I waved to invite him over. Instead of making his way over, he turned and walked to his house, letting himself inside, and disappearing out of sight. I whipped around and headed toward Alex's home, anxious to find out what he was up to. I reached the front steps and rang the bell.
“Hey, kiddo,” he said, opening the door to let me in.
“Not in the mood to celebrate the festivities?” I asked, stepping inside.
“Nah—“
“Are you avoiding Nate?”
“No,” he assured me, fighting a grin. “I'm a little shocked, sure. But I'm not avoiding him-“
“Then come over and hang out with everyone. Your whole family is over—“
“I'd rather not, Steph. You should get back, though. Morning will come soon enough, and you don’t want to waste quality time with your family—“
“Yeah, about that,” I said, taking his hand and pulling him over to sit on the couch next to me. “What would you say if I told you that I decided not to go to Paris?”
“Steph… what are you talking about? Paris is your dream.”
“I don't want to wait another second for a chance to be with you, and I definitely don't want to wait another three months.”
“Steph, you have to go,” he said. “It’s all you’ve ever wanted—“
“You’re all I want—“
“You need bigger things than what Webster Grove can offer. There's nothing left for you in this town—“
“That's not true,” I said, taking his hands once again. “I have you.”
“No,” he said quietly, standing up and shaking his head. “You don't. Not anymore.”
I stood up after him, trying to read his expressionless face. “Alex—“
“It's over, Steph. Let's face it, there's no future with us.”
My heart fell to my stomach.
After a few minutes of uninterrupted silence, I decided to press on.
“I'm confused. What happened? Did I do something—“
“No.” He started to turn away.
“No!” I yelled. “I deserve some answers. You can't just walk out. What changed your mind?”
“Steph, it's complicating—“
“Forgive me if I can't decode your incredibly mixed signals, but one day you say you love me and the next you're telling me we don't have a future together.”
“I spoke too soon. I shouldn't have said that.”
“So you do think we have a future?”
“No,” he shook his head. “I shouldn’t have told you that I love you.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Tears streamed to the floor as I stood motionless, trying to comprehend the sudden change of events.
“You...” I managed to say, choking back a frantic sob. “You don't .... love me?”
Not a single moment passed before he replied, “No, Steph. I don't.”
Chapter Eight
Monday June 04
I struggled to understand
After hearing him adamantly declare his true feelings the previous night, the only question I could ask myself is where did I go wrong?
I spared the details of the visit with Alex from everyone except Nate. The news of Alex's single status intrigued my friend, but Nate would never consider his feelings priority over mine.
With no hope for a life in Webster Grove, I went home immediately after the graduation party and packed everything I might possibly need for a long trip abroad.
“How'd you sleep?” Nate asked, loading the suitcases into the trunk of his car. Cal insisted on seeing me off at the airport, but I thought dragging him out of bed at 3AM to make an early morning flight would be a bit much. Nate, however, had no problem catering to my every whim. God bless best friends.
“I didn't,” I admitted, handing him a long, circular tube. “Thought you'd like to have this. Consider it a parting gift—“
“Is this your Alex poster?” he asked, popping the lid on the end to peek inside.
“Yes, and I don't want it—“
“Steph, don't you think you're overreacting?”
“His final words were not left open for interpretation, Nate. He doesn't want me here, so I don't want to be here.”
“Steph—“
“I’m going to Paris, Nate. End of story.”
Monday June 04, 4:50AM
“So, I'll see you in September,” Nate said, trying to hold back tears and fighting to hide his emotions.
“I need to tell you something,” I said, pulling away from his embrace. I wiped a single tear from my cheek. “I told Adriana I was having doubts about the program. The morning after prom she sat down and made a proposition. As an incentive to get me to France, she offered to pay my way through college.”
“Wow, Steph. That's incredible—“
“Yes, but conditional as well. If I accept her offer, I have to work for her full-time in Paris.”
“Just for the summer though, right?'
“Permanently.”
Nate closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Steph—“
“I don’t have to give her an answer quite yet. I still don’t know if I want to—“
“It's the chance of a lifetime,” he said, seemingly hating himself for giving me permission to stay away even longer.
“Yeah,” I nodded.
He wrapped me in a hug and kissed the side of my head. “I'm gonna miss you.”
“You think I should accept the offer, don’t you?”
“I do. I mean, even if it’s a mistake, isn’t it one worth making? You’ll never know unless you try.”
I nodded. “I guess you’re right.” I sighed and finally acknowledged the final decision. “I don't know when I'll see you again. If I take her offer... I may never move back...”
“This will be the final boarding call for flight 202 to Paris, France,” a voice rung out overhead.
“Looks like it's now or never,” he said, nudging me forward. “I'll visit as soon as you get settled in.”
“Promise?”
“Cross my heart.”
