Page 53 of Waiting For Ever
He smiles sadly at that. Maybe he knows about all the pain and loss Allie has seen.
I don’t know. I only know what my mom told us. But she’s irony defined because her young life was anything but peaceful and happy. I guess for me that’s the most beautiful display of humanity. That the world could throw utter shit at you and instead of letting it jade you, suck you into the bitterness, you come out on the other side wanting to save everyone around you from a similar fate.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, hitting the kill switch on our conversation, so I reach into my pocket to answer it. Via’s face fills the screen. I hold my index finger up to my lips, set my phone on the counter in front of me and Julian, then slide the bar with the same finger to answer it and press the speaker button. “Hey, Via. You’re up early.” I smile at Julian apologetically.
He winks at me like it’s all good.
“Yeah, well it’s three hours later where Mom is, and she woke me up so . . . Did I wake you?”
“No, we start early at the fitness club and at the café when there are campers.”
“Wow, that sounds . . . busy. How do you do it all?”
“I don’t know. We all just pitch in wherever we’re needed, and it somehow works out.”
“You sound happy, Ev. And I’m happy for you. You deserve a happy life. We all do.” Via’s words mirror my thoughts exactly—maybe some sister telepathy.
“Yeah . . . we do. So . . . what’s up? What’s got you on my phone so early?”
Julian uses the conversation as his cue to retreat. He stops tracing circles around my ear with his index finger and stands, closing his laptop.
“I told Mom the news. I texted her yesterday after you and I talked. And well, I guess wherever she is, now is a good time for her to call me.”
“What’d she say?”
“She’s happy for us. Wants to do an engagement party when she can get home.”
“Yeah? Did she say when that would be?”
Her giggle comes through the phone. “Yep, this weekend.”
“Wait, like, in six days?”
“She said they have a break in the tour, and that’s the only time she can get home for two days in a row.”
“Wow. Okay. What can I do?”
“Just show up. I can do it all from here. Can you get the time off?”
I look at Julian, eyebrows raised in question.
He smirks a classic “of course” grin at me.
“Of course,” I answer. “No problem. And Via, can I bring someone?”
He stops packing his laptop away, then resumes quickly.
My heart drops, then slams into my ribs. Would he not want to come with me? Meet my sister? My mom? Maybe we aren’t a thing. I stamp down the rising panic, will the churning in my gut to chill.
Via coughs on the other end of the call like she choked on her drink. “Uh, sure,” she responds, clearly shocked by my question. “Who?”
“His name is Julian and he’s my . . . We’re kind of . . . seeing each other?” I finish my sentence like a question, looking at Julian as I do. I drop my eyes quickly before he looks at me because I’m afraid of the answer I might see in his.
“Julian McKay? Allie’s trainer at Fit?”
“Uh, yeah.” I scoot my stool back from the bar and stand up, turning from him with my phone in my hand but still on speaker. “You know Julian?” I look at him now, askance.
He shakes his head, his lips arched up on one side in a wry face.
