Around eight thirty I went up to my room and pulled everything out of my closet to rearrange it. No matter how hard I tried, thoughts of Xavier pushed themselves into the foreground of my mind with the force of a speeding train. By five minutes to nine, all I could think of was him waiting for me, the minutes ticking by. I visualized the moment when he realized I wasn’t coming. In my mind’s eye I saw him shrug his shoulders, walk out of the cinema, and go on with his life. The pain of this thought proved too much; and before I knew it, I had grabbed my purse, pulled the balcony doors open, and was climbing down the lattice to the garden below. I was overcome by a burning desire to see Xavier, even if I didn’t speak to him.
I stumbled along the dark street, took a left, and kept going, heading straight for the lights of the town. A few people in cars turned to stare at me, a pale, ghostlike girl streaking down the street, hair flying like streamers. I thought I saw Mrs. Henderson peering out through the blinds in her living room, but I hardly gave her a second thought.
It took me about ten minutes to find the Mercury Cinema. I passed a café called the Fat Cat, which seemed to be full of students. Music was pumping from a jukebox and kids were sitting in deep couches, drinking milk shakes or sharing bowls of nachos. Some of them were dancing on the checkered floor. I passed the Terrace, one of the ritzier restaurants in town, set up on the first floor of an old Victorian hotel. The best tables were on the balcony that ran along the front of the building, and I could see candles glinting in their holders. I sped past the new bakery and the general store where I had met Alice and Phantom just weeks earlier. When I reached the Mercury Cinema, I was going at such a speed that I ran straight past it and had to double back when I realized the street had come to an end.
The cinema dated from the 1950s and had recently been redecorated in keeping with the fashion of that time. It was full of retro memorabilia. The floors were polished black-and-white linoleum; there were sofas in burnt orange vinyl with chrome legs and lights like flying saucers. I caught sight of myself in the mirror behind the candy bar. My breathing was ragged from excitement, and I looked flustered from my run.
The foyer was empty when I got there, and no one was milling around the coffee lounge. The movie posters advertised a Hitchcock marathon. It must have already started. Xavier had either gone in alone or gone home.
I heard someone behind me clearing his throat exaggeratedly, the way someone does when trying to get your attention. I turned.
“It’s no longer fashionably late when you miss the movie.” Xavier was wearing his wry smile, navy chino shorts, and a cream polo shirt.
“I can’t make it,” I said between breaths. “I just came to let you know.”
“You didn’t have to run all the way over here to tell me that. You could have called.”
Xavier’s eyes were playful. I struggled to think of a reply that wouldn’t make me look ridiculous. My first impulse was to say I’d lost his number, but I didn’t want to lie to him.
“Since you’re here,” he continued, “how about a coffee?”
“What about the movie?”
“I can see that anytime.”
“All right, but I can’t stay long. No one knows I’m out,” I confessed.
“There’s a place just two blocks down, if you don’t mind walking.”
The café was called Sweethearts. Xavier put his hand between my shoulder blades to steer me inside, and I felt the heat of his palm seep through to my skin. A strange warmth bubbled up inside of me until I realized his hand was directly on the place where my wings were carefully folded. I quickly edged away with a nervous laugh.
“You’re a strange girl,” he said, looking bemused.
I was grateful when he asked for a booth as I wanted privacy from prying eyes. We had attracted a fair bit of attention just walking down the street together. Inside the café were some faces I recognized from school, but I didn’t know the students personally so no acknowledgment was required. I saw Xavier nodding in various directions before we sat down. Were these his friends? I wondered whether our outing would fuel the rumor mill come Monday.
The place was inviting and I started to feel more relaxed. The lighting was low, and the walls were lined with old movie posters. On the table were free postcards advertising the work of local artists. The menu offered a variety of milk shakes, coffees, cakes, and sundaes. A waitress wearing black-and-white sneakers took our order. I ordered a hot chocolate and Xavier asked for a latte. The waitress gave him a flirtatious smile as she scribbled on her pad.
“Hope this place is okay with you,” he said when she’d gone. “I usually come here after training.”
“It’s nice,” I said. “Do you train a lot?”
“Two afternoons and most weekends. What about you? Have you got involved in anything yet?”
“Not yet, I’m still deciding.”
Xavier nodded. “These things take time.” He folded his arms comfortably across his chest and leaned back in his seat. “So, tell me about yourself.”
It was the question I’d been dreading.
“What would you like to know?” I asked cautiously.
“Firstly, why you’ve chosen Venus Cove. It’s not exactly high profile.”
“That’s why,” I said. “Let’s call it a lifestyle decision — we were tired of jet-setting, wanted to settle down somewhere quiet.” I knew this would be an acceptable answer; there was no shortage of families who had relocated for similar reasons. “Now, tell me about yourself.”
I think he knew I was hoping to fend off more questions, but it didn’t matter. Xavier was comfortable talking and didn’t need encouragement. Unlike me, he was forthcoming with personal information. He told anecdotes about family members and gave an abridged version of the Woods’s family history.
“I come from a family of six kids and I’m the second eldest. Both parents are doctors, Mom’s a local GP and Dad’s an anesthesiologist. Claire, the eldest, is following in my parents’ footsteps, and she’s in her second year of a med degree. She lives at college but comes home every weekend. She just got engaged to her boyfriend Luke — they’ve been together four years. Then there are three younger sisters — Nicola’s fifteen, Jasmine’s eight, and Madeline’s about to turn six. The youngest is Michael and he’s four. Bored yet?”
“No, it’s fascinating. Please go on,” I urged. I found the details of a normal, human family intriguing and was thirsty to hear more. Was I envious of his life? I wondered.
“Well, I’ve been at Bryce Hamilton since kindergarten because my mom insisted I go to a Christian school. She’s a conservative — been with my dad since they were fifteen. Can you believe that? They’ve practically grown up together.”
“They must have a very strong relationship.”
“They’ve had their ups and downs, but nothing’s ever happened that they haven’t been able to deal with.”
“Sounds like a close family.”
“Yeah, we are, although Mom can be a little overprotective.”
I imagined Xavier’s parents having high aspirations for their eldest boy.
“Will you pursue medicine as well?”
“Probably.” He shrugged.
“You don’t sound too excited about it.”
“Well, I was interested in design for a while but that was, let’s say, discouraged.”
“Why’s that?”