Epilogue
Monday June 04
Nathaniel Bryan watched flight 202 to Paris, France take off into the dark morning sky.
“I can’t lie,” he said, turning to look at the man who approached him. “I probably would have done the same thing if I were you. But I don't think you quite understand the repercussions of what you've done. You're too late, by the way. She's gone.”
“I just wanted to be here to make sure she actually left--”
“Well, she did... thanks to you.”
“She had to go, Nate,” Alex replied, watching the plane rise completely out of sight. “Don't you agree?”
“Yes, but—“
“Lying to her was a mistake,” Alex admitted. “But it's a mistake I'm willing to live with. I, however, am not willing to live with her giving up everything she's ever wanted because of a juvenile infatuation—“
“Are you seriously that dumb, dude?”
“I love her, and because I love her, I made sure that I wouldn’t be the reason she gave up her future.”
“It didn't have to be like that, though. You broke her heart—“
“The only way she was going to leave was if I gave her reason to. She’ll be back in September. I’ll patch things up then—“
“You might be the biggest idiot in the world,” Nate said, patting Alex on the back. “Not twenty minutes ago she informed me that she's considering a permanent position in Paris. You told her you didn't want her here, so she's staying away. She may never come home.” Alex leaned his head on the window in front of him. Nate continued, “Sorry dude, but I'm fairly certain you just gave up any chance you had for a life wit
h Steph. She's moving on, and it's no one's fault but your own.”
All Good Things
“All Good Things” is a fast-paced contemporary chick lit novella for teenage/young adult audiences; the fifth in a five-part series.
After five years of working side-by-side in Paris with one of the most esteemed fashion designers in the industry, twenty-three year old Steph Ghijk has packed her bags and returned to the States. Upon her arrival in the familiar town of Webster Grove, Steph takes on a directing position for the high school drama production – putting her in very close quarters with a man who hasn't quite forgiven her for her long overdue return. Unable to choose between her heart and her head, Steph is taking each day at a time... and hoping the love she once had will be the final love of her life.
Chapter One
Saturday September 02
“I think this is the last of it,” Nate said, setting a cardboard box on the edge of the bare mattress.
“Not so fast,” Cal followed. “We haven't even cracked the door on the second carload yet.”
Nate stomped out of the room without another word.
“How are you doing in here, Steph?” Cal asked.
“Thanks,” I said, not moving from my place on the floor at the end of the bed. I flipped through the laminated pages of the Romeo and Juliet designs I'd drawn in high school and shook my head in disbelief. It seemed impossible to believe so much time had passed. It had been years since I'd met my best friends, had my first sleep over, and shared the unforgettable Christmas Eve kiss with...
“Steph? Are you okay?”
“Put it anywhere, Cal--”
“Steph--”
“Seriously Cal, just throw it anywhere. I'll unpack later--”
He snapped his finger in front of my face. “Earth to Steph Ghijk. You need to stop digging through this old stuff. Now, come on.” He offered a hand to help me stand. I accepted his gesture and pulled myself up.
“Sorry. I haven't seen some of this stuff in years.” I wrapped my arms around him and held on for dear life. “Have I told you lately how much I missed you?”
“Only three hundred times since your plane landed.”
“Good,” I said, burying my head in his shoulder.
Nate turned the corner and threw another stack of boxes on the floor in front of the door. “When I offered to let you live here, I didn't think you'd bring enough with you to fill an empty warehouse.”
Maybe Nathaniel Bryan hadn't expected me to move in and bring everything under the sun, but I hadn't planned on having to relocate on such short notice either. My presence in Webster Grove was just as much a shock to me as it was to him. Granted, I would have been coming home at the end of the month to attend Isaac's wedding, I had only planned for a short weekend leave from work. The sudden need to find a new place to live, especially back in the States, was more than I could absorb.
“Okay,” Cal said, pulling me out of his giant bear hug. “What do you say to dinner at the restaurant this evening? We can take a break now and tackle the rest in the morning--”
“Yeah!” I said, stretching a smile ear to ear. “I swear, if you men keep treating me so well I may never leave.”
Nate wrinkled his forehead. “I thought you weren't--”
“Will you be joining us, Nathaniel?” I interrupted.
He cocked his head to the side and studied my stern expression. “I suppose,” he mumbled after a brief silence.
“I'll go on home to clean up then,” Cal said. “If we meet at six that should give you guys about an hour to get ready.”
“Perfect!”
Cal dodged Nate's misplaced boxes and disappeared down the hall. I sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at my best friend as he leaned in the doorway in front of me. His once shaggy, rusty-colored hair was now clean cut and well maintained. As I studied him standing in his plain white tee-shirt and jeans, I smiled at the fact that he'd somehow managed to grow a little taller, a little wider, and a little easier on the eyes. Not that Nate was ever difficult to look at, but the years had treated him kindly. Maturity worked wonders for him, and he wore his intelligence and charm like a pro. It was hard to believe that the man standing in front of me was once a tall, lanky dork who struggled with his identity. If nothing else, the light freckles dusted across his nose were one of the few remnants of the boy I remembered.
“When are you planning on telling Cal the truth?”
“Soon,” I assured him. “I just don't know how much I want to share with him right now.”
“I understand,” he nodded. “Just a friendly piece of advice though, I wouldn't wait too long. You don't want to start your new life in Webster Grove keeping secrets and telling lies. I think you learned your lesson the first time around.”
“I hear ya,” I said, knowing I'd have to come clean with Cal about what happened in Paris... eventually, but not now.
“Thanks again for letting me crash with you. I'll be out of your hair soon.”
“Take your time, Steph,” he said, stepping forward and sitting on the bed next to me. “You can stay forever if you want. I love having you home.”
I rested my head on his shoulder. “I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. The Webster Grove job market doesn't have a high demand for business school graduates with a special knack for clothing design.”
“How much are you looking to make?”
I shrugged. “Money isn't an issue right now, so I'll be fine if I can't find something straight away. I saved every penny I earned working for Adriana over the last five years. She paid for school, housing, commuting, and the trips home during the holidays. I had no use for the paychecks, but I took them nonetheless.”
“Must be nice,” he said, draping his arm around my shoulders. “Well, I do know of one job that would keep you busy for a few weeks.”
“Unpacking all this junk?”
He smirked. “No, but it wouldn't hurt to start. I was thinking you could offer your services at the high school. You'd be working for free, but it'd get you out of the house and give you something to do.”
“Doing what exactly?”
“Miss Basting is always looking for help on the productions. I gave her a hand last spring during my student teaching stint and had the time of my life. The woman is a theatrical genius. I could give her a call and let her know you're interested if you'd like.”
Nate was coming down off of his ego-high from his student teaching job from the previous school year. He was yet another young, attractive, witty, and charming teacher for the girls to gawk at-- and boy, did they ever gawk! Though he loved his hobby in photography, he decided long ago to set a realistic career goal for himself and followed in the footsteps of many before him. In one year’s time he'll be out there on his own... teaching the youth of our town.
“What would I have to do?”
“Miss Basting handles all the acting aspects, but usually needs some help with the technical side--”
“I thought Karen Holt was in charge of tech--”
“She usually is, but she couldn't do the Spring quarter show because she was bogged down with wedding plans.”
“That's right,” I said, remembering the million photos Cal had sent me after the ceremony. His youngest brother Blake Rivera was the first of the Rivera men to get married. It seemed all too unfortunate that he ended up with someone as evil, manipulative, and conniving as Karen Holt. “Why can't she help with the fall production?”
“Permanent maternity leave.”
“She's pregnant?”
“Only a few months along,” he said. “But after she found out about the baby, she decided that she wanted to spend her pregnancy preparing for the little bundle of joy to arrive. She didn't return to work this year. She thinks she's going to be a full-time stay-at-home mom.”
<
br /> “I'd pay good money to see that woman try to raise a child,” I confessed, trying not to crack a smile.
“Well, whaddya think? Does it sound like something you'd want to do?”
“Yeah--”
“Awesome,” he said, standing up. “I'll call Miss Basting first thing tomorrow.”
Monday September 04
Many years had passed since I'd walked the halls of Webster Grove High School and the thoughts of my previous life between these walls were nothing but vague and distant memories. Turning the corner, I held back a deep breath as I tried to avoid looking at the classroom on the left.
The last thing I needed was to draw up any memories, good or bad, about the man teaching behind the closed door.
I walked a little further down the hallway and peeked into a classroom. The student desks were empty, but the teacher's chair was occupied. The woman sitting behind the long, wooden desk clicked away at the computer. She was short, plump, and sporting flaming red curls-- the epitome of what Bridget would look like in twenty years, granted Bridget puts on another fifty pounds.
“Hi, Mrs. Basting?”
“Miss Basting,” she corrected me as she stood from the desk at the far end of the room. “I divorced that dope of a husband three years ago--”
“I'm sorry,” I said, stepping in. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Not at all. How can I help you, sweetheart?”
“My friend Nate called you this morning... I'm Steph Ghijk--”
“You most certainly are,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “It was such a shame I didn't get a chance to work with you during your time here. I guess you came in right about the time I had the roofing accident?”
“Sounds familiar--”
“I've heard nothing but wonderful things about you, sweetheart,” she continued. “The way Nathaniel talked about you... I would've thought you were his wife! But don't let it go to your head, little lady. Between the two of us, I'm pretty sure the Dear Lord forgot to deal that boy a straight hand.”
The Webster Grove Series Page 22