, but I knew he was doubly grateful I hadn’t come alone. For that matter, so was I.
We walked up the sidewalk, taking the first set of stairs and climbing to the third floor. I found room number eleven and knocked on the door. Across the hall, music boomed so loudly I didn’t think anyone would hear me. But then the door opened, and Dana’s cousin stood there.
“Hi,” I said. “Emily?”
She looked vaguely familiar. I remembered meeting Emily a few years ago. She’d been thin and gawky at the time, with frizzy, unconfined red hair.
That had all changed. Emily stood tall and slender now, her skinny jeans clinging to her shapely butt. She tossed back her shiny red hair, styled into large, sexy curls.
And just like that, I wished Aaron hadn’t come. She was sophisticated, beautiful, and in college. Everything I wasn’t. And she reminded me a lot of Libby, Aaron’s ex-girlfriend. Practically his ex-wife.
Emily grabbed my forearm, pulling us inside. “It’s Jayne, right? I’m so glad you’re here. My roommate’s gone for the weekend, and I hate being alone.”
She sounded just like Dana. Nostalgia hit me hard, and I wished it was my vibrant best friend who stood in front of me.
Emily’s greenish-brown eyes looked me over from head to foot. “Sit down, have a drink. Where’s your stuff?”
“I’ll get it,” Aaron said.
“We wanted to make sure this was the right place first,” I said, sitting down at the small round table. I kept my elbows lifted, not wanting to knock over any of the mounds of text books or spill the half-filled cups that sat on the edges.
Aaron slipped out the door and Emily widened her eyes at me. “Dana did not say you were bringing a guy. He’s hot. Does he go to your school?”
“No.” I shifted in my chair, uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. “He goes to Princeton.”
“He has an accent, right? Where’s he from?”
She’d picked up a lot from those three words Aaron had uttered. “England.” Was it just me, or was it stifling in here?
The door bumped open, and Aaron came in with my overstuffed duffel, saving me from more awkward conversation. “How long are we staying, Jayne?” he teased, dropping my bag at my feet.
“Um, well,” I said, my face flaming. “I wanted a variety of outfits.”
“Yet you know the only thing I’ve got is what I’m wearing.” He winked at me.
“I didn’t really think about that,” I admitted.
“Do you need some clothes to borrow?” Emily asked. She gave him the same once-over she’d given me. “The guys next door will probably have something in your size.”
“No, thank you. I’ll just wear this again tomorrow.”
“For sleeping, too?” Emily arched a cleanly waxed brow. “You won’t want to wrinkle that nice shirt.”
“I’ll manage,” Aaron said, amusement in his voice. “You ready, Jayne?”
“Oh,” Emily said. “You guys going somewhere?”
“Out, yeah,” Aaron said. “Or did you want to change your clothes first, Jayne?”
“No.” I shot him a mock glare and scooted out of my chair. This was the first I’d heard about us going out, but I couldn’t be happier about it. “I’m fine the way I am.” I took his proffered hand and hurried out of the apartment.
“Thank you,” I said, exhaling as I climbed back into his car. I couldn’t remember ever being so excited to get back in a car after an hour of driving. “I thought I’d suffocate in there.”
“It’s going to be a long night,” he agreed. “But we’ll manage. First thing: we need to find a store where I can buy some pajamas. And a toothbrush, because I’m just not ready to start using yours.”
I laughed and bobbed my head. “Agreed.”
*~*
I waited until just after dinner to make my necessary phone calls. Aaron drove us to the closest Target and I called my mom, giving her a quick rundown of how my day had been and telling her that I was with Dana’s cousin. And then I held my breath.
“Dana’s cousin?” she said. “Why?”
“Well, Dana told me to go talk to her,” I said, acting chill. “Just to reminisce, you know, catch up on old times.”
“Oh,” Mom said, and I knew she was trying to remember if Dana’s cousin and I had ever been close friends. “Give me her number in case I can’t reach you.”
“Sure,” I said, pausing to look up the contact info. Then I hung up and gave Aaron a smile. “That’s done. Mom knows where I am.”
“Who you’re with,” he corrected, pulling into a paid parking spot at the shopping complex and turning the car off. “And only half the party.”
My cheeks burned. “She’d about flip out if she knew you were here.”
Aaron leaned across the console, half crawling into my side. “What?” He planted a kiss on my mouth. “She likes me.”
“Not that much,” I laughed, shoving him back to his side. He grabbed me and slid me across to his lap.
“Aaron,” I murmured.
