Page 11 of If the Stars Align
And Thanksgiving was a total disaster. My mom and I had dinner at noon before she had to be at the hospital. Even though it was only the two of us, she ordered a whole turkey and all the trimmings from her favorite five-star restaurant. We started the meal seated at our barely used dining room table but, within minutes, my mom got a phone call from a frazzled surgery resident and ate standing in the kitchen while I took my plate to the couch.
After my mom left for work, Dex picked me up so I could have a real Thanksgiving dinner at his house. Mrs. Dexter made everything from scratch, and I was so happy to be with them again—but Dex had this terrible cold and didn’t want to get too close. There I was hoping we could pick up where we left off on our last night before college, when we almost kissed in the rain. At least Ithoughtwe almost kissed. I don’t know, now. Maybe I was imagining things.
Or maybe I was losing Dex. Maybe he had a gorgeous girlfriend in LA he hadn’t mentioned yet. I knew he wasn’t still involved with Jenna, because he’d casually mentioned in conversation that she was dating someone she met in school. But maybe he wasseeing someone else. So back at Northwestern, I conducted an experiment: if I didn’t call him first, how long would it take for him to call me? The results were exactly what I feared. I didn’t hear from him for weeks. I didn’t even bother going home for spring break. My mom would be working anyway, so I accepted my roommate’s invitation to her family’s lake house in Michigan.
“Oh my gosh, so you guys haven’t seen in each other in, like…six months? That’s crazy! You should definitely come to the party then! I can pick you up. How’s nine o’clock?” Mia asks eagerly.
I sigh. “I don’t know, Mia. I had to wake up early this morning to finish packing, and I’m pretty exhausted. I’ll probably just stay in tonight.”
Mia frowns. “Are you sure?” she asks without waiting for my reply. “Well, if you change your mind, you can always call me,” she says as she passes a truck that has to be going ninety miles an hour.
“I will,” I say, relieved that she doesn’t press me any further. Truthfully, I got more than enough sleep last night, but I’m not sure I want to see Dex for the first time in six months at a house party full of kids from our high school.
“So what are your plans for the summer?” Mia goes on to ask.
“Not a whole lot. Babysitting. Hanging out. In a few weeks, I’ll be going to Chicago.” I pause for just a second, considering whether I want to continue. “To visit my boyfriend.”
“Hold up!” Mia shrieks, slamming on the brakes at a red light. I jolt forward in my seat. “You have a boyfriend?!”
“Mia, you havegotto drive more slowly. You’re going to getus killed! And you’re making me motion-sick,” I say, crinkling my nose.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Mia says with a grimace. “Me and my lead foot—I promise I’ll slow down.”
When the light turns green, she creeps forward, going about fifteen miles per hour. The car behind us starts honking impatiently, and I burst out laughing. “Notthatslow, Grandma!”
Mia giggles, her face flushed, and accelerates to a reasonable pace. “Sorry! You know I only have one speed, Sunny! You love this about me!”
“I do love this about you,” I reply, smiling. “Notwhen it comes to driving—but, in general, your boundless energy is inspiring.”
Mia smiles. “Thank you. And you’re right…I should definitely pay more attention to the speed limit. Now, let’s please rewind so you can explain why you have a boyfriend I know nothing about? I swear, Sunny, you are the most secretive person on the planet.”
I crank up the air conditioning, my face warm. “Well…I wanted to tell you in person. It’s not the same over the phone, you know?” It’s a lame excuse, but hopefully she accepts it.
Mia nods. “Okay, so tell me about him!”
“His name is Chris Jenkins,” I begin. “He’s a rising sophomore too. We met waiting in line to get into a frat party. He was standing behind me and overheard me tell my friends that I was freezing and wanted to leave, so he offered me some of the hot chocolate mixed with peppermint Schnapps he was carrying in a thermos.”
“Love it,” Mia says approvingly.
“It was delicious…but I was still chilled to the bone, so Chris suggested we try another activity to get warm. That’s when I kissed him—right there in line. A couple of weeks later, he asked me to be his girlfriend.”
Mia gasps excitedly. “I can’t believe you kissed him in front of everyone! That’s not like you at all!”
“I know,” I say with a little chuckle. “I guess I’m becoming a new Sunny.” It was a bold move, and definitely out of character. But I hadn’t heard from Dex in weeks, and…
I needed the distraction.
The next time Dex called me, I told him I had a boyfriend. I don’t think I would have if Chris hadn’t walked into my room just as I’d picked up my phone. Dex overheard him say, “Hey, babe,” and I had no choice but to explain. Dex sounded really happy for me and told me to enjoy my night with Chris.
And that was the last time I heard from him. Dex was my best friend for thirteen years—how could he stop talking to me? Maybe I’m naïve…but I thought we’d always be “Sunny D.” I guess that’s what happens when you’re miles apart. I just never thought it would happen to us.
“Well, I like this new Sunny, and clearly Chris does too!” Mia exclaims as I take a deep breath and refocus on the present. “I’m not surprised he wanted to lock you down, considering how smoking hot you are.”
I laugh but, in a way, she’s right. I can tell that Chris is very attracted to me—and it feels so good to be wanted like that. Finally. Although, he did once make a comment about my curls. When we were kissing one night, he said, “I wish I could run my fingers through your hair.”
To be honest, it hurt my feelings. But I kept that to myself.
“So have you guys…” Mia looks at me out of the corner of her eye and grins. “You know…slept together?”
