The Other Side

Chapter Nine

Since he never slept, Nolan was already awake when Mindy’s alarm went off at six in the morning. Though she turned it off right away, she didn’t spring from the bed and into action. It took a few minutes for her to extricate herself from the blankets and drag herself into the bathroom.

            While she showered, Nolan contemplated the grim prospect facing him. Besides the fact that he didn’t really care for high school, the idea of trailing after her like some kind of lost puppy didn’t appeal to him at all. At least she’d be able to interact with other living, breathing human beings. The only person who’d see him was her and she was likely to limit her conversation with him. Not to mention, with as many students as there were at that school, chances were good at least one of them would walk through him. The more he thought about it, the less he liked the idea of going, but he didn’t think he’d be able to get out of it.

            When Mindy emerged from the bathroom in nothing but her bathrobe, he forgot his frustration. Nolan grinned at the way her fuzzy bathrobe covered all the good stuff. Even after being crotch to crotch last night, she still wasn’t ready to let him see her naked.

            “What are you smiling at?” Mindy asked.

            “I was just wondering if that’s what you’re wearing to school,” Nolan answered.

            “I haven’t decided what I want to wear.”

            “I thought girls figured out that shit like a year in advance.”

            “It’s more like a day.”

            “Then how come you don’t know what you’re wearing?”    

            “I thought I did, but now I’m not sure if it’s right for the first day.”

            “Why are you stressin’ so hard about this?” he asked.

            “Because I want to look my best,” Mindy explained.

            Nolan raised his eyebrows. “Who are you trying to look your best for?”

            “Jesus Christ, Nolan! Are you gonna act like a jealous bitch every time I leave the house?”

            He wasn’t sure whether to be pissed or amused by the question. “Did you just call me a bitch?”

            “No, I asked if you were going to act like one. Seriously, if we’re gonna be together for eternity--”

            “What do you mean if? Are you saying you don’t want to be with me forever?”

            Mindy heaved a sigh. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. All I’m saying is that if we’re gonna be together forever, we have to learn to trust each other.”

            “I trust you.”

            “You’re not acting like it.”

            Maybe he was a little jealous, but he trusted her. At least until she dropped the if bomb on him and reminded him how one sided this was. She could come and go as she pleased. So could he but only as her sidekick. How long would that be enough for her before she found someone she didn’t have to hide from her friends?

            As she stared at him with her lips pursed into a petulant bow, an image of them together last night flashed in his mind. Nolan suddenly realized he was overreacting. If was just a word. It didn’t mean she didn’t want to be with him for eternity. She didn’t resist when Nolan reached for the belt of her robe and used it to pull her body against his. Without letting go of her robe, he brought his face closer to hers. A sly smile played about her lips, a smile he suffocated with a light kiss.