Page 75 of Surrender

I laugh loudly and carefree and catch Joseph smiling back in the rearview mirror.

We pull up outside of the Natural History Museum and Joseph pulls to the curb, hazard lights flashing, and opens our door for us.

"The Natural History Museum? Isn't it closed?"

Declan steps out of the car and with a hand on my lower back, ushers me towards the stairs. "Not when you have a friend."

The lights are low in the museum, the dark walls creating an intimate space. Between the iconic bull elephant and the entrance in the rotunda sits a small table, covered in a white linen with China place settings and two low candles.

I gasp.

Standing next to the table is a thin, older man with a thick mustache in a server's uniform, cloth napkin over his arm and everything.

"Dec," I whisper on a sigh. "This is incredible."

The gentleman pulls my chair out for me, and I sit with a small 'thank you'.

The gentleman pours us what looks like two glasses of white wine before leaving.

I look at Declan with a question. "It's sparking apple cider, not alcohol."

I smile and indulge.

We chat easily about my classes. That it's a little strange being the oldest student in my classes, but I do see a few older students walking around the quad. It feels weird doing normal college kid type things like reading in the student center and eating at the cafeteria. I eaves drop on the conversations around me and the topics are so...normal. They're about the latest movies, or TV shows they've binged, or frat parties from the weekend before and who hooked up with who.

Nothing I'm very interested in.

But it makes me think about what life would have been like if I was born to these people’s parents. If I hadn't had to struggle so hard in the beginning.

"How is your ADHD and studying? Doing alright?"

He knew I was worried about that. I could concentrate for a forty-five-minute class if I took notes. I found using colored pens and drawing little doodles helped, too. But reading chapters at a time? I was very worried about that.

I smile. "Yes. I tried a few things the school counselor had suggested so I have a handful of tools I can pull from, like reading it out loud, reading in twenty-minute chunks, or reading on a treadmill. I kind of just try out her ideas until one feels right for that day."

He smiles at me proudly and nods.

"And your apartment? Living with Ella?"

I frown. "It was weird at first. I missed you and your house so much, the sounds, the smells. But it's gotten better."

He reaches across the table and takes my hand in his. "Thank you, Ser. You were right, this was just what we needed."

We separate as the gentleman serves us plates full of... tacos?

I look up to Declan, whose smile has only spread.

"Is this...?"

I pick one up and take a bite and confirm my suspicions and laugh. He bought Jose's tacos for our fancy dinner because he knew how much I loved them.

So, when Joseph pulls up to my apartment building, I pull Declan out of the car and tell Joseph he's off for the night, and pull my boyfriend up to my apartment, kissing him all the way inside.

Chapter forty-seven

Serenity

"You realize last night was our first kiss, right?"

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