Page 59 of Waiting For Ever
The doorbell disrupts our moment. We freeze, our faces mirroring each other’s thoughts.Can we just ignore it?
Rolling his eyes, Julian gets up, adjusts himself and heads downstairs to answer the door.
I stand up and pad over to the window that overlooks the driveway. My heart stumbles when I see the red convertible with the personal plates, SYLVIED. I want to hide upstairs and let Julian deal with her, but I also don’t want to start my new life with him a coward. I fix my clothes, smooth down my hair and trek down the stairs.
Julian is facing the door with Sylvie just inside on the entryway tile, holding a basket of baked goods in his arms.
Sylvie sees me on the stairs and her words falter mid-sentence. “Oh, I didn’t realize you had company.” She sends me her saccharine smile and just as quickly dismisses me.
Julian clears his throat and says, “Actually, Sylvie, Everly lives here with me.”
“Like roommates?” She doesn’t hide the hopefulness in her question.
“As my girlfriend.”
I gain the confidence to step off the last stair at the pointed certainty of his response. “Oh my gosh, homemade muffins?” I approach them and take the basket from Julian’s arms. “Sylvie, that’s beyond kind. Thank you. Allie will be back in a couple days, so this will make the perfect breakfast over coffee. I’ll make sure to tell her they came from you.” I turn and aim toward the kitchen.
“Of course. Just a little housewarming for . . . you.”
As I disappear into the kitchen, I hear Julian thank her and impart some vague claims about settling in and making it ours.
I cringe on the word “ours” thinking it will just antagonize her. And maybe that’s his goal, but I’d rather stay off any bully radar permanently. Considering Julian does not have an intentional mean streak, I deduce he said it out of loyalty to me and our relationship. That makes my heart trip in my chest. My pulse quickens, anticipating finishing what we started. I come around the corner and collide with the wall of his chest—like the first day we met.
Catching my weight and steadying me with his arms, flexed and taut, he lifts me effortlessly off the ground.
My legs twine around his back as he tucks his forearms under my hips.
“Hi, pretty girl.”
“Hi, pretty boy.”
He quirks his eyebrow at the new nickname, one dimple winking at me.
“Care to finish what you started?” I push my bottom lip out in a fake pout.
“Yeah, I do.” He captures that lip in his and carries me up the stairs, his body not taxed even a little with the effort.
