Come As You Are by Theresa Weir

Author:Theresa Weir
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: FICTION/Romance/Contemporary
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Published: 2013-09-11T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

“What do you think about this table?” Ian asked.

We were standing on the front lawn of a massive stone church located in Dinkytown. The church was having their annual bazaar that involved the congregation dragging in all of their crap until every corner of the church was filled. What wouldn’t fit inside sat outside on the lawn.

Visitors to the Twin Cities always rave about the fall, saying it lasts forever. Two months, usually. I don’t know if that’s so remarkable because I’ve never lived anywhere else, but I’ve come to the bazaar almost every year. It’s where I got my dresser with the oval mirror, and one time I picked up a vintage hat with black netting that I’ve never worn. Maybe someday…

We both had albums tucked under our arms. Me, Songs of Leonard Cohen, the one with “Suzanne”; Ian the Rolling Stones Let it Bleed, the one with the cake on the cover.

We both wore hoodies that we’d unzipped as the weather had warmed up. Leaves crunched under his sneakers and my boots, and I could smell coffee coming from a nearby café.

The table was nice. It looked like something that had maybe come from a grandmother’s house, something that would have had a crocheted tablecloth and a matching buffet. But the idea of picking out furniture together made me uncomfortable.

I checked the price tag. “It’s kind of expensive.”

He didn’t seem to have a problem spending money on stuff for the house, and I’d started to wonder if he was some trust-fund kid, or if my father had stashed away more cash than I’d thought. I could ask, and Ian would probably tell me, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

He bought the table.

Borrowing a screwdriver, we removed the legs and carried the top to the van, laughing because it was hard to hold, pausing to rest, finally wedging it inside to return for the table legs and our albums. Like some couple. Next he’d want to buy a gas grill and a patio set.

I felt a flutter of fear, fear for the end. I’d never feared the end before. That was my thing. Don’t fear the end of a relationship. Embrace it. When one door closed another door with a good-looking guy behind it opened.

I’m so shallow.

Instead of driving back to the house, Ian aimed the van in the direction of the University of Minnesota.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“I want to drive through the campus.” At the light on University Avenue he peeled off his sweatshirt and tossed it behind the seat. “I’m filling out an application for a master’s program,” he said.

My heart dropped in my chest and panic washed over me from head to foot, making me weak. “Really?”

“Why do you say it like that?”

Luckily he was watching the road and not me. “I dunno.” I told myself to calm down. “I kind of figured you’d eventually go back to California and Berkeley.”

“Really?” Now it was his turn to sound weird.

Here it comes, I thought.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.