Just One Year(21)

“Me, too.”

“I thought you worked on Wednesdays after class,” I said.

“I switched with a friend of mine tonight. I’ll be working the late shift instead.”

“I just saw Veronica hop the trolley.”

“Yeah,” he said. “She’s going shopping on Newbury Street with some friends.”

“Oh. Fancy.”

“She does like to spend money.”

“She comes from money, doesn’t she?”

“Her parents are wealthy, yeah. So naturally they love the fact that she’s wasting her time dating a skint bum who’s leaving the country in less than a year.”

I hated that he said that. Personally, I felt like Veronica was the luckiest girl on campus—maybe in the world—to be with Caleb.

“She could have her choice of almost any guy here,” I said. “But she chose you. You’re charismatic and interesting compared to the cookie-cutter options. So, obviously, she doesn’t agree that being with you is a waste of time.”

“Are you trying to make me feel better about myself, Teagan? You’re supposed to be deflating my ego, not making it bigger.” He winked.

“As enjoyable as it can be to hurl insults at you, I also have to be honest, sometimes.”

He nudged his shoulder into mine. “Well, thank you for that compliment. Truly.”

Feeling flushed, I changed the subject, remembering a story I wanted to tell him. “Oh my God. You’re never going to believe who I ran into today.”

“Mark Wahlberg.”

“What?” I chuckled. “No! Why did you guess him?”

“Because I heard he was in the area filming a movie.”

“Really? Damn. I wouldn’t mind running into him, but no.”

“You like Marky Mark, eh?”

“Yeah, I do. But unfortunately it wasn’t him I ran into. It was Bo Cheng.”

“Ah, good old Bo Cheng. How’s my mate doing?”

“Get this—I was standing in front of this guy in line at the salad takeout place in the student union. And he started sneezing repeatedly. You know how when someone sneezes, you say ‘God bless you’?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I had to keep saying it over and over, until it was just dumb to keep going because he was sneezing so much. Then they called his name to pick up his order. It was Bo. And I realized it was THE Bo Cheng.”

“The myth, the legend!”

“Yes. Not only that, but it hit me that the reason he was sneezing was me!”

Caleb cracked up. “You’re a walking allergen, Teagan. Fucking hysterical. Did you tell him who you were?”

“Nah. No point. But I must have cat germs all over my shirt, which makes sense since I was snuggling with Catlin Jenner this morning.”

Practically crying, he wiped his eyes. “That’s some good shite right there.”

I’d been looking forward to telling Caleb this since it happened. His reaction was even better than I’d anticipated.

Caleb towered over me as we walked along Beacon Street. I wasn’t sure I’d ever realized how much taller he was than me. It was rare to be walking with him like this. Normally we were sitting across from each other.

We were about to pass the theater—my now-forbidden old stomping grounds. And damn it, they were playing a movie I really wanted to see. Caleb probably assumed the look on my face as I saw the sign was due to the attack. But it wasn’t.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. It just pisses me off. I want to see that movie.”

He stopped walking. “Really? Fuck it, then. Let’s go watch it. I don’t think you should go in there alone, but I’ll be with you.”

I hesitated. “I don’t want to make you sit through it just to protect me.”

“Are you kidding? I love movies about...” He paused and looked up at the sign. “Love in Prague.”

“That’s not the one I want to see. The murder one.”

“Same difference.” He smiled and gestured with his head. “Come on.”

An uneasy feeling came over me as I followed Caleb into the theater. But with each second that passed, that feeling was replaced by empowerment. I settled into the seat next to him, and it felt good to be back and to have my friend with me. It was the best of both worlds: being able to enjoy the movie and also feeling safe. The chances of being attacked twice here were probably pretty slim, but there was no way I would have taken a chance.

I also didn’t mind the chance to sit with Caleb for a couple of hours. When we studied together, we were never this close. But he always smelled so good, and the closer I was, the better to breathe him in. I pondered sneaking into his room when he wasn’t home to see what cologne he wore. I could buy it and still be able to smell him after he moved back to England. I’d never admit that to anyone, of course. I hated myself for even thinking like this. Nothing was going to come of my attraction to Caleb. Even if he weren’t leaving, he was completely out of my league. I just needed to be grateful he was sweet enough to accompany me here today.

The movie got going, and he seemed into it.

About midway through the film, though, I noticed that Caleb’s body language had changed. During a scene where the heroine was kidnapped and stuffed into the trunk of a car, Caleb started to fidget, and his hand, which had been resting on the arm of the chair, shook a little. His breathing became ragged as the character in the movie began to scream for her life.