“Chester dear,” my mom said, dragging my brother into a hug. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He pulled back. “Here are the tickets for the hall. I’ll see you all after.”
“Good luck, Chess,” I said with a wide smile.
His eyes caught mine, and for a second, I saw that same antagonized irritation that always passed between siblings. But then it vanished, and he just smiled.
“Thanks, sis.”
He disappeared with the rest of the graduates and left us alone with a distraught Margaret.
“You want to show us the way?” I asked before my parents could ask what was wrong. They were so tactless.
“Sure,” she whispered. Then she gave me a half-smile. “Thanks, Jen.”
“Anytime.”
We all packed into the gorgeous Bass Concert Hall, the largest performance venue in Austin.
I sat between Margaret and Julian, followed by my dad and then my mom. We waited in awkward silence for the commencement ceremony to begin. I wanted to ask Margaret what had happened, but it didn’t feel like the moment to broach the subject.
Then my focus was dragged elsewhere as Julian slid his arm across the back of my seat. He wasn’t quite touching my shoulders or holding me, but I still felt wrapped in him. Hyperaware of his body, as I had been last night.
Thank God I’d taken my anxiety medicine this morning. Maybe I should have popped half of a Xanax as well to deal with all of this. But it was too late now, and Julian was almost touching me, claiming me.
I wanted to say it was all fake. That was what we’d agreed to after all. But he didn’t have to do that, and he didn’t have to take care of me, like he had been this whole trip either. I glanced over at him and found him staring down at me. Our eyes met as the lights dimmed. Shadows moving through his dark irises. I couldn’t read him, and I so wanted to know what he was thinking.
“What?” he whispered as the first speaker walked out to a round of applause.
“Nothing.”
Then I faced forward, like a coward.
* * *
Commencement ended with fanfare, and we spent the rest of the day taking pictures and doing all the things Chester insisted needed to be done for him to leave Austin. Margaret abandoned us by lunch with the promise to come out for the graduation party tonight.
“What’s going on with them?” Julian asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Doesn’t look good.”
“No. Chester has always been…volatile.”
“I was going to say narcissistic.”
I laughed softly. “Yeah. Being told you’re a genius at a young age really hits you in the ego.”
“I bet.”
“But I’ve never seen him act this way with Margaret.”
“Well, I hope everything works out.”
“Me too,” I said, watching her leave.
“So, about this party,” he said thoughtfully. “What should I wear?”
I chuckled. “Whatever you have is good. We’re just going to an event at a bar downtown.”
“Well, how about this?” he asked, leaning against the table next to me while my parents ordered lunch.
“Hmm?” I was distracted by his nearness, the soft touch of his arm against mine.
“You tell me what you’re wearing.”
“I brought, uh…a sundress. It’s green,” I said helplessly.
“Green.” He nodded. “I can work with that.”
I didn’t think anything more of the conversation as my parents brought subs back for us. Not until much later when I came out of the bathroom in my green sundress and found Julian standing in an outfit that perfectly complemented mine. Soft gray slacks, a purple V-neck with a little green logo, and loafers. He looked sharp as hell. I would have liked nothing more than to stay in and take all of those clothes off of him.
“How’s this?” he asked with a smirk. He must have already seen my assessment.
“I like it.”
He nodded, pleased. “Good.”
My mouth was dry as I stared at him. I took a step backward, trying to keep my brain from short-circuiting. Because, holy hell, Julian Wright was so fucking hot. It was practically sinful.
I snatched my purse off of the table, and it rattled with pills. I winced at the sound, hastening out of the room, nearly running right into my dad.
“Hey, where are you going in such a hurry?” he asked with a laugh.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine, pumpkin. Are you ready for the graduation party?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
But I wasn’t sure I was ready. Chester and Margaret were fighting. Julian Wright matched me, as if we’d planned our outfits. My parents were accepting of all of it. Everything felt strangely uncertain. Still, I swallowed down my unease and followed everyone out to my parents’ car.
We drove in circles until we finally snagged a spot in a parking garage not too far from the banquet hall downtown. A group of STEM students passed us into the graduation event. Chester was one of three PhDs graduating along with a dozen master’s students. The entire chemistry department came out to celebrate their achievements.