“Just for a moment.” He held me around the waist and kissed me slowly. “It’s nice to have you to myself.”
I relaxed and kissed him back. It reminded me of when we’d first started dating. How we’d sneak into a corner of the school hallway for a quick kiss between classes, or hang out longer than necessary in the parking lot
of Taco Bell after going through the drive-thru. Any chance we could get to be together, to explore the new and exciting feelings we had for each other.
What had happened since then? We acted like an old married couple that was anything except old, and definitely not married.
Aaron broke away first, disentangling my body from his. “All right,” he sighed. “We better get out of here before I decide I don’t want to let you go.”
“Never let me go,” I replied.
He paused, one hand on the door handle. “Never, Jayne.” The other hand came back and stroked my cheek, caressing the skin in front of my ear.
I closed my eyes. Say it! I thought to myself. Say those words! Whether I encouraged myself or Aaron, I wasn’t quite sure.
It didn’t matter. Neither of us spoke.
Instead, Aaron opened the door, placing me solidly on the ground before joining me. “Better call your professor,” he said, threading his fingers through mine and leading me across the parking lot. “Make sure we’re set for tomorrow.”
*~*
“How was dinner?” Emily asked when we tiptoed back into the dingy apartment three hours after we’d left. She lay propped up on the couch, wearing a tank top and yoga pants. Her silky, vibrant red hair spilled down one shoulder. A thick textbook lay open across her legs. The television flashed muted colors in the darkened room, though the sound was down too low to hear it.
I hated that she’d stayed up for us, but at the same time, we didn’t have a key, so someone had to let us in. “It was nice,” I said, clutching Aaron’s hand.
He slid his grip from mine and locked the deadbolt to the apartment, then pulled the chain as well.
“Don’t worry,” Emily said, her eyes on him. “Nobody is going to rob this place. It doesn’t exactly scream, ‘kids with money live here.’”
“That’s good,” Aaron said.
I went to my overnight bag and fished out my pajamas. My fleece Mickey Mouse combo felt awfully immature next to Emily’s sexy getup. “I’ll just change in the bathroom, if that’s all right.”
“Here.” She uncoiled from the couch, giving us a better view of her curvy figure. “I’ll show you your room, and you can change in there.” She sashayed in front of me, hips swaying from side to side. She pushed open a door and flicked on the lights, revealing a twin bed and a desk in an obviously occupied room.
“Sorry.” She picked up a pair of shoes and tossed them in the closet. “My roommate goes out of town every weekend, so it’s always just me. I tried to clean up after her. Guess I missed a few things.” She turned to face me. “I didn’t know there would be two of you. Where’s he going to sleep?”
She left it open for me to decide, her expression waiting. I hesitated. I didn’t trust myself to share a room with Aaron. We’d set boundaries to our physical relationship and stuck to them, mostly by staying out of tricky situations. At the same time, I didn’t trust this girl, either. I didn’t really want him where I couldn’t see him.
My hesitation must’ve been answer enough. She smiled. “I’ll make up the couch for him. Go ahead and bring your stuff in here. Make yourself comfortable.” She skipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
I could hear the low murmur of their voices from down the hall. I yanked my shirt off and slipped on the pajama top, doing the buttons with hurried fingers. Then it grew quiet out there, and I hated the silence more than the noise. My fingers shook as I pulled up the matching bottoms. Taking a deep breath and shoving a hand through my wavy locks, I opened the door and stepped out.
Only Emily was in the living room, once again lounging on the couch.
“He’s in the bathroom,” she said when she saw me. “Dana texted me. She wanted to know if you got here.”
“Right.” I nodded, wondering why I’d half expected to find her making out with my boyfriend. “I’ll text her.” I turned to go, then turned back. “How long will you be up?” I hoped the question sounded casual.
She flipped through the pages in her text book. “Oh, I don’t know. Another hour, maybe. Have to finish this before Monday.” She looked up at me. “You don’t have to stay awake, though.”
“Gee, thanks,” I said, unable to keep my sarcasm to myself. Still, what else was I going to do? Sit at the table and stare at her until she went to bed?
I propped my feet up on a chair and texted Dana.
Thanks for warning me about your cousin.
The response came back quickly.
What? What did she do?
My fingers spelled out one word: Aaron.
It only took a few seconds before Dana’s words spilled across my non-smart phone, taking three pages of texting.
Ohhhh. You didn’t say he was coming! So sorry. Don’t stress it. She’s got nothing on you and Aaron knows it.
I only grunted and shut the phone. What now?
