“Maybe a little. But it’s other things too. You guys are always holding hands, sitting together, Miles has his arm around you, he kisses you whenever he sees you… Jenny and Xander are about the same, just not as much. I feel like with John and I, that’s… missing. He hardly does those things at all.”
I wasn’t sure what to say.
“Well… with Miles and I, remember how long he went without any human contact. Remember how long we went, best friends and in love, and we didn’t even get to hug each other goodbye. When Miles came back, it’s like we couldn’t touch each other enough. I don’t mean that in a don’t-tell-my-mother kind of way. It’s just that holding hands, having his arm around me, hugging and kissing, all of those things are reassuring after being separated in all the different ways that we were. I was afraid to let go of him after he came back, as though he would quit being solid if I did. I didn’t let him go for a long time. I had hold of him with one hand or the other, or both, the rest of the day and until late that night. You guys don’t have that history, so I wouldn’t expect you to be that way.”
“Yeah, but what about Jenny and Xander?” pointed out Annette.
“I don’t know,” I said. “John may not be a very demonstrative person. Was he ever?”
We didn’t know them when they first started dating. When we met last year, they were already together, so I had no idea.
“A lot more than he is now, but not like you guys,” she said.
“Okay. Don’t measure your relationship by ours, though. We’re not normal. We’re not, in so many different ways.”
“Alright, but… I feel like an old married couple. Like we’re together, but not really. It’s like ever since we got engaged, the spark is just gone.”
Well that didn’t sound good. What was going on?
“Have you told him how you feel?”
“I tried, but we ended up arguing over stuff that didn’t even have anything to do with this.”
Hm.
“Are you ready to go talk to John and Miles, or do you need more time?”
I was out of my element here. Miles knew all about relationship stuff, because he’d seen enough over the years he spent waiting at the castle. I was really hoping he’d be able to say something that would help.
“I guess…” she sounded so depressed, and a thought occurred to me.
“You got engaged practically the day before you each moved in with a roommate. How much time have you guys spent alone together in the two weeks since you got here?”
Annette thought.
“Well… other than in the car going from one place to another, just when we were arguing.”
“Last year you guys did spend time alone together. Neither of you had roommates then.”
“That’s true,” she said.
“I think that’s part of the problem. It didn’t bother you last year that you were different than us.”
“Yeah… but last year was better than this, and we weren’t engaged then. Now we are, and I expected to be closer than before, not further apart. I missed him so much over the summer, and couldn’t wait to come back and live in the same town again. But it’s nothing like what I thought it would be. We were closer when we lived in different cities and talked on the phone and emailed every day, than we are now that we live next door to each other.”
“You had more one-on-one communication between the two of you when you were on the phone and emailing, than you do now. Last year you had time alone together as a couple, and you haven’t had that since you got engaged. I think that has a lot to do with how you’re feeling.”
“You’re right, last year we did hang out just the two of us. We used to spend a lot of time talking, and now we never do. I miss that. I see him every day, but it’s like we’re never really together. I miss him.”
“Your relationship’s changed, and I think it has a lot more to do with having roommates than it does with anything else. John’s a completely different personality type than Miles and Xander, too. Wouldn’t you say that John is more introverted, and sort of more serious? He probably doesn’t completely relax when we’re all together, like he does if it’s just the two of you. Miles and I can easily be alone in a roomful of people and forget anyone else is around, you’ve all teased us about that enough times, you know what I’m talking about. John isn’t that way, and that’s perfectly fine, but it means you guys need time away from the group. That’s what it sounds like to me. Of course you don’t feel as close, when you guys never have a chance to communicate just with each other. You were used to that, now it’s gone, and you miss it.”
Annette thought that over.
“But when we did get a chance to talk, we fought.”
“Well, I’ve heard that’s what happens if you go too long without communicating. Tell me, Annette. What would you like to have happen?”
Annette was lost in thought for a few seconds.
“I don’t know…”
“Yeah, you do. Maybe you just don’t know how to put it into words, but I do. Come on.”
Annette stood and followed me, and we walked down to Miles’ and my apartment. I knocked, because I didn’t have a key or cool door-unlocking superpowers.
Miles opened the door a couple of seconds later.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Of course,” Miles said. “John’s in the living room, if you girls want to join us.”
“Yes, we do,” I said, giving Annette an encouraging smile. “Go ahead Annette, we’ll be right there.”
Annette looked uncertain, but she went.
I looked up at Miles.
“What do you think?” I asked softly.
“I think they need to spend more time together as a couple, and less time as part of a group of four to six people. I think John needs a clear picture of what it is Annette is wanting, because right now he has no clue. So how about you? What do you think?”
“I think they need to spend time as a couple too, which they used to do last year. She’s missing that. John isn’t very demonstrative in public, and that’s the only place they’re ever together now. She sees how you tell me you love me even when other people are around. You kiss me, and we’re always being affectionate and touching in some way. Jenny and Xander aren’t that way nearly as much, but a whole lot more than John and Annette. She’s thinking there’s something wrong with them, and she shouldn’t measure her and John’s relationship by ours, but maybe he could make more of an effort, too.”
