Better Deeds Than Words (Words#2) (37 page)

I bit my lip and smiled. “Daniel,” I said. “That’s Daniel. My boyfriend.”

Daniel. My boyfriend!
The words sounded foreign coming out of my mouth. Had I actually not said them out loud until now?

“Holy moly! How do you have this incredibly good-looking boyfriend and I don’t know about it? What the heck?”

“Like I said, it’s a long story.”

“In that case, let me get comfortable.”

She flopped back on the bed with a contented sigh and looked up at me expectantly. I laughed and proceeded to tell her the story of the handsome TA, his adoring student, and the terribly ill-advised relationship they’d embarked upon in February. Her eyes widened at various points in the narrative, and I let her grab my hand at the particularly harrowing parts.

“And so now we’re just…waiting,” I said. “The exam is on Thursday, and on Friday we’ll finally be able to be together. I was just about to open today’s card.”

Joanna stared at me in wonder for a moment. “Goodness, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know. You always do the right thing. I didn’t want you to judge me—to think I’m a bad person. And to be fair, Jo, you haven’t been around much.”

“Aubrey, I’ve basically been living in sin with my boyfriend for three months. My parents are paying for my apartment here, and I’m hardly ever in it. I’m not a saint. Do I really come across as that judgmental?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. To be honest, I had to respect Daniel’s feelings, too. The more people who knew, the more dangerous it would be for us—for him.”

“I suppose so. Gosh, I’ve been so out of the loop. I wish I’d known. I would have been there for you. How awful not to have been able to talk to anyone.”

“I did tell Matt. I had to. It was impossible to keep it from him, being around him all the time.” I watched as she registered the fact that Matt had known while she hadn’t. “You didn’t know it at the time, Jo, but you
were
here for me. Remember the week I was upset about an argument with a friend? The friend was Daniel. We’d had a bad fight. You were here, and you did comfort me. You did my hair for the Kap party, remember?”

She smiled sadly. “Of course. I’ve never seen you so upset. It sounds like the last couple of months have been horrible.”

“He’s wonderful, and we’ve had some lovely moments, but they’ve been rare. When you really want to be with someone and you’re made to feel like everything about your relationship is wrong? Well, it’s been shitty. Hell, it still is! We’re going to have to be discreet for a little longer. To let the dust settle, you know?”

“So, you really like him, huh?”

“You have no idea. I’m totally in love with him. He’s fantastic—too good to be true sometimes.” I put his picture back on my nightstand. “I’m glad you know. I’m happy you’re back, too.” I reached for her hand. “I’ve missed having you around. You make really good coffee.”

Jo knew me well enough to interpret my bravado as an admission of how much she meant to me. She squeezed my hand, and out of nowhere, I started to cry.

She sat up and rubbed my back gently. “Oh my goodness, Aubrey. Look at you. I’ve upset you.”

“No, it’s not you, really. I think it’s PMS.” I reached for a tissue and blew my nose. “Well, I guess it’s not just PMS. I miss him. It’s hard being apart.”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“Last Monday.”

“Holy crow! So, these cards he’s given you to open—it’s like having a little piece of him with you every day.”

“Exactly.”

“Well, look on the bright side. It’s Sunday. You’ll see him soon.”

“I know.” I nodded, flicking at the envelope’s seal.

What I was actually thinking was,
Soon just isn’t soon enough.

“I’ll leave you to open that.” Jo pushed herself off the bed and snagged a pink highlighter from my desk. “And any time you want to talk, I’m here, okay?”

I nodded and waited for her to close the door behind her before tearing the envelope open. On the front there was a picture of the bookcases in the Hart House Library and inside another one of Daniel’s lovely messages.

I know you remember our first exchange in the library as vividly as I do. I
made it clear that day how much I wanted you, and now I’m counting the moments until we melt together as one. In a few short days, my body will be yours. My heart and soul already are. ~D

On Monday, my routine was turned upside down. My shift at the registrar’s office was relegated to the afternoon because of my morning exam. This meant working two hours longer than I was used to, but I didn’t care. I was positively giddy as I went through my day.

By the time I headed home from my exam at ten forty the next morning, I was
beyond
giddy. Just knowing that Daniel and I would have only two days to get through once I put the large red X on my calendar Tuesday night had me—well, I was at a loss for a suitable adjective.

I breathed deeply as I walked, rolling my shoulders and neck to work out the kinks that had settled into my muscles after sitting in the same position for two hours. I went through my bag and retrieved the card I’d opened that morning. A picture of the corner table we’d shared at the Four Seasons hotel was attached to the front. I smiled as I re-read Daniel’s message.

Time can’t go quickly enough. I look forward to seeing you, being with you, talking with you, touching you. All of this-and more-in two days. Yours, in every way, ~D

I’d already tried unsuccessfully to call him as I’d left my exam room, but I took out my phone to try again. Once more he didn’t answer. I’d emailed him before leaving for the exam to tell him I’d be calling around this time, but he hadn’t answered my email either. I left another message. He was probably taking a long shower…

While I was trying to be rational, not being able to speak to him was making me antsy. Our evening conversation had been so brief on Monday—I’d been distracted by my impending French exam—and now I felt this incredible distance between us, a sense of detachment which was neither my fault nor his, but unpleasant all the same.

