Page 133 of The Confidant
Because yep, I’d officially decided to study at Columbia with Hunter and Mack next year.
College was going to be amazing.
Hunter got back from Florida on Friday afternoon and took me out to dinner that night, saying he wanted to take hisgirlfriendout on a date.
Squeal!
Yes, Hunter Blackwell was officially my boyfriend. And once I found the courage to break the news to my dad that I was dating a non-believer, I would be shouting it from the rooftops.
“You seem a lot happier than you were before spring break,” Hunter said as we walked hand in hand down the sidewalk back to my house after dinner. “Were you just having a bad few days?”
A ‘bad few days’ would be an understatement!
“I was worried about that calling the High Priest had revealed that Xander and I needed to fulfill,” I said. This was the simplest way to explain what had actually been going on. “But I turned it down, so it’s all good now.”
“You turned down a calling?” Hunter raised his eyebrows in surprise. Which I got—no one turned down callings, especially when they came directly from the High Priest.
But I shrugged and said, “Yes, I did.”
“Were they asking you to teach the nursery kids together or something?” He asked like it was a joke. “Because I’ve heard they can be quite the handful.”
“Not quite.” I laughed. “I think I probably would have actually enjoyed that one because toddlers are so cute. But yeah, I definitely didn’t feel up to this one.” I sighed and looked up at his tall frame. “I mean, I went as far as emailingThe Confidantto see if she could give me advice on what to do.”
He furrowed his brow. “You did?”
I nodded. “I mean, I would have asked you for advice if I was allowed to…” I said, worried that he’d be offended I’d emailedThe Confidantwhen I’d told him that I couldn’t talk about it. “It was a different kind of calling though, so I needed anonymity for it.”
He narrowed his eyes, like he was concerned about what exactly my calling would have been.
But I said, “It’s all behind me now though, so it’s not something you need to worry about.”
“Okay.” He pressed his lips together. Then squeezing my hand tighter in his, he added, “I just don’t want you to find yourself in a dangerous situation because something is supposed to be secret. I’ve read about some interesting things happening with church leaders, and I know things can sometimes get tricky when we believe someone has authority over us.”
I didn’t love that he was basically saying that some church leaders use their power to do bad things, since most of the leaders I knew were really good people…but I understood that sometimes a few bad apples did rot the entire barrel.
Since I knew he was only saying it because he cared about me, I said, “I know. If anything bad was to happen, I’d definitely let you know.”
We walked inside the church gates, and he pulled me to the bench where we made out all those weeks ago.
I wondered if he was going to start kissing me, but he gestured for me to sit next to him instead. “There’s actually something I need to tell you about.” He scrunched up his nose. “I just hope you won’t be mad when you find out.”
“What is it?” I searched his eyes as I worried what it might be.
He wiped his hand across his forehead and let out a long breath before meeting my gaze with wary eyes. “I’mThe Confidant.”
I went completely still for a moment as my mind tried to understand what he’d just said. Then, confused, I asked him, “I’m sorry. What did you just say?”
He bit his lip and scrunched up his face again. “I’m the person who created and writes under the pseudonym ofThe Confidant.”
So I had heard him right.
I gasped. “Are you serious? You’re—” I shook my head, my brain still having a hard time forming the new connections it needed to make with what he’d just said. “You’re telling me thatThe Confidantisn’t a girl and that it’s actually you?” My voice went up an octave at the end.
“Yeah…” He leaned back as if worried I might smack him, holding his hands up in front of him. “Please don’t be mad.”
“I’m not mad…” I said, still trying to figure out how Hunter—my best friend whom I practically did everything with—could be the creative genius I’d been jealously obsessed with for the better part of a year. “I’m just…shocked.” I shook my head. “And kind of feel like an idiot for never guessing it when it should have been so obvious all along.”
I mean, when any of our friends needed advice, Hunter was always the best person to ask. And when I’d decided to set upDear Eliza, he had known exactly what to do.
