Everett chuckles, much closer now, and I lift my head to see him standing by the bed.
“This is a really good mattress.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” he says.
I reach out, grab his wrists, and pull him down next to me. “See, great bed.”
“Very comfortable, lacking any protruding springs.”
“And you really won’t take anything for it?” I ask, rolling to my side.
“It’s a gift, Violet. You don’t pay for gifts. Haven’t you ever had someone just do something nice for you and not expect anything in return?”
“Yes, but it’s just uncomfortable in a way for me.”
“You owe me nothing,” he says firmly. “This is what you do for people you care about.”
I care about you, too, I want to say but keep the words to myself.
His eyes find mine, and the way they brighten causes an electric shock to run through me. Everett and I are lying in bed, and suddenly I see a very different picture. One where his body is over mine, his lips ... his touch.
The air suddenly feels harder to get into my lungs, and he seems to be struggling with the same thing. I want to kiss him. Badly. I know I just need to say the words, but I let the desire shine through my eyes instead.
I lean closer, not by a lot, just slightly testing myself, but then he abruptly pushes up, getting to his feet. “I should go. Enjoy the bed,” he says hurriedly before walking out.
Leaving me alone on my new mattress and my head an absolute mess.
nine
Violet
“All right, everyone, please take your seats,” I say, calling the class to order.
A few students look away, but they at least do as I ask.
I pull up the topic of today’s lesson on the smart board and hear a collective groan. For the first two weeks of school, I took it easy on them—not anymore. It’s September and we are ready to get down to business.
I fight back a smile. “Do we not like Shakespeare?”
One of the boys groans. “No.”
“Why do you dislike him, Bryan?”
“Because he’s boring as f—” I raise a brow and he stops there.
“Boring or not, he’s one of the best storytellers that has ever lived,” I say, loving this topic, andRomeo and Julietis my absolute favorite to discuss.
“Thank God he’s dead,” Bryan says, and the class joins in laughing. He then turns and claps his best friend Mike’s hand.
“Ahh, but his words live on,” I say and click the button to slide to the text portion showing the balcony scene. “This scene is one of the most iconic, but it’s not my favorite.”
“It’s not?” Jessie, my quiet and top student in the class, asks. “It’s so romantic, though, Romeo speaking to her, professing his love. It’s so beautiful.”
I nod. “It is, but while they’re declaring their love at this moment, I don’t think it’s actually the most romantic or poignant.”
Jessie shakes her head. “The wedding?”
“That’s one, but I actually think the most profoundly beautiful scene is when she awakes to find Romeo beside her, dead.”
