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
After 2 years... Kent "Today has to be perfect." I've been super busy preparing for this day for the last few weeks. It has to happen tonight, or she'll suspect something's up. Juls is getting her master's degree today, and I've never been prouder. She's incredibly smart, always reading or researching. That pile of library books in our office never seems to shrink. She's applied to Ph.D. programs all over, but I think she'll stay at Brown. I'm okay with that because I don't want anything to change about our lives. Well, except for one thing that I hope to change today. I finished my MBA a few months ago and started working full-time downtown. I'm in marketing for now but aiming for investment banking and trust. I know my path, and with time and connections, I hope to take care of us. Juls keeps saying she'll stay in school because she doesn't know what else to do, but I think it's the other way around. School and academia bring out her best. Her eyes light up when she learns some
"We're almost there," Kent insists, turning on his car's signal. I feel like we're in the middle of nowhere, and we've been driving for over an hour. Kent refused to tell me our destination because, as he put it, "I would just g****e where we're going, and then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore!" The weather was gradually getting less cold, not warm yet but no longer snowing or freezing. I was on my last spring break, trying to finish my thesis and schoolwork. We recently received information about our upcoming graduation. In about a month and a half, we would be finishing our undergrad degrees. It was still surreal to me, moving from starting a university degree to finishing it. Kent had been discussing plans for the summer, including hiking trips, which I pretended not to dread. I wasn't much of a hiker, but I was willing to do it with him. We signed our lease for next year, securing that cute little apartment on the other side of campus. The thought of moving in with him excite
"I got my email." Even though Doctor Binkley said I have a spot, I'm still nervous to open it. Maybe I should've waited to open it when I'm alone, but I can't wait. I'm opening it on my way out of lecture. I open the email, quickly reading the first few lines. But at the top, there's a big box that says 'congratulations' and 'welcome!' My heart immediately slows down, and I feel relieved, clutching my phone to my chest. It's official; I'm staying at Brown next year. That means I'll be with my family, my school, and, of course, Kent. We can start our life together, still have our friends and continue studying, but we'll be together. I remember how tough that month at Northwestern was, how much I missed him, and how I felt like I had no support. I need to text my parents and tell them the news. They've been anxiously waiting to hear what I'd do about my living situation next year. But I'll do it later. Right now, I just want to go home and be with someone I love. I pull out my phone
"I hate school sometimes." Yes, I like researching and finding answers to questions no one's ever thought of before, and I like my degree, but the coursework sucks. I'm sick of reading pages and pages of scholarly articles and books and writing a new paper every other week. My honors project is draining every ounce of energy from me, and I was starting to worry if it was even worth it anymore. I hadn't heard about Brown's Master's program yet, and that's the whole reason for this extra burden. Today was Tuesday, one of my busier days. I only had class today until noon, and then I usually spent the rest of the day grinding out work. Today I had to meet with Doctor Binkley and discuss my work. It was something we did monthly to make sure I felt like I was always on the right track. Kent had a break after his class at one-thirty, and we were planning to meet up and study together until his next class at four. Then I was planning to go home and take it easy. I take the elevator up to
I wake up in the middle of a large bed with Kent beside me. We were completely tangled in bedsheets, just beside each other in a beautiful room. I sigh, feeling my body ache and my head pound, but it's bearable. I shuffle over slightly, laying my head on his chest and snuggling back into his side. That seems to get his attention. He moves under me and groans slightly, eyelids fluttering. I feel his lips press a simple kiss to my temple, and I smile. "Hey, Juls," he mumbles. "Hi," I whisper back, watching his eyes open slowly. He grins at me easily, running a hand through my hair. "How do you feel?" he asks, and I shrug. "I have a headache and I'm tired, but I'm okay," I sigh, tracing my fingertips down the center of his chest. "I had a lot of fun last night." "Good," he whispers, putting his hand over mine on his chest. "I know how hard you've been working and all the crap we've been dealing with." His voice is thick with sleep, deep and raspy. "It was nice to have a day that wa
"It's been an amazing night and an unbelievable birthday. I'm pleasantly tipsy, happy, aware, and buzzing," I express. It looks like all three of our friends have scored phone numbers tonight, giving Kent and me some alone time. I notice the place clearing out, and I realize it's probably time to head home. The bar is closing in about thirty minutes, and it's close to three in the morning. "Want to go somewhere else?" Abby asks as we wait for our jackets. I sigh and shake my head. I'm ready to devour some greasy food, drink water, and snuggle into bed with Kent. We've teased about getting intimate, but with all our roommates around, it's not a possibility. I've let go of that idea and just want a relaxed and easy night. "I'm good," I sigh, and she nods with a simple shrug. "Thanks a lot for everything; this night was so, so fun!" "I'm thrilled you enjoyed it!" She insists, giving me a hug, and I grin. Kent retrieves our coats, and I sigh, not looking forward to facing the cold a
It was nice to feel noticed by him, nice to know that he always seemed to care about what I was up to. I'd never felt attractive before I started dating Kent. We all round up the last of our coats and shoes while the Uber's on its way. I get my coat on, and I feel Kent slide his hand along the small of my back. I gasp a bit quietly and look up, seeing his cocky grin. "You look nice," he whispers, and I chuckle, feeling his fingertips slide around the edge of my waistband. Soon we're all piling into an Uber, and I hear Abby chatting up the driver in the front seat. I'll always be envious of her confidence and how she talks to people like she's known them forever. We grab a quick dinner at a pizza place around the corner. Everyone pushed that we should go somewhere nicer, but I didn't want to. I just wanted to go out and have fun with my friends. I hadn't gone out in a long time, not really since before Christmas, and I'd spent way too much time feeling lonely, buried in work and ove
"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
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