“Okay,” said Miles. “Shall we, then?”
“We shall,” I said, and we joined our friends in the living room.
They were sitting on the couch together, that was good. They were holding hands, that was good too. They both looked like they might cry. I wasn’t sure if that was good, or not!
“How are you guys?” I asked.
“Okay,” said Annette.
“Fine,” said John.
“Did you guys forget my superpower?” I asked, and they sort of laughed. “You’re both feeling insecure about your relationship right now. You both love each other and will be devastated if you lose each other. You’re afraid of that.”
John and Annette sort of looked at each other, and he squeezed her hand and she squeezed back.
“You both feel that way, so don’t forget it. Neither of you know what to do, though. John doesn’t understand why Annette’s unhappy and that worries him and he feels powerless, and she doesn’t feel close to him and doesn’t know how to fix it, and that makes her very sad. So you got caught up in arguing minor things that don’t matter to either of you.”
“You got all that from ‘okay,’ and ‘fine?’” asked John, looking shocked and a little scared.
“Pretty much. There was a lot of truth behind those words.” I looked at Miles. “Do you want to say anything?”
“You seem to be on a roll, so if you have anything else, continue,” Miles said.
“Okay… you guys need time away from the group. You used
to have a lot of that, now you don’t have any. Start going out on dates again. Didn’t you used to hang out at each other’s apartments sometimes, and watch movies? I know there were times when you didn’t join us last year, because you two already had plans to hang out.” Annette and John nodded. “So, start doing that again. Start making each other a priority again. Pick a movie night, and tell Xander to go hang out with Jenny. That’s probably what he’s going to do, anyway.”
If I told John to start being more affectionate toward Annette, it would embarrass him to death. No way would that go well. I didn’t think it would go much better, if Miles said anything. Maybe that would improve by itself, if they got back to the relationship they had before. If not, Annette would have to handle that one on her own!
Miles looked at his watch.
“You’ve got plenty of evening left. It’s only five o’ clock.”
“Annette…” said John. “Want to come over and watch movies?”
“Sure,” she smiled.
We said goodbye to our friends, and locked the door behind them.
“Don’t ever tell me your superpowers aren’t tremendously cool,” said Miles, hugging me.
“Okay, I won’t,” I smiled. “It felt really good to help them. They were so miserable, and they seem better now.”
“They seem a lot better now. Your ability allowed you to understand the truth better than they did.”
“Yeah. I’m glad. She just wants things to be like they were, and he just wants her to be happy again. He does miss her, too. They used to have a lot of fun talking together. Neither one of them was semi-transparent or missing, but in a way that’s how it felt, because things are different in a group. You and I were alone more last year than they have been since getting engaged, in spite of our self-appointed guards.”
“Imagine all of the ways you’re going to be able to help people with your gift,” Miles said. “You are very cool, superhero wife.”
My laughter trailed off as my superhero husband who can melt with a look, gazed at me with those gorgeous hazel eyes of his.
“At what point did you realize you have this superpower?” I asked, as I melted on cue.
“I figured it out before you set me free,” he smiled. “I never used it on you on purpose, though. Not then, anyway.”
“Well you do now,” I said.
Miles just smiled, and kissed me.
I heard a disgruntled snort, and caught a glimpse of Trixie as she disappeared into the kitchen, the other pets trailing behind. Miles and I tried not to laugh. She wouldn’t find our amusement amusing.
“Why does this bother her so much?” Miles wondered.
“I don’t know, I didn’t like it when I’d see my parents kissing, either,” I said, then loudly added, “Not that we’re her parents, or anything!”
Miles laughed.
“She should be glad we love each other, she wanted us together, after all.”
“I guess. She said we were supposed to be together, anyway,” I said, and had to clamp my hand over my mouth when Trixie walked past again and rolled her eyes at us. “Are you even going to translate that?”
“No,” said Miles. “I’m not!”
I laughed, and in spite of the dog—who didn’t have to keep walking through the entryway, for pity’s sake—I kissed Miles anyway.
Chapter 19
A cool fall breeze chased away the boiling heat of the week before. The leaves of the trees on the North Glen Haven campus were now visibly tinged with the colors of autumn, and the sky was overcast.
“They must have had cooler weather here over the weekend,” Miles commented.
“I’m glad fall is on its way,” I said.
We sat at a small table outside of the Student Center. It was jacket weather, and we were both enjoying that after last week’s heat. I was also enjoying my first pumpkin spice latte of the year, and thinking they needed to make the cups bigger. A lot bigger. Like a jumbo convenience store cup, that would probably do.
“I can’t wait for the leaves to change completely,” I said. “I didn’t grow up in a place with four seasons, you know. I don’t think I’ll ever take it for granted.”