When I reached the Vic quad ten minutes later and again had no luck reaching Daniel, I began to get concerned. This wasn’t like him. Rather than letting my imagination get carried away as I’d so often done in the past, I decided to give Penny a call to see if she knew where he was. It would be nice to talk to her and hear about her trip anyway. I dialed as I walked and took a seat on the empty bench in front of the Pratt Library.

“Hello?”

“Penny, hi, it’s me, Aubrey.”

“Oh my goodness, what a surprise! How are you, dolly?”

“I’m okay. How are
you?
How was your trip?”

“Oh, it was brilliant. I’m so glad I went. I missed Brad dreadfully, of course, but it was lovely to see my family and friends. And the wedding plans are ticking over perfectly. It was fantastic. I hear you’re swamped with all of your finals?”

“Yes, it’s a busy time. I’m staying afloat, though. Say, Penny, have you spoken to Daniel this morning? I can’t get hold of him.”

“I haven’t spoken to him, no. We all had a bit of a booze-up last night and were up late.”

“Ah, that makes sense, then. Did he seem okay last night? We spoke when I got home around five fifteen after my shift at the registrar’s office, but then I didn’t hear from him again except for a quick good-night text around ten.”

“I think he’s okay. He misses you. He sounded sort of down when I spoke to him after dinner last night, so I convinced him to come by to help Brad do some painting. They started drinking and got carried away. I had to take away the brushes. The two of them had turned into dueling Michelangelos. I hadn’t really planned to paint the ceiling. Useless buggers. Anyway, how did your examination go this morning? You did have one, didn’t you?”

“It was fine. I think I did well. I have another one tomorrow, but I need to chill out for a couple of hours.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

“Does this mean you’re done for the day?” she asked.

“Um, sort of. I do have to study a bit more for tomorrow’s exam, but I’m not super worried about it, so I’ll take some time to unwind before getting back to it this evening. That’s why I want to talk to Daniel. I miss him like crazy.”

“I bet you do, love. Did you leave him a message?”

“Yes, a few minutes ago.”

“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to have heard from you and he’ll call you as soon as he can. So…what do you think of this? If you don’t have any commitments this afternoon, would you like to come round here for a bit?”

“Come round? Visit you? At your place, you mean?”

“Yes, exactly. Only if you’ve got the time, of course. I can show you the house, we can have lunch, and there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. I don’t want to pressure you, but I’d love the company if you can wangle it.”

I didn’t even hesitate. “I would love to visit you.”

“Well, that’s marvelous! Can you come now?”

I laughed. Her eagerness was heart-warming. “I look a little rough. I’ve got the I-pulled-an-all-nighter look going on, but I’m just two minutes from the subway. I could head straight over, I guess.”

“I’m so jet-lagged, I could fit several pairs of shoes in the bags under my eyes,” she said. “Trust me, darling, come as you are. You’ll fit right in.”

Forty minutes later, I was stepping off the streetcar in front of Kew Gardens. Penny met me with a warm hug, telling me she’d missed me and thanking me for making the trip to see her. She didn’t need to thank me. I was thrilled to see her, too.

“So, what do you think of the Beaches?” I asked.

“Lovely area. I can already see it’s going to be fantastic in the summer.”

“It is,” I assured her. “Busy though. People from all over the city will come down here just to hang out. And there’s a jazz festival in Kew Gardens every summer.”

“Daniel told me about that, actually,” she said, leading me around the corner and taking us south toward the boardwalk. “I think I’m really going to love living here.”

She brought us to a stop in front of a lovely gabled house with a porch that skirted the width of the main floor. A stone path cut through a garden full of spring blooms.

“Well. This is it.” She pushed open the little front gate and led me along the path. “Let’s get inside. I’m famished.”

I followed her into the house. I was pretty hungry myself.

“I’ll give you a tour afterward,” she said, closing the door with a quiet click and leading me along the hallway to the kitchen at the back of the house. “There’s not much to it, but it’s ours and it’s far bigger than my mum and dad’s place back in England, so I’m perfectly content.”

The house had charm and character, but it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. With Penny’s “high-maintenance” look, I’d expected her to have an ultra-modern, polished taste, but I felt like I was in a French country cottage.

“Have a seat.” She gestured to the kitchen table and then looked at me searchingly. “Would you like a cup of tea? Or would you prefer something cold?”

“Tea would be great, thanks.”

“I’ve just boiled the kettle before I left, so this won’t take long.”

She pulled a salad and some sandwiches out of the fridge.

“It’s nothing fancy. I had to make do with what Brad had stocked while I was away. I hope you like egg salad and salmon?”

“Both are great, really. I’m easy.”

“That’s not what I’ve heard, darling,” she said with a saucy grin.

I scowled at her jokingly. “Very funny.”

“I’m just teasing. I must say, though, listening to Daniel counting down the days is downright delightful. He’s so bloody desperate.”

I helped myself to a few sandwiches and grabbed some salad as she got up to pour the tea. “Believe me, I feel his pain. This is the strangest relationship I’ve ever had. I can’t wait until we don’t have to look over our shoulders all the time.”

She handed me my tea and put the milk and the sugar bowl in front of me before joining me at the table.

“Aubrey, I wanted to ask you something,” she said. “I don’t want you to feel any pressure, but I have to ask.”