Thomas & January (Sleepless 2)
“Let’s get out of here?”
“Yeah.”
We walked toward the massive main double door entrance of the cemetery but discovered it was barricaded for the night.
“Crap, we’re going to have to walk to one of the side entrances.”
“Oh my God, that is, like, totally far away,” January whined.
“Like, for sure.”
“Shut up, Eriksson. It’s one in the morning and we’re illegally trespassing on a city cemetery. I’m a little nervous. I channel my inner Valley girl when I get nervous. I can’t be arrested in every country we visit.” She was quiet for a moment as we trekked it back and to the right. “Wait, is that something I should aspire to?”
“No, collect shot glasses or snow globes or something equally garish.” I took her flashlight and turned the light off. The moonlight lit the cobblestone path enough to see where we were going. No sense creating a beacon for the guards. “If you can decipher which European country has the most comfortable handcuffs, I believe your goody two-shoes reputation may tarnish.”
“Both of my shoes are very good.” God, I found her unbelievably adorable when she said things like that. “But I already collect snow globes, remember?”
“Oh, yeah. Then collected arrests are the next natural step.”
“Naturally.”
“Naturally.”
“You know who else is buried in here?” she asked.
“Who?”
“Abelard and Heloise.”
“Seriously?”
“Don’t make fun, Tom.”
“What? I’m not. I’m seriously not. You know of Abelard and Heloise?”
“Uh, yeah, I-I’m a bit of a history buff, if you couldn’t already tell.”
“January, it’s like you were made for me,” I told her. I realized what I’d said way late in the moment and the silence was palpable. The cemetery trip was proving to be way more discerning an occasion then I ever thought possible. It seemed that light was being shed even as we walked through the dark night. I shook it away. “You know what they say about history,” I said, pretending I hadn’t made things awkward or revealingly uncomfortable for myself.
“It’s doomed to repeat itself?”
“I hope not,” I said, shivering at the thought of Abelard’s fate.
“You’re thinking about Abelard, aren’t you?
“Exactly.”
“Let’s change the subject then.”
Chapter Nine
When the Levee Breaks
Thomas
“Have you ever been to Rome?” January asked me the next morning as she exited her room.
I had to swallow before answering or she would have realized she’d tied my tongue. She was wearing a dress. Zap. A short one. Zap, Zap. And as dark blue as her eyes, making me want to keel over at her feet.