“I’m very used to four seasons, having lived in the mountains for so long,” said Miles, and he smiled as I laughed.
“I do miss being at the estate and having the grounds and the gardens to walk in and to sit and enjoy nature,” I said. “I’m glad we came early today, so we could do this. The dog park doesn’t exactly compare.”
“No, it doesn’t,” laughed Miles. “Trix doesn’t think so, either. She’d much rather we’d bring her and Chip here, and turn them loose.”
“Not much of a law-abider, is she,” I said, as I waved to a fellow classmate.
“She went without having to follow any for so long, no, she isn’t,” said Miles. He thought for a second before adding, “She wasn’t much for following them before that, either.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. But, she’s smart enough she usually got away with it,” Miles replied, then focused on something behind me and said, “Look over there.”
I turned and saw Annette and John walking… well, I don’t know where. To class, or just walking for fun, I had no idea. What mattered, is that they looked so happy. He was smiling, and she was laughing. He had his arm around her.
I turned and looked back at Miles, and grinned.
“You are very cool, superhero wife,” he said softly, and gave me a high-five.
“Polly was so considerate when you came back from the hospital,” I said, remembering. “She left us completely alone that first day. I can’t imagine, if she hadn’t… to see you after so long, but not to really be able to talk like we used to.”
“That would have been painful,” said Miles. “If she didn’t already know we knew each other, she sure would have wondered why the sight of me caused you to burst into tears.”
I laughed, imagining that.
“She’d think I’d been alone too long, and had lost it. Which I guess is actually true. I am so, so, so glad it’s now and not then. I hear people talk about wishing they could go back in time, but I would never do that. I love where we are right now.”
“Me too,” smiled Miles.
I drank my latte and we enjoyed the feel of the fresh air, and the sound it made as it rustled through the leaves of the trees.
“I’ve been thinking,” said Miles, and I waited. “I’m going to drop the classes we don’t share, so I can keep an eye on you until after all danger of coming in contact with this guy is past.”
“Miles, no! Don’t do that,” I said, holding my hand up as he started to respond. “Why should you do that? Your education is more important than mine is, really, it is. I’ll drop classes, if either of us is going to.”
Miles looked at me, his forehead furrowed as he considered what I just said.
“But going to college has always been so important to you,” said Miles. “It’s a goal you’ve worked hard to achieve.”
“Are you telling me it isn’t important to you? I am quite sure you appreciate it more than I do. What you learn is going to be more important in managing our…” my voice trailed off, as Miles suddenly stood, all of his focus trained on something behind me. In just two steps he was between me and whatever it was that he was looking at.
Everything began to grow darker.
I stood too, but stayed behind Miles. I looked around his shoulder and saw Rob Westin coming our way, fast. The darkness hovering all around him was thick.
“He’s either killed a bunch of people recently or really wants to,” I said softly.
Miles heard me, but didn’t respond. His arms were crossed, and he watched intently as Westin approached.
Westin didn’t speak, but the hatred in his eyes was almost as alarming as the darkness.
The students who were lightly scattered amongst the other outdoor tables were watching with wide eyes. One of the students I recognized from the Soc c
lass. She spoke rapidly into her phone as her eyes flitted from Westin, to us, and back to him again.
Westin was quickly covering the ground between us, his rage building with every step. The other students could have felt the tension crackling in the air and seen the expressions on Miles’ and Westin’s faces and known something was very wrong, even if this wasn’t a small campus and they hadn’t already heard what happened last week in class. The students seated at the tables around us pulled further away and prepared either to stay and observe, or evacuate, depending on what happened next.
I hung onto the back of Miles’ shirt as Westin came closer and closer.
“Are you doing okay? Dizzy or anything?” asked Miles softly.
“I’m fine,” I whispered back.
Westin began to run, and I heard some of the students around us gasp, and others muttered.
“If that changes, you tell me,” Miles said.
“I will,” I whispered.
I was feeling fine, but Westin was getting awfully close and surrounded by darkness. What was Miles going to do?
Westin intended to bowl right into Miles, but instead, he came to a sudden and jarring stop and missed reaching his goal by five feet.
Westin thrashed and fought, then stopped and glared at Miles.
“What are you, a coward? Hiding behind your powers, why don’t you face me like a real man?”
I’ve no idea how the other students were reacting to any of this, I was focused on what was happening right in front of me.
“Better calm down professor, or people are going to think there’s something not quite right about you,” said Miles calmly.
Everyone already thought that, but I didn’t feel it necessary to point that out right now.
Westin didn’t calm down.
“Something not right about me? You’re the one who’s not right!”
He was in a complete rage, working his mouth furiously, but he didn’t say any more. It took me a few seconds to realize Miles wouldn’t let him.
I heard some of the students around us begin to mutter. They looked expectant. Following their glances, I saw two Campus Policemen coming our way almost as rapidly as Westin had.
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