《Born in January》


 Born in January

    ONE


    It wasn¡¯t the right time to leave a party, nor the right time to tell your hostess you weren¡¯t feeling well and you had to leave immediately. The hostess shook her head like the defection was nothing new and went back to attending to her more worthwhile guests. Annaliese¡¯s friend, Kimberly, offered to drive her back to the house, but Annaliese wouldn¡¯t hear of it.


    ¡°How will you get home?¡± Kimberly asked tartly as she followed Annaliese to the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get an Uber, call for a taxi, or take the bus. It doesn¡¯t matter. I just have to leave right now.¡± Annaliese rushed the explanation as she threw her coat over her shoulders.


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Kimberly said without turning her head. ¡°You¡¯ve seen someone you¡¯d rather not see and you¡¯re only ¡®saying¡¯ that you¡¯re feeling sick.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good girl,¡± Annaliese praised. ¡°I¡¯ll make it home just fine.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t worry about you.¡±


    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t,¡± Annaliese said as she hoisted her umbrella over her head and stepped out into the late afternoon rain.


    Kimberly let her go down the steps and let out the usual sigh.


    Annaliese was a soft sort of woman with light brown hair and light brown eyes. When she was younger, her hair would escape from her elastic and collect in wisps around her face. As an adult, she slicked it back into a no-nonsense French twist and enjoyed a level of sophistication no one would have believed possible of the child she had been.


    That was who she had been avoiding at the party. Someone who had known her when she was a child.


    His name was Trip. Not really, but everyone called him that. The nickname was so prevalent that hardly anyone knew what was written on his birth certificate. Annaliese knew what his real name was. She knew all about him. Every detail: his dark hair, his green eyes (which were darker than hers and often mistaken for brown), his height, his weight, what he thought about everything¡­ except one thing. How he would feel about running into her at that dinner party on that night.


    She couldn¡¯t pretend anymore.


    She couldn¡¯t put that damn innocent look on her face one more time.


    He¡¯d seen her.


    Trip had seen her before she made her escape. She¡¯d felt his eyes follow her as she tumbled out of the house and onto the street.


    Her phone blinged.


    She couldn¡¯t look at it. Whoever it was, they would have to wait. Whoever wanted her could go to hell¡­ even if it was Trip himself.


    She didn¡¯t call for an Uber or a taxi. She walked blindly through the late afternoon rain as the wind bent the branches of the trees. Raindrops rolled down leaves collecting weight until they were blown free and smashed against Annaliese¡¯s umbrella. Her dress was wet. The sky was getting dark. She slipped under a bus shelter and stared at the numbers on the sign. Did one of the buses that came by take her home?


    Trip¡¯s car pulled up to the side of the curb. Without hesitating, he got out, came over to the passenger side of his car, and opened the door for her.


    She didn¡¯t say a word. She got in.


    He gave her a little bow before returning to the driver¡¯s side and getting in.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    When he maneuvered the car into the driving lane, she asked him, ¡°Where are you taking me?¡±


    ¡°To my house.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had a house,¡± she said, amazed at what she didn¡¯t know about him.


    ¡°Oh, I do. It¡¯s a new acquisition. If you weren¡¯t playing hide-and-seek with me, I would have shown it to you already. If you¡¯re still playing hide-and-seek, I¡¯ll take you home instead.¡±


    ¡°No. Show it to me. You must know how tired I am of playing games.¡±


    He nodded and drove them through the city rain. He put on music that was soft and melded into the sounds the raindrops made as they splashed against his car.


    More than once, Annaliese checked where they were going, confusion all over her face.


    Trip noticed, but didn¡¯t comment. He wanted to surprise her.


    Finally, they pulled into a U-shaped driveway of a house Annaliese knew very well. The lights were on and the glow on the gray brick made the house look golden.


    ¡°This is your uncle¡¯s house,¡± Annaliese observed. ¡°He¡¯s always been so annoyed with you. Why are you staying here?¡±


    ¡°My uncle passed away last month,¡± he explained.


    ¡°How shocking! You should have told me,¡± Annaliese fumed.


    ¡°What? You would have gone to the funeral with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you¡¯d asked.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± he sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve been through enough lately. I did think to ask you, but you have to understand, I was not expecting him to leave me this house. He left his money to other people, his extensive properties to other people, but he left this house to me. I was stunned. Like you said, he¡¯s always been so annoyed with me¡­ like my father. In his will, he said he left it to me because I was the only person who made memories here.¡±


    Annaliese went crimson. ¡°Did you ever explain the situation to him?¡±


    ¡°No, but he found out. I don¡¯t know how, but he found out. He explained as much in his will.¡±


    ¡°The lawyer didn¡¯t read that out for everyone to hear, did they?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Trip said, eager to quiet her fears. ¡°I was given my portion privately. Actually, everyone was given their portion privately. Maybe it was done that way to keep my secret, but maybe other people have their secrets too.¡±


    ¡°Did he say much about it?¡± Annaliese asked quietly.


