"Fox, what if I don't grow up like everyone else?"
"I don't know. You'll just be you."
"But what if I go up in the stars?"
"I'll come with you."
"No, I don't want you to die, too. I want you to be okay."
"Stop! Stop talking like you're going to die!"
"..."
"I'm sorry. I don't... I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry, Jellybean. Come here."
ｃｈｒｉｓ
Jed squints at the paintings before us. He's pondering. We ponder, two silhouettes standing side by side with the wall stretching across and above.
"How historical," I say, mimicking his solemn expression.
Jed nods slowly, fingers steepled. "How painted."
I twirl my skewer of chocolate-covered strawberries are soft, cool, melting on my tongue. "How apt."
"How gracious," he says. We share a small, mutual smirk, the kind that feels like a silent laugh.
The event is buzzing lower now, a low hum of conversation floating through the room with music from a quintet in the corner. Beautifully stained violins and violas, a cello and a bass.
I am very much looking forward to calling myself a student here, to attend a class in these historical buildings, to perhaps challenge the thought process of my professors like Whitney.
My gaze drifts over Jed's shoulder, all the way across the room, landing on them. Cam and Noah and... Fox. And there's a young woman in a gorgeous red dress with her hand on his arm, saying something. He's listening.
Fox is wearing that effortless smile, the kind that makes people fall fast. But I know him deeper now, know the way old bruises linger beneath the charm—the ones left by people he trusted to protect him, love him, watch over him. And it's not just one snake around his neck. No, there are so many, and I wish I knew how to free him of every single one.
"Here we find the beasts in their natural habitat," Jed says. I swallow hard and turn around. I don't want to be sad, not tonight.
"Beasts? Should we take cover?"
"If the universe starts shrieking, I run."
"Don't leave me here alone, Jed!"
He's grave. "I never would." We link arms and move to the next painting, a white whale in darkwater.
Whitney stands a few yards away, hands folded at her back, studying her own paintings, thinking her own thoughts. This night has been quite loud at times, so it's Whitney Alone Time. The quietness around her is intentional.
Whitney Kastellanos is content in the spaces between things.
I take another bite of strawberry, playing with the seeds behind my teeth.
"Mick calls often," Jed blurts as though he's only just remembered. "He says he needs me. Wants me to move in as soon as possible."
I beam, shaking his arm. "That's great! Right?"
Jed's frown is immediate as though I've suggested something profane. "The universe is screaming. I cannot go."
"You sure that's not just you freaking out? You should write Mick a sonnet. Confess your emotional turmoil and all that. Might help you settle down."
YOU ARE READING
Beside
Romance''Tell me how it feels,'' he whispers. "Good," I gasp, my entire body trembling. Deeper. Harder. Perfect -- like we've been doing this for years. His hand finds my jaw, fingers firm as he tilts my head up, making me look at him. And that's it. Wav...
