AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Is this really necessary?”
“I want to know more about the man I’m spending so much time with.” Everly reached over and laid her hand on my arm. “Plus, I like the idea of knowing your embarrassing secrets, so I can mock you later on.”
“Exactly how much time are you spending together?” my father inquired.
Frankly, it was none of his business.
“Max is helping me train for a two kilometer running clinic…and a few other things.” She looked over at me with a genuine smile. “When I’m not studying, I’m with Max. That’s sort of how it’s playing out, isn’t it?”
She was looking at me when she asked the question. So I nodded.
My father eyed me curiously from across the table. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I knew whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
My father held up his wineglass in a toast.
“It’s nice to have guests. It’s nice to have a family dinner again.”
Everly and I clinked our glasses with his and we all drank to his toast.
My chest tightened. I’ll admit, I hadn’t made much of an effort to spend time with my father lately. We saw each other at work and events, but that didn’t make up for the fact that I was his son and he lived in this house all alone. Suddenly, my father’s actions tonight made sense. Why he was so excited in the kitchen. Why he was so persistent about us staying for dinner. He was lonely.
When the dishes were cleared and the kitchen was clean, I extended my thanks, and took Everly’s hand, and guided her toward the front door.
My father pulled me aside, and I gestured for Everly to continue on ahead of me. His fist wrapped around my biceps. “I hope you keep her close.”
I let out a hard breath. “I’m just helping her out.” I lowered my voice to keep my next words from carrying. “It’s no big deal.”
He clasped his hands behind his back. “Well…I like her.” He looked out the front door, to where Everly stood with her back to us, looking out onto the front lawn.
“You’re trying to prove something with this girl.” My father eyed me closely. “I don’t know what…but I know.”
I couldn’t be that transparent, could I? Everything I had done—everything I planned to do—was to check off items on that damn list. For her. That was my main focus. Okay, maybe the fooling around was selfish on my part, but she was in to it. I would have backed off if she weren’t.
But there was still a small part of me that wanted to prove I wasn’t the stereotype everyone thought I was. If I could get Everly to believe that, then maybe others would, too.
Chapter 16
Everly
I dropped my books on the table with a thud, probably louder than I should have since I was in the library, but I didn’t care. I thunked my arms on the table and rested my head on them.
I felt Grace’s eyes on me, even without looking up. We were at our usual table in the main library, where we met every Wednesday, in the group study area because then we could talk. And I needed to talk.
“What’s wrong?” Grace asked from her seat across the table.
Without even lifting my head, I removed my paper from my bag and handed it over.
She was silent for a moment, then said, “At least you passed.”
I whimpered. I couldn’t work with just a pass. I needed an A. Which, before Max entered my life, I could have gotten in my sleep.
Not that I was doing much of that. When I wasn’t studying, I was with Max, and we weren’t doing much sleeping.
“It’s not the end of the world.” Grace squeezed my forearm. “You can make that up, no?”
I finally lifted my head and stared at my friend. “It’s too late. I’m in my last semester of my last year. If I fuck up…” I looked right into sympathetic eyes. “It means I don’t graduate.”
Without hesitation, and a cock to her head, she asked, “Is that such a bad thing?”