    ¡°Yes. That he was wrong. That my father was wrong. That everyone who had dealt with me was wrong and he hoped that this gesture might go a long way in correcting everyone¡¯s terrible advice, incorrect thinking, and stubborn, foolish ways.¡±


    Annaliese relaxed slightly. ¡°Did any of that make you feel better?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± he said, as he got out of the car and opened Annaliese¡¯s door for her. He took her hand and lifted her out of the car. He closed it quietly behind her and opened the front door of the house for her.


    Annaliese had been in the entryway so many times she could hardly remember the first time she¡¯d been there. It was huge with twin staircases rising like wings. Trip had to walk across miles of tiled flooring to reach the closet where he hung her coat.


    She lowered herself onto a cream velvet chair to remove her black high heels. Before she could undo one zipper, Trip was on his knees in front of her, sliding her ankles out of the ankle boots she wore on cold days.


    A painful sigh escaped her lips. ¡°Please stop.¡± She slid off the chair and into his lap with the layers of her black gauze skirt flowing all around them. ¡°You¡¯re always on your knees. I hate it. Stop it.¡±


    Before he could put his arms around her, she stood up, removing her weight and herself from him. The moment the fabric from her skirt slipped between his fingers was always the moment when he felt he had truly lost her. It was not the moment when her skin stopped touching his, but the moment when even her clothes were out of his reach.


    She took five steps from him and waited.


    He waited too.


    They were both waiting for the moment they got the green light from the other, but they hadn¡¯t felt like they¡¯d received it yet.


    ¡°Did Uncle Clement leave you all the furniture?¡± Annaliese asked conversationally.


    ¡°Every stick. Even the chess set in the library.¡± Trip got up from his knees. ¡°Would you play a game with me tonight?¡±


    ¡°Of chess?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Trip said, his heart in his throat. ¡°We always used to play together. It might help us relax.¡±


    ¡°Is it still set with the old papers we used?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t looked at it since we played with it last, but it¡¯s always set up. Uncle liked it. He thought of it as part of the decorations.¡±


    Annaliese remembered some of the things they¡¯d written on the papers they¡¯d put in that chess set. It would be so much easier if they could have a conversation like normal people, but it felt too late for that. They needed a therapist¡­ or a lawyer.

 TWO

    The library was a room of unsurpassed beauty.  As far as a personal library went, it was beyond luxurious.  The room had originally been a ballroom.  The owner of the house before Uncle Clement had been another relative.  They had bookshelves attached to every wall in every corridor in the house.  It made moving furniture in and out a nightmare.  Annaliese and Trip both remembered the way the house had looked in those days.  Sometimes a person had to turn sideways to get down a hallway.


    When Uncle Clement inherited the house, the first thing he did was acknowledge that he did not need a ballroom.  He purchased uniform shelving, had all the mismatched bookcases removed from the house and all the books properly stored in two lines of bookcases in the ballroom and leaning against all four walls. When all the books were moved into the new library, there was still shelf space for new books.  Soon that was no longer true and more bookcases were brought in because the house was just made to be read in.


    Of the many beautiful features of the library, one of them was a small table intended only for playing chess.  The pieces and the board were wooden.  It looked ordinary enough unless you knew that it held a secret.  The secret of the chess set was that every single one of the pieces had a hole drilled in the bottom.  The tube created inside was the perfect size for hiding a tiny roll of paper.


    A thousand games could be played with a chess set that had a message hidden inside each piece.  Sometimes the game contained commands like dares, sometimes clues, and sometimes questions.  Trip said he didn¡¯t know what was written inside the pieces, and he didn¡¯t.  He flipped over a black pawn to make sure there was still a roll of paper inside before pulling out the chair in front of the white pieces for Annaliese.


    She believed him, that he didn¡¯t know what was inside, and sat down.  She had long learned that it didn¡¯t matter what was written inside.  You could ignore what was written on the papers and ask whatever you wanted.


    He sat down and looked at her gravely.  ¡°Begin.¡±


    She picked up her pawn and moved it forward one square.


    ***


    ¡°I miss playing chess with you,¡± Trip said as their game wore on.  No one had shed blood yet and both sets of pieces had strayed far into the no man¡¯s land in the middle of the board.


    ¡°Are you going easy on me?¡± she asked suspiciously.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°I hoped you were going easy on me,¡± he retorted.


