They look like a celebrity couple; Astrid is dressed in a glamorous white gown with an elegant updo, while Barry is tall and impeccably dressed in a smart suit. I wonder if they ever wear anything else. "My family," his mother beams as she enters the room, heading to Kent first to kiss his cheek. He awkwardly accepts it and gives her a light hug. "And Juls, I'm so glad you could come," she whispers, giving me a hug too, and I try to return it amicably. "Nice to see you," I reply kindly, and she nods before moving to Cali, who awkwardly gives her mom a quick hug. She whispers something to her mom, who just nods and gives her another hug. Barry is less warm, more of a handshaker but only with strangers. He just nods at the three of us with a smile. "Lunch smells good," he says as an opening line, and I feel hot anger run up my spine. Stay calm, Juls. "Let's sit." I engage in mind-numbing conversation with them through the appetizer, soup, and main course. His dad asks pointed questi
I think I can safely say I've had more than enough of visits to New York for the rest of my life. The only thing worse than going through all of that was the flight back, which made me sick, and him nervous all over again. It had been a strange weekend, difficult and insanely upsetting. But I'd never felt closer to him, things felt amazing between us, which shocked me, considering the last two times we'd been we'd left absolutely pissed. This time, when we got home, we both just crawled into my bed and took a much-needed nap. Kent was practically an insomniac in that house; he rarely slept other than the night he used me as a throw pillow. Even then, we were up later, chatting and talking before he collapsed. Traveling wasn't restful either, and that whole weekend had stressed the two of us out unbelievably. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day, a stupid holiday that I'd completely forgotten about. Never celebrating it does that to you. I'd have to go out tomorrow and figure out something
"Just be naked when he gets back from class today," she shrugs, and I elbow her. "What? It's a great plan—" "We live with his friends! That's a terrible idea," I insist, and she laughs. "Help me, what does Kent like?" "You know more about him than any of the rest of us, Juls," she reminds me, and I groan. "What kind of candy does he like?" "Kent doesn't do sweet; he's a steamed broccoli, black coffee kind of guy." "Ew," she mumbles, and I nod. "Get him a dumbbell; better yet, have him bench press you!" "Not funny," I answer, and she sighs, rolling her eyes. "Why does this matter? Kent likes you the way you are; you're the only girl he's ever dated. I'm sure he just wants to take you to dinner and hang out with you." "Because he does so many nice things for me, you have no idea," I mumble. "He always thinks of creative, adorable things to give me or do for me, and I can't think of one thing to get him. I literally forgot this was happening today, and now I'm screwed." "Make him
Soon I hear the steps down to our door and the key turning in the lock. I smooth my hands over my dress as I watch him come inside. He's got his fancy black Patagonia winter coat on, backpack over his shoulder. He looks tired; he's been doing school all day and he's been texting me, promising me he'll come to see me as soon as he's done since he left. "Juls!" He calls and then promptly stops in the entryway, eyebrows pulling together. "Hi," I nearly whisper, giving him a grin, and his lips part. He takes in the room, looking confused, but still happy. Like he was in disbelief. "What'd you get up to this afternoon, huh?" He teases, and I press my lips together, feeling my head getting dizzy. I love him when he looks like this, all college student. "Nothing much," I tease, and he chuckles, tossing his bag. "C'mere, sweetheart," he says, and I watch a smile quirk up the corner of his mouth. I hurry over, and he picks me up, giving me a quick spin. "Happy Valentine's Day!" I whisper
We do, and I sit across from him, presents and candles between us on the table. Before I can take a bite, Kent speaks his mind. "You're too far, come around to this side," he whispers, touching the chair on the perpendicular edge of the table. I smirk, getting up and moving. I guess that stuff was in the middle of the table, too hard to hold hands and all. I've come to understand that Kent's love language was physical touch. It didn't matter where we were, and I noticed it before we even started dating. He wanted to sit next to me, hold my hand, or hug me. Sex was so huge for him because it was so physical. Mine was probably acts of service or possibly quality time. There was nothing quite like when Kent wanted to spend time with me and only me. "What are you thinking about over there?" He teases, and I shrug. "What my love language is," I shrug, and he laughs, poking his fork into two noodles and eating them a second later. "Oh shit, that's delicious," he mumbles, and I laugh.
"So how was Valentine's Day?" Mom asks as I hold my phone to my ear, and I press my lips together. It's Saturday, one day before my birthday. I was going to travel home today to meet my parents for lunch, and Kent was coming with me. My call to mom was just to refine some details about what time to show up, but of course, in true mom fashion, she'd managed to start asking other questions. "Not much, we just cooked dinner and exchanged some gifts," I shrug. "It was much more romantic in New York over the weekend." "That's so nice," she whispers, and I snort. "So, you two are alright to come at noon?" "Yep, Kent said he was free all day," I shrug. "And what about your birthday, no big plans today?" "My birthday's tomorrow," I point out, and she chuckles. "No, just lunch today with you and dad." "Well, we'll happily be your plans," Mom says, and I grin. "I'll let you go. See you in an hour!" "Bye, Mom, love you," I sigh, hanging up the phone and standing up. Valentine's Day had b
We head inside, and I take a deep breath, walking into our house. My family's house always makes me feel happy, like I'm somewhere safe and full of love. Mom's burning some cinnamon candle, and I can hear noise from the kitchen. "What's that smell?" Kent asks, and I laugh. "Mom loves scented candles, it's probably some clearance one that she picked up from somewhere," I explain, unsure where the nearly offensive candle was. Kent hated strong scents; he claimed they gave him headaches. "Sorry." "It's okay, just... don't go burning anything like that at our place," he says, and I chuckle, reaching for his hand. "Hello?" I call, bringing Kent to the kitchen, and mom gasps, hopping up from the stove and running over. "Juls," she whispers, squeezing the life out of me. "I'm so glad you could come." "Me too, I missed you," I whisper, and she pulls back, rubbing my arms in that aggressive mom-like way. "And I missed you, oh! You're so beautiful and smart-" "Okay, mom," I mumble, and s
"Did you want to stay longer?" Kent asks as we step into his car, and I smile, closing the door and putting my seatbelt on. "No, we've been there for hours," I mumble, safely tucking my birthday card into my coat's inner pocket. "If we stay longer, we're staying for dinner." Time with my family was amazing, it meant the world to me, and I was thankful I had it so close to my birthday. "Your parents are really cool," he admits, turning on the car and shifting it into drive. "No, they really aren't," I snort. "Did you miss the part where mom pulled out my baby album and sang my favorite lullaby? To all of us?" I ask, and he chuckles. "Or my dad talking about his Master's thesis? His theoretical chemistry Master's thesis?" "You know what I mean," he defends. "They're...people. Like real, normal, kind people who care about everyone." "I guess they have that going for them, huh?" I laugh, and he smiles. "I can't believe that check, that's not like them. They don't just hand out money