Page 12 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
“Julian Lent, pleasure to meet you. I believe my father knows your husband.”
Unlike me, she didn’t hesitate to shake his hand, though her entire demeanor instantly changed. In seconds, her desire to toss him onto the street morphed into something lit from within, abundant with welcome.
“Oh yes, of course. You’re Dina’s grandson, then, aren’t you?” She practically twittered with excitement. I stared at her, utterly baffled. She never acted so charming, so it was like seeing awhole other side of her. Then again, it was completely fake, reserved for the Julians of the world and no one else. “I thought you would be in the Hamptons. I know I would love to be there, but I had to stay here. Alatheia is in no condition to travel.”
He glanced at me. “She seems fit to me.”
My aunt ignored the defense entirely. “Alatheia, you naughty girl, you didn’t mention you knew Julian.”
“I just met him yesterday.” When would I have told her? Not to mention she never asked about my life or interests.
He smiled. “Well, let’s get going. Nice to meet you.”
“Have fun you two.” Her voice sounded higher than I was used to hearing it.
It wasn’t until we were in the elevator that he spoke again. “You’re not able to travel?” He lifted an eyebrow. “How did you get here, then? You traveled, right, unless you did some sort ofStar Trekthing and transported?”
I rubbed my eyes, suddenly exhausted by all of it. “That would be fun, actually. Wouldn’t you love to see the world like that?”
He shrugged. “I don’t mind flying. I like to watch television and eat.”
Amusement flooded through me, despite myself. Still, I couldn’t think of anything I would like less than flying after my three flights so far. I would be okay with never flying again, given the choice. “Don’t you get scared when the plane shakes?”
“No, because turbulence is safe. It’s just the plane …”
I put my hand on his arm, which was a lot of touch from me. For a second, I froze, startled because I initiated the movement.What is wrong with me?Still, I said aloud, “Thinking about it now isn’t going to make me suddenly feel safer on planes. It’s one of those strong emotional things. If it was logic based, it would make sense, but it’s one of those things you can’t just think through.”
“Right. I get you. You’re talking about anxiety and worry, and somewhat about what to do and not to do. Sometimes, my youngest brother … never mind. Not important right now.” He smiled, but it looked forced. “Your aunt is one of those fake people. The ones that say one thing and do another.”
She was but I wasn’t going to comment, not after a glance at his shoes. I dropped my hand to my side, reminding myself not to get tricked into being too comfortable with Julian. Wiser—safer—if I kept my thoughts to myself.
“Hmm.” He made a funny noise and then shook his head. “Being around her makes you clam up. That’s okay. I’ll get you to be chatty again.”
Chatty?I couldn’t think of a single time in my life when someone accused me of being chatty. It was sort of amusing, in an odd way. Despite his threat, Julian didn’t push me to speak again until we sat side by side in a taxi.
He cleared his throat before asking, “Have you given any thought to what you want me to read?”
I hadn’t actually. “It’s complicated, right? As you said, we’ll get to know things about each other based on the book we choose.”
“Are you so sure you don’t want to know me? Or is it that you don’t want me to know about you?”
I sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“Why is that?” He leaned toward me, the smile curving his lips absolutely devious. “Are you hiding massive secrets you fear I will discover? Did you kill someone? Have you recently engaged in spy activity?”
I didn’t have to answer him, I knew. I could just stay quiet and win my game again. Silence, after all, kept me safe.
But I didn’t. Instead, I looked him straight in the eyes and said, “Okay, let’s just be blunt. I don’t have friends.”
Not now anyway.Secretly, I hoped someday I would have friends. I dreamed that there would be a time I could have one to two people who I knew and who cared about me as much as I did them. That was my goal—as soon as I freed myself from the control of people who hated me. Until I got away from them, nothing I did mattered, not really. None of it was real, not for me, so despite being lonely, I knew I should be grateful for that, too.
Or at least that was what I told myself.
“Why?” He shifted slightly. “You don’t seem unlikeable. When you let your guard down, you’re incredibly nice. Funny, even. So why no friends? Have you just moved too much?”
I could lie, but I didn’t want to. “I don’t want to tell you,” I said instead.
“Okay.” He took my fingers and squeezed them. “Don’t tell me. Not until you want to, until you’re ready.”
