The Accidentals(90)

“Aurora,” Jake tries again. “Did you hear the question? Don’t make me come over there.”

“Sorry,” she says, looking our way. “I’m just distracted.”

“We noticed,” I say, watching her. “Don’t you want to tell us what’s wrong?”

Aurora shakes her head. She’s been silent and sad for more than a week. We’d guessed that she’d had a breakup, but she didn’t want to talk about it.

“Okay.” Jake sighs. “But we’re going to drag you off for dinner in a little while, okay? Friends don’t let friends miss pasta-bar night.”

Aurora smiles. “I’m sorry to be so little fun. I’m happy for you both, though. And I’m glad you’ll be in the same town as me next year.”

“That’s right,” he says, running a hand over my bare knees. He tilts his head back on the sofa and closes his eyes. I slip my fingers between the sofa and Jake’s back, rubbing the bare skin under his T-shirt.

One unfortunate result of the sudden end of Aurora’s secret romance is a loss of privacy for us. Aurora is home all the time now, barely leaving, even for classes. Jake is a good friend to Aurora, but these days he looks at me the way a hungry man eyes a buffet table.

Together, Jake and I poke around on the Claiborne College website. Ten minutes later, Aurora gets up to go to the bathroom. As soon as the door closes, Jake slides the computer to the floor and climbs on top of me. The kisses I receive are thermonuclear.

“You know she’s coming right back.” I laugh.

“Shh…precious nanoseconds wasted,” he says, kissing me again. “How about we go discuss our college courses in your bed?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Aurora says, reentering the room.

I’m not cavalier enough about the whole fooling-around thing to make such an obvious retreat. I gave Jake a gentle push. “Come on, now. Back into a vertical position.”

“I’m always in a vertical position,” he says, sighing.

My phone bleats with Frederick’s ring tone.

“Hi Rachel,” he rumbles into my ear when I answer.

Even now—after almost a year—he’s able to startle me simply by saying my name. “What’s up?”

“There’s another concert next weekend. This one’s in Massachusetts. Bring Aurora this time.”

“Cool. Can Jake come too? We’re celebrating! Both of us got yesses from Claiborne College.”

“Nice. I knew you would, though.”

“But I didn’t know. Can Jake come along?”

“Well… Let me ask if there’s room in our reservation.”

“He could bunk with Henry,” I suggest.

Frederick laughs into my ear. “No he can’t, because that will cost me in other ways. I’ll get Henry to add a hotel room. But nobody gets drunk this time.”

“We’ll stick to drugs only.”

“You can drop that comedy course you’re taking now,” Frederick says.

“Back atcha, old man.” I hear him laughing when I disconnect.





Some arrangement for Jake is made, and on the day of the concert, Jake and I meet up with the band at Wheelock’s. We walk in to find that Henry has taken over a large area in back. I wave to Ernie, who’s brought along his girlfriend. They’re perched on sofas, munching appetizers with the other musicians. My father and Norah are conferring in a corner.

Darcy the waitress sidles up to me. “What can I bring you, sweetie?”

“A Diet Coke? Thanks.”

“Is this your boyfriend? What a cutie.” She rubs Jake’s biceps, and he looks startled. “What would you like to drink?”

“A Coke would be fine, thanks.”

“Coming right up.”

I watch Darcy make the rounds. She’s in her element, refreshing drinks and petting musicians with her shiny fingernails. And I’m not the only one who finds it a little weird. Across the room, Norah’s eyes flicker with irritation.

My father comes over to join us, putting an arm around my shoulder. “If it’s still okay with you, I’m going to buy that house on Choate Street.”

We lock eyes for a beat. Melting down in that empty house isn’t something I’ll forget anytime soon. But you don’t get to choose the big moments in your life. “You should buy it,” I say. “Good plan.”

“Thank you,” he says, and we both know we’re talking about more than a real estate purchase. He kisses the top of my head. “Now I only need to convince Norah.”

“She doesn’t want the house?”

Before he can answer, she comes over, offering her hand to Jake. “Hi, I’m Norah.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” he says. Today his T-shirt reads, Darwin is my Homeboy.

“She says she likes the house,” Frederick complains. “But she’s taking forever to negotiate the purchase.”

“Chill out, will you? The house is overpriced,” Norah says. “They’ll agree to the lower number. They’re just waiting a few minutes to save face.”

“Tell them I’ll pay it.”

“No!” she says.

A cheer rises up from the booth in the corner. “Go Norah. Go Norah,” Henry chants. “I get all excited when somebody else bosses Freddy around.”