The water ran in the bathroom, and I assumed Aaron would be out soon. I waited at the table, wondering how this unofficial show-down would go. But he didn’t appear.
Emily looked up also, her greenish eyes flashing toward the hallway before returning to her book. I got myself a cup of water and leaned against the counter, counting to myself. One minute. One and a half. When three minutes had gone by, I decided to check on him.
I stepped into the hallway and found the bathroom door open. A quick look inside revealed it was empty. Two more steps led me to the back bedroom, where I’d be sleeping. “Hello?” I said, poking my head in.
“Hey,” Aaron said, pulling me inside and closing the door. “This is our room, right?”
I took in his pajamas, still creased from being in the plastic bags. “Our room?” I echoed. My heart tumbled and did all kinds of flips.
“There’s only one bed. I could take the couch in the living room if you prefer.”
Emily hadn’t told him, and Aaron had assumed we’d share a room. “No,” I said, grasping the opportunity to keep him in my sights. “You take the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“That’s cute,” he said, scratching the top of my head. “My girlfriend sleeps on the floor while I get the bed. Don’t think so.” He opened the bedroom door. “I’ll just see if there are some extra blankets somewhere.”
I stood in the doorway and tried to clear my head. I didn’t know if Aaron was trying to prove his loyalty, or if he felt comfortable enough in our relationship to think sharing a room was natural. It didn’t matter. I doubted I would ever get my heart back under control.
“I was looking for some extra blankets?” he said to Emily, his voice coming down the hallway.
“I got some ready right here. Can I make up the couch for you?”
“That’s all right,” he said, maintaining a casual, upbeat tone. “I’ll be in the bedroom with Jayne.”
“Really? She said she didn’t want to share a room with you.”
I bit my lower lip hard to keep from yelling out my defense. I’d get Dana back for this one.
“Yeah, Jayne’s a funny bird, isn’t she? Thanks for these.”
Then Aaron appeared in the hallway, a crooked smile on his face, the dimple in his chin more prominent than usual. He met my eyes and winked, then stepped inside and dumped the blankets on the ground.
I closed the door and crossed my arms over my chest. A strong possessive streak had taken hold of me. This was my boyfriend, and I wasn’t about to let him go. “I hope you cleared the floor before you threw those blankets down. Might wake up with a shoe in your back.”
“Are you threatening me?” He fluffed up one blanket like a pillow and slithered inside the others.
I knelt down next to his bundle of bedding, wanting to feel the warmth of his body next to mine. “Can I join you?”
He reached out and took my hand, rubbing my knuckles with his thumb. “Better not. Wouldn’t want to waste that lovely bed.”
I leaned over and kissed him, luxuriating in the taste of his lips, the feel of his mouth on mine. “Stop trying to protect
my virtue.”
“Maybe I'm trying to protect mine,” he teased, gripping my shoulders and kissing me hard. His hands relaxed, and he started to pull me down to him, and then he tightened his hold and pushed me away. “Time to go, Jayne,” he whispered, his voice husky.
I obliged him, part of me resenting his self-control as I moved off the blankets. Did you protect your virtue from Libby? I wanted to ask, but I didn’t dare. It made me jealous to think someone else might know him better than me. I climbed into the twin bed, my lips throbbing from the force of his kiss. “Good night.”
“Guess I’ll turn out the lights, huh? I see how it is.”
Before I could even budge, Aaron stood up and flipped the switch, plunging us into darkness. A streetlight shone across the street, illuminating the room with stripes from the blinds. I watched the numbers on the digital clock change as Aaron tossed about on the floor. Finally his breathing deepened and I closed my eyes, wishing I could fall asleep to that sound every night.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Hi, Professor Kestovely.” I extended my hand and shook the professor’s. He was an aging man, with white hair protruding from his ears and deep lines around his eyes. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with us.”
He rose from the high round table and clasped my proffered hand in both of his, shaking it with more strength than I expected. Behind him in the small coffee shop, baristas shouted out orders and customers lingered in the line, checking their watches.
“Someone offers to buy me lunch while I talk about what I’m passionate about? I couldn’t refuse.” He looked back and forth from me to Aaron. “Are you students here? I’ve never seen either of you in class.”
“We’re not,” I said, taking a seat. The professor sat as well. “We just have a strange fascination with Latvian mythology.”
Aaron gave my shoulder a squeeze. “What would you like, Jayne? I’ll order for you.”
I glanced at the chalkboard menu, but my nerves were too tight to make sense of the writing. “You pick.”
“And you, Professor?”
The old man smiled at me. “If she trusts you with her food, I do too.”
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