…Before I wake
1988
Chapter Eleven
Elizabeth Housman
Where is he? My God, this waiting is excruciating.
Draping my green uniform blazer over the back of the chair in the library, I scan the room again. Maybe I missed him, even though that feels impossible. My entire being senses him whenever he’s near.
I rest my elbows on the table, my eyes drawn to the beautiful bracelet Aaron gifted me. The figure-eight chain, the emerald, both unique and exquisite. But it made me uneasy because we’re friends… that’s even a stretch. Eric hasn’t seen it yet.
I’m unclasping it when my roommate and best friend, Amy Abbott, drops a stack of books on the table next to mine. “What’s that?” She grabs my hand to look at the bracelet. “Ugh, it’s so unfair. You get the best gifts. My boyfriend never gives me anything, unless you count anxiety… and a cold sore.”
Shaking my head at her, I tell her it was Aaron. Broody, mysterious, handsome Aaron, who gifted the bracelet to me for my birthday. My… friend?
“As if. Um, Biz, are you telling me that Aaron… Aaron Rothschild gave you that? He hates you, doesn't he?” She picks up the bracelet from where I laid it on my open textbook, looking at it intently. “Did he hit his head?”
From his first smirk, under-the-breath comment, and eye roll, I was on edge around him. But I’ve always been hyperaware of the guy. We share three classes, we both get coffee from the café early on Saturdays, and Eric cares about us both.
Aaron is Eric’s roommate and best friend.
Complicated emotions skitter through my chest. This growing attraction to him is dangerous. I’ll lose Eric if I don’t stop it.
I still grapple with the unexpected gift. He waited until I left their apartment to chase me down and hand it to me, a whisper of “Happy Birthday” before he turned to jog back. My face heats as I think about his mischievous glance as he left me standing there, staring at the gold gift box.
“...told him to just give up. But Hen likes to clobber dead horses.”
“Huh? It’s ‘beat a dead horse’. What are you talking about?”
Besides Amy, Henry is my closest friend. Lately, he’s been distracted. She tells me he’s convinced the government is on the verge of finding a way to track us all. Did I mention he’s a nut?
“Mmm… can you imagine that?”
I watch Amy examine the bracelet. “I bet this is real. Like expensive and real.”
On pure instinct, I feel his presence. Eric saunters into the library with his backpack over one shoulder, and his dimpled smile spreads across his face as he spots us. That’s all it takes for my pulse to pick up.
“Put that away,” I say quietly to Amy, pushing her hand down.
“Huh? Here.” She tries to hand it back.
“Just… just keep it for me. Please.” Amy’s eyes widen when she realizes that Eric is unaware of the bracelet.
“I’m asking you a million questions later,” she says sternly before kissing my forehead and nodding toward Eric as they pass. She turns to mouth behind his back, “So. Many. Questions.”
I don’t doubt it.
But what am I going to say when it defies explanation?
“Sorry I’m late. If I’m going to make the Olympic swim team, I need to shave some time off my backstroke.” He pulls his chair close, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
Watching him swim has become one of my favorite things to do, along with drawing him. He’s a work of art. From his piercing blue eyes and seductive smile, to his strong, sleek body, I’m at a loss for how to infuse my drawings with his very essence, a deep well of strength and integrity.
“I have no doubt you’ll get it done,” I wink at him, grabbing one of his hands to hold. “And just so you know… I’m not going to the Amherst party alone.”
Every first Saturday in May since the late 1800s, the Amherst family has thrown a party for the students at Rock Am on their estate, a sprawling, decadent mansion mere miles from the Rockefeller Amherst campus. But it’s not just students in attendance. It's not uncommon to hear of former alumni, people in positions of power, famous athletes, and entertainers making an appearance.
