Page 86 of Heartstruck at Dawn
“Guille. I need you to wake up,” he urged. “Can you open the door? I’m in a hurry.”
“Mhm.” I hung up the phone and closed my eyes again becauseit’s definitely a dream.
My phone vibrated in my hand, startling me. I answered it again.
“Guille. Door. This is not a dream.”
“Okay, okay,” I replied with a raspy voice. “Give me two seconds.”
5:14 a.m.You’ve got to be kidding me. I sat on the bed with my eyes closed for an undetermined amount of time until my cell phone vibrated again.
W.S:I left something outside your door.
It was still dark outside. I dragged myself out of bed and went to see what it was. There was a green box like the one he used to send me the dress and opera tickets sitting right outside my door, but this one had a red ribbon made into a bow.
William was stepping into the elevator wearing jeans and a black coat over a gray sweater. He was rolling his luggage behind him when he heard me come out. He caught the elevator door with his suitcase and said with a chuckle, “Good morning, älskling.” I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to placate the bedhead. “You look cute. You don’t need to do that.” He grinned. I’m sure I looked anything but cute in my fleece pajamas.
And you look…way too good. He always did. That wasthemost annoying trait of his.
The trail of scent he left when he walked away from my door was knocking my drowsiness away.
“You have something on your lips,” he said, frowning.
Still half-asleep, I brushed my lips with my thumb and figured out quickly after that it was just one of his tricks. I shook my head, and William laughed as he disappeared into the elevator.
“See you in March!” he shouted from afar.
“March?” I asked in a pitchy tone, watching how the elevator doors snicked shut behind him. I knew the Sjöbergs were leaving to spend Christmas in Sweden. They would meet their mother there. I’d even said goodbye to Joel and Tobias the day before. Eric left sooner when school was out.
My stomach felt hollow. I’d been falling asleep every night listening to him playing the piano. He was making progress learning that song he kept practicing. I was secretly going to miss that.
But it wasn’t a half-bad idea for him to leave for a while. After the opera stunt, some critical distance wouldn’t hurt anyone. Maybe once he came back, we could all get along.
I took the box to my bedroom and immediately pulled on the silky red ribbon to untie it. I took the lid off, and it’s as if William were standing right here with me. The scent of his cologne invaded my room in two seconds.
Damn it.I scowled at the box.
A green Hammarby hoodie. It wasnotmy size. It was even larger than Nathan’s. William had essentially dipped the hoodie in a tub of his cologne, impregnating it with the usual smell of him. He undoubtedly did that on purpose.
Everything William sent always came with a note. He didn’t disappoint this time either. And unlike the opera letter, this one was handwritten like the others. I could recognize his writing now. That’s why he typed the last one. It would’ve given him away in a heartbeat.
Guille,
I’m sure this hoodie is comfier and would look way better on you. Since I couldn’t get anyone to send me a new one from Sweden, I decided to give you mine. Don’t worry. I’ll buy one for myself in the next few days.
Merry Christmas.
W.S.
He couldn’t get anyone to send him one.Who’s going to believe that? He just wanted me to have his hoodie. A hoodie I would never be able to use.
I folded the hoodie and placed it back in the box where it belonged. And now my room smelled like William. Even gone, he found a way to keep making himself present.
I climbed back to my bed and shut my eyes. No piano. Pure silence.
Until March,then. It was for the best.
December 22, 2009
