Between the Stacks

Chapter 28

I felt bad for him. He'd woken up only twenty minutes ago, and he'd taken the world's fastest shower and thrown on yesterday's clothes. I wanted to talk with him about last night, which would certainly be impossible with my parents hovering.

They'd arrived only a few minutes ago, and Mom had frantically checked me for any signs of injury. Once she determined that my head was still attached to my body, she plied me with donuts and tea.

"Sounds like you kids had a bit of an adventure yesterday," Dad said, throwing my luggage into the back of the station wagon. I tried to signal to change the topic, with no luck.

"That's one word for it," Wesley said. I could tell he was trying to act casual and natural. Dad didn't notice how pale he'd gotten.

Dad, ever the chivalrous father, opened the backseat for me. "Your chariot awaits."

"Thanks for coming out all this way," I said, sliding into the backseat. Wesley sat in the other seat.

"Of course, honey," Mom said, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. We were both thinking of Alex. Of how lucky I had been.

Dad pulled out the Timbits just as Mom merged easily onto the highway. Why hadn't I inherited her driving skills? I would have been screaming. I made a mental note to drive the station wagon more.

"So, Wesley," Dad said conversationally. "Emma said you sabotaged her wacky hair day event."

"Dad!" I yelled.

"What? I'm just looking out for my daughter."

I'd told my parents all about Wesley's subterfuge, which seemed so long ago. I'd just been under the assumption that they would never meet. And even if they did, I thought my Dad would have more tact than to bring up what I'd said.

"Well," Wesley said, his eyes wide in panic, "I think it was a communication error."

"Your communication error, buddy?" Dad said, his voice still light.

"Yes, mine," he said. Glancing over at me, he mouthed Help me.

No, I mouthed back. "I think it's all in the past now, Dad."

"It had better be," Mom said. Oh, God - it was both of them.

The rest of the drive passed in uneasy conversation. I tried casting about for safe topics - the weather! Sports! Bad celebrity hairstyles! - but even a knife couldn't have cut the tension in the car.

It was my fault. I had ranted about Wesley to Mom and Dad, but I hadn't told them anything else. Not my confused feelings, and certainly not the fact that we'd kissed. I'd rather jump out a window than admit that last part.

It didn't help that Wesley was still out of it. Normally he could turn on the charm and the charisma. Now he stared out the window, responding only occasionally. It's not like I could explain his sullen mood to my parents. It was his story, not mine.

It was a relief by the time the trees were replaced by warehouses, followed by industrial buildings and train tracks. Even though it had been less than an hour, the trip felt as if kingdoms had risen and fallen in during that tortured time. I almost cried in relief when the Toronto skyscrapers swallowed us up, making me feel like I was in the bottom of a shiny glass canyon.

"Good to be home?" I asked Wesley.

He blinked. "I guess."

Mom and Dad glanced at each other.

Wesley and I were dropped off on Front Street, right in front of the train station, since it was one of the few areas of the city my parents had visited. "Make good choices!" Mom shouted from her open window. "Don't let the rats eat you!" My parents didn't have a high opinion of big cities.

I thanked them again for the ride before they drove off; taxis were aggressively honking behind them, so our goodbye was cut a little short. No doubt I would be receiving a summons for dinner soon to answer all their questions. I imagined it would go down like the interrogation scene in a detective movie, with me sweating under a lone light bulb. Lakshmi had agreed to spring for an extra night in the hotel because of our travel issues, so at least I had some time to prepare for their inquisition.

For now, Wesley and I adjusted to the ferocity of the city. The taxis, it turned out, weren't just honking at my parents - they honked at everything that moved. Travelers with mountains of luggage struggled past us on the sidewalk; workers in smart suits traveled together in packs; the savory smell of a hot dog cart wafted over to us; and I saw something scurry along the curb that I would never mention to Mom.

"We're not presenting for a while," I said, checking the time on my phone. "Want to check into our hotel, so we can ditch our bags?"

Wesley nodded without saying anything.

Thankfully the conference had partnered with a nearby hotel for discount pricing on rooms; otherwise, Lakshmi never would have sprung for downtown prices. We only had to walk for a few minutes before being greeted by blessed air conditioning from the lobby.

The room was free from anything vaguely cat-related. I was mildly disappointed.

Worse, there was no adjoining door between my room and Wesley's.

I thought back to my frantic Google searching to craft the perfect presentation. None of it seemed to matter now.

I put on one of the only dresses I owned that deserved the description of "professional" – a Tommy Hilfiger dress I'd scavenged from Value Village - and threw on mascara that a sales lady said made my eyes "pop," although I'm sure she was just looking for a sale. I made sure to grab my laptop and the documents I needed for the conference. Ten minutes later I knocked on Wesley's door.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Not at all," he said.

"Neither am I," I said. We smiled awkwardly at each other before heading down the hallway and towards the most important presentation of our lives.