“What about the movie?”
“I can see that anytime.”
“All right, but I can’t stay long. No one knows I’m out,” I confessed.
“There’s a place just two blocks down, if you don’t mind walking.”
The caf? was called Sweethearts. Xavier put his hand between my shoulder blades to steer me inside, and I felt the heat of his palm seep through to my skin. A strange warmth bubbled up inside of me until I realized his hand was directly on the place where my wings were carefully folded. I quickly edged away with a nervous laugh.
“You’re a strange girl,” he said, looking bemused.
I was grateful when he asked for a booth as I wanted privacy from prying eyes. We had attracted a fair bit of attention just walking down the street together. Inside the caf? were some faces I recognized from school, but I didn’t know the students personally so no acknowledgment was required. I saw Xavier nodding in various directions before we sat down. Were these his friends? I wondered whether our outing would fuel the rumor mill come Monday.
The place was inviting and I started to feel more relaxed. The lighting was low, and the walls were lined with old movie posters. On the table were free postcards advertising the work of local artists. The menu offered a variety of milk shakes, coffees, cakes, and sundaes. A waitress wearing black-and-white sneakers took our order. I ordered a hot chocolate and Xavier asked for a latte. The waitress gave him a flirtatious smile as she scribbled on her pad.
“Hope this place is okay with you,” he said when she’d gone. “I usually come here after training.”
“It’s nice,” I said. “Do you train a lot?”
“Two afternoons and most weekends. What about you? Have you got involved in anything yet?”
“Not yet, I’m still deciding.”
Xavier nodded. “These things take time.” He folded his arms comfortably across his chest and leaned back in his seat. “So, tell me about yourself.”
It was the question I’d been dreading.
“What would you like to know?” I asked cautiously.
“Firstly, why you’ve chosen Venus Cove. It’s not exactly high profile.”
“That’s why,” I said. “Let’s call it a lifestyle decision—we were tired of jet-setting, wanted to settle down somewhere quiet.” I knew this would be an acceptable answer; there was no shortage of families who had relocated for similar reasons. “Now, tell me about yourself.”
I think he knew I was hoping to fend off more questions, but it didn’t matter. Xavier was comfortable talking and didn’t need encouragement. Unlike me, he was forthcoming with personal information. He told anecdotes about family members and gave an abridged version of the Woods’s family history.
“I come from a family of six kids and I’m the second eldest. Both parents are doctors, Mom’s a local GP and Dad’s an anesthesiologist. Claire, the eldest, is following in my parents’ footsteps, and she’s in her second year of a med degree. She lives at college but comes home every weekend. She just got engaged to her boyfriend Luke—they’ve been together four years.
Then there are three younger sisters—Nicola’s fifteen, Jasmine’s eight, and Madeline’s about to turn six. The youngest is Michael and he’s four. Bored yet?”
“No, it’s fascinating. Please go on,” I urged. I found the details of a normal, human family intriguing and was thirsty to hear more. Was I envious of his life? I wondered.
“Well, I’ve been at Bryce Hamilton since kindergarten because my mom insisted I go to a
Christian school. She’s a conservative—been with my dad since they were fifteen. Can you believe that? They’ve practically grown up together.”
“They must have a very strong relationship.”
“They’ve had their ups and downs, but nothing’s ever happened that they haven’t been able to deal with.”
“Sounds like a close family.”
“Yeah, we are, although Mom can be a little overprotective.”
I imagined Xavier’s parents having high aspirations for their eldest boy.
“Will you pursue medicine as well?”
“Probably.” He shrugged.
“You don’t sound too excited about it.”
“Well, I was interested in design for a while but that was, let’s say, discouraged.”
“Why’s that?”
“Isn’t considered a serious career, is it? The idea of having invested all this money into my education only to have it end in unemployment doesn’t thrill my parents.”
“What about what you want?”
“Sometimes parents know best.”
He seemed to accept the decisions made by his parents with good grace, happy to be guided by their expectations. His life was pretty much mapped out for him, and I imagined that any diversion from the set course wouldn’t be looked upon kindly. I could relate to him in that way—my human experience came with strict boundaries and guidelines and straying from the path was out of the question. Lucky for Xavier, his mistakes wouldn’t incur the wrath of
Heaven. Instead they would be chalked up to experience.
Halfway through our drinks Xavier decided we needed “a sugar hit” and ordered chocolate cake, which arrived as a slab layered with whipped cream and berries on a large white plate with two long spoons. Despite being urged to “go for it,” I scooped daintily around the edges. When we’d finished, Xavier insisted on paying the check and looked offended when I tried to offer my share. He waved my hand away and dropped a bill into a tip jar labeled GOOD KARMA before we left.
It was only once we were outside that I realized the time.
“I know, it’s late,” Xavier said, reading my face. “But how about a short walk? I’m not ready to take you home yet.”
“I’m already in serious trouble.”
“In that case ten minutes more can’t hurt.”
I knew I should cut the night short; Ivy and Gabriel had surely realized I was gone and would be worried about me. It wasn’t that I didn’t care—I just couldn’t bear to tear myself away from Xavier a moment sooner than I had to. When I was around him, I was filled with an overpowering happiness that made the rest of the world fade away to nothing more than background noise. It was like the two of us were locked in a private bubble that nothing short of an earthquake could burst.
I wanted the night to last forever.
We walked to the end of the strip toward the water. When we got there, we saw a traveling carnival setting up on the boardwalk—a popular activity for families with restless children who needed a change from a winter spent indoors. A Ferris wheel rocked in the wind, and we could see bumper cars scattered around the track. A jumping castle glowed yellow in the twilight.
“Let’s check it out,” said Xavier with childlike enthusiasm.
“I don’t think it’s even open,” I said. “We won’t be able to get in.” There was something about the tired-looking carnival that made me reluctant to explore it further. “Besides, it’s almost dark.”
“Where’s your sense of adventure? We can always jump the fence.”