Page 20 of Only Forever

“I’m so sorry to hear that, Jason,” I said, shocked. Mrs. Mayors had always been the epitome of health. I remembered her always going off to exercise classes and her trying to get Jason to try her flaxseed smoothie concoctions. I couldn’t believe she had stomach cancer. “How is she doing right now?”

“She’s a fighter,” Jason said, “but I know her chemotherapy treatments are taking a toll on her. My dad is having a hard time. She’s always been the rock of the family, and he’s so scared of losing her.” Jason rubbed the back of his neck, looking older than his years. “We all are. And Eric is just a sophomore high school, still a kid. So I decided to come home.”

My heart was full of sorrow. I put my hand on Jason’s arm, holding back tears. “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do. Your mom has always been so good to me. I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Thanks.” Jason said. “I appreciate it.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “What about you? How are you and your mom doing?”

“Good,” I replied. “My mom got remarried last year.”

Jason lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “Wow. That’s great.”

“Yeah, it’s nice to see her so happy. Keith, her new husband, is a good guy.”

It was hard to believe that Jason was standing in front of me. I wondered how long he had been at Darrenston College. It wasn’t a large school, but it still wouldn’t be hard to not have crossed paths with him, especially with different majors.

“How long have you been at Darrenston?” I asked.

“I haven’t officially started. I’ll start classes after break. I was just finishing up some registration stuff today at the office.” He glanced at his watch. “Do you have time to get a cup of coffee or something?”

“I’m actually on my way to class,” I said regretfully. It had been so long since I had seen him, and all our disputes in the past seemed to melt away. I just wanted to spend time with him. Especially now that I knew what was going on with his mother. “I’m free later tonight. Maybe we could meet up then?”

I was afraid he would refuse, especially since I had been the one to pull away at the end of our senior year. I was relieved, and felt a thrill of excitement, when he smiled.

“I’d like that. Why don’t I pick you up at your place? Is 8:30 good?”

I nodded. That would give me enough time to get home after class and get ready. “That sounds good.”

I was on pins and needles during class. I barely heard a word my writing professor said and kept checking the clock, willing time to go faster. When class was finally over, I raced to my car and had to make a conscious effort not to speed home. I wanted to make sure I had enough time to make myself presentable. My jeans, sweatshirt and careless ponytail wasn’t how I wanted Jason to see me tonight. I didn’t question why I was so excited. We had never said tonight was a date. I assumed it was just two friends catching up. But I was excited, nevertheless.

At 8:30, I saw Jason’s car pull into my driveway from my bedroom window. I checked my appearance before going downstairs. I was wearing a pleated black skirt, boots and a green sweater. I was going for a cool girl look, but my flushed cheeks gave me away. I told myself to calm down and chill out.

When I got downstairs, Jason was already in the foyer, talking to my mom and Keith.

“Daphne,” my mom exclaimed. “You didn’t tell me Jason was back in town. And going to the same school as you now!”

“I didn’t get a chance,” I said, glancing at Jason. In dark jeans and a black leather jacket over a chocolate brown sweater, he looked casually gorgeous.

“I’ve seen pictures of you two as little kids,” Keith announced. “The one where Daphne convinced you to let her give you a makeover, eyeshadow, lipstick and all, is the best one.”

Keith looked pleased by his contribution to the conversation. Keith was slightly balding, his brown hair peppered with gray, but he was still fit and handsome. I could see why my mother was attracted to him, but he wasn’t the greatest conversationalist.

“We have to go now, Mom,” I said, even though we were in no rush. I didn’t want to hear about what other embarrassing pictures Keith had seen.

We said our goodbyes, with Jason promising to come by again soon. I grabbed my coat, relieved to feel the cold air on my warm cheeks.

“I was thinking we could go to Francesca’s,” Jason said. “Are you hungry?”

Francesca’s was an Italian restaurant in the next town over. I had never been there before, as it was a little fancier than the restaurants I usually went to. I was surprised by his suggestion because I thought we were just getting coffee, but also pleased.

“I’m definitely hungry,” I said, relieved that I hadn’t eaten dinner yet. I had been too nervous to eat anything before Jason picked me up. “Francesca’s sounds great.”

Despite my earlier nervousness, we eased into an easy conversation. It felt comfortable and effortless, and it reminded me why it was so enjoyable spending time with Jason. It was a bit of a drive to the restaurant, but it gave us time to catch up. We talked about what we had been doing these past three years while we hadn’t seen each other. Jason told me about the different trips he had taken for his biology major and how interested he was in environmental science. I told him about writing for the college paper, and how I was considering going into journalism.

Jason also told me about his mom’s diagnosis and how his family was handling it. It really sounded like Jason’s dad was a mess and not handling it well, while Jason’s brother seemed like he was in a state of denial. I knew Jason’s presence would help both of them, but I hoped that he wasn’t taking on too much responsibility. I knew it had to be really hard to walk away from the University of Chicago, even though Jason made it sound like it was no big deal.

The restaurant was bustling when we got there. Francesca’s was a cozily decorated Italian bistro, with dim lights and candles softening everything with its glow. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Jason had made a reservation, so we were led straight to a table.

After we ordered our food, Jason leaned forward, his hands folded together on top of the table. “This is nice. I wasn’t sure how you would feel about me going to the same college as you. I didn’t know if you would want to see again.”

---