Unconventional

I saw Chase smile, Noah shak

e his head in disagreement. Julian stood with his arms crossed over his big chest. With his gloves on, he looked like a superhero.

“None of you will ever really know how much this meant to Travis,” I said. “It was my uncle’s final dream to restore this place. You guys are helping him realize that dream, so he thanks you too.”

I let the words sink in for a moment. Then I smiled.

“In other news, I did some shopping the other day and picked up some of your favorite things. According to what I could pry out of each of you, anyway.”

“Italian Ices?” Chase asked hopefully.

“Yes, those,” I laughed. “But I was talking real food, mostly. Drinks. Snacks. Everything you like.” I shrugged. “You guys are going to bat for me, big time. The least I can do is feed the shit out of you.”

Among other things… my mind wandered.

Silence fell over the ward as I stalled a bit. Eventually, Julian arched an eyebrow.

“That it?”

“Err… Sort of.”

Another lump had formed out of sheer nervousness. This was one so big, I couldn’t swallow it down.

Fuck it, just say it.

“The pull-and-pray method of birth control we’ve been relying on isn’t going to cut it for me,” I announced, shifting nervously. “So I also stopped at the pharmacy… and went back on the pill.”

Instantly I blushed, my face going redder than I’m sure it’s ever been in my life. There was no helping it, really. But the guys seemed cool.

“Duly noted,” said Noah, his mouth curling into the hint of a smile. “And also, probably wise.”

“Yeah,” I chuckled. “That’s what I figured, too.”

Twenty-Nine

MADISON

The castle gardens were a beautiful disaster, made worse by the fact we’d tried our best to fix them up. We’d gotten close, my uncle and I. The place had been weeded down to the flagstones, the statues cleared of vines and moss. The big stone fountain in the center had been washed and scrubbed, and filled back up with cool, clear water.

That is, until we ran out of money.

Now that water was a bright, unnatural green, with something sinister floating on top that reminded me of the lake monster from Creepshow 2. The moss was making a comeback. Grass grew between the cracks of everything.

“This place makes me sad,” I said, following in Noah’s footsteps.

“Really? This is my favorite part of the whole castle.”

He pushed aside another vine, holding it up so I could pass. We were on a midnight walk together, to escape the heat. The outside air was cooler than inside, but not by much.

“This was my uncle’s favorite place too,” I admitted sullenly. “He used to come here all the time. He said it always helped him think.”

Noah gazed up, into a nighttime sky that was unusually clear and free from summer haze. A million glimmering stars stretched out overhead, from horizon to horizon.

“I can see why.”

We walked some more, hand in hand, along the little crooked path. Like always, it made think of the people who’d walked here before us. What their lives had been like. How much they’d enjoyed this world, before passing on to the next.

“That’s also why it makes you sad,” said Noah. “It reminds you of your uncle.”