    She huffed and killed one of his pawns with her bishop.  She unrolled the scroll that had been placed inside his dead pawn.  It read, ¡®Do you like carrot cake?¡¯  She wasn¡¯t asking him a dumb question.  She knew everything about him, even whether or not he liked carrot cake.


    Instead, she made up her own question and tried to place it on the same maturity level so it didn¡¯t seem out of place when he read a question from her side.  ¡°Do you have a girlfriend?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Is that what it says?¡± he asked, reaching for the paper in her hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± she asked coyly, like a little girl.  Then, she rolled over her tongue and became a sharp woman. ¡°Or do you not want to answer the question?¡±  She did not show him the paper.  She rolled it up and stuffed it back in the pawn.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t have a girlfriend,¡± he said flatly and offered no further information before moving a pawn to threaten her bishop in retaliation.


    His answer did not satisfy her.  It was too childish a question after all.


    Three moves later, Trip killed her knight.  He opened the paper hidden inside.  It wasn¡¯t even a question.  It was more like a fortune cookie.  It said, ¡®Make plans for further education.¡¯  It was impossible for him to say those words to her.  Instead, he pretended to read a dare instead.  ¡°Let your hair down.¡±


    Annaliese¡¯s hair was tied up in a French twist, but familiar with this game, she didn¡¯t hesitate to do as she was told.  If she wanted answers to her questions, she had to play by the rules of the game.  She deposited her elastic and thirteen bobby pins into the tray where they were the dead pieces were stored.


    Trip felt the tension in his shoulders ease as soon as he saw her hair fall over her shoulders.  He remembered her as a little girl with flyaway whisps, as a teenager who couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to use as much product as it took to achieve perfect smoothness.  Seeing the destruction of her French twist gave him a lift.


    Maybe everything would be all right.


    Annaliese always lost her knight first when she played chess.  It didn¡¯t matter who she was playing.  She was better with her bishops and took another pawn.


    She opened the paper.  It read, ¡®Wonder not.  All will be revealed.¡¯  She did her best to hide an exasperated pant before she asked cleanly, ¡°What did you think of me the first time you saw me?¡±


    ¡°Probably nothing,¡± Trip answered.  ¡°I don¡¯t think I even remember the first time I saw you.  I was a child.¡±


    The disappointment Annaliese felt at his statement was so palpable it surprised her.  What he said was perfectly reasonable.  They were three or four years old when they met.  Still, she must care a lot about what Trip thought to be hurt by his honest reflection.  She thought it was a bad sign for their conversation if he didn¡¯t try to make something up, even if only to please her.  Had he fallen to his knees in the entryway for nothing?


    ¡°However,¡± he continued.  ¡°I always thought the days when you were here, in the library, were the nicest.¡±


    She smiled.  That did feel like a hopeful place to start.

 THREE

    THREE


    Meeting as children and looking through Uncle Clement¡¯s books was a pleasant memory for Annaliese too.  Trip¡¯s Uncle Clement and Annaliese¡¯s mother were lawyers who worked for the same firm.  Not only did they work together, but they were close friends.  Hence, on some Sunday afternoons, they met to chat and unwind.  Annaliese was brought to visit the library and Trip was called over to help entertain her.


    Those were essential memories, but they were not the beginning of Trip and Annaliese¡¯s love affair.


    Rushing forward, Annaliese was sixteen and she was set to attend summer camp.  She had chosen the camp herself for the archery program and horseback riding.  It was in a beautiful mountain range miles away from the sort of summer hideaway her mother would have chosen for her, but Annaliese was sixteen and granted the right to choose how she spent her summer.


    None of her friends from school were going to be there, but that was part of the appeal.  She was awkward with friends and didn¡¯t know what to do with them.  At her high school, everyone Annaliese knew was so competitive, it was cutthroat.


    ¡°What was your score on the test?¡±


    ¡°How many times did you get asked to dance?¡±


    ¡°What was your time around the track?¡±


    Annaliese struggled because she wasn¡¯t above average at any of those things.  She was plagued by a haunting feeling that she didn¡¯t belong there.  She was an imposter, but she couldn¡¯t tell anyone she thought that.  The last thing in the world she needed was to land herself in therapy or have even one person tell her mother that she felt that way.


    So, Annaliese chose her camp and she was allowed to go mostly because when her mother was researching the camp, she discovered that Trip was going to be there.


    On Annaliese¡¯s way to the camp, there was a mixup at the airport.  A limousine company was supposed to take her from the airport to the camp and the mixup meant that instead of merely going from point A to point B in a shiny black sedan, she arrived at the camp in a white stretch limo.


    