Chapter
Nine: Free Falling
I woke up hearing Mikael moving
around in the next room, forgetting for a moment I had fallen asleep in Nick’s
arms, and he in mine. Nothing had happened; it had surprised me—to be quite
honest—he was so respectful of my wishes, considering how Richie had been.
Nick sighed in his sleep, his heart
beating against my cheek.
In that moment, I knew I had chosen
correctly. There was nothing I would trade for that morning. His heart pulsed
steadily, an arm draped protectively about me. I didn’t regret my decision and
it felt like, for the first time, I had done something right.
***
Summer passed in a flurry of new love
and hopes. The children indulged in swimming and forgot their games of colder
weather. Most days, they were required to do lessons—Valetta’s idea to do
“summer sprint sessions” as she put it. The reasoning being they were all
talented learners, and deserved more freedom during the day. During the summer,
they would give up three hours after lunch to study various subjects. Two hours
after dinner were reserved for studying and homework. It really was ingenious
the way they had set it up, and all busywork was practically eliminated. The
only reason I could grasp why they studied in the summer was to ensure the
children were inside during the worst of the heat; otherwise, that part didn’t
quite make sense to me.
Nick and I weren’t required to attend
since we were both high school free. We spent those hours exploring or
sunbathing—more I was sunbathing and he was splashing around nearby before
pulling me in with him. I had never known summer to be so full of happiness. There
was not one moment I was distressed or felt as though I had betrayed Drei. It
was shocking, considering how I had expected to feel.
As far as I could tell, Drei didn’t
care. He wasn’t around much anyway, which I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. But
I guessed he could listen once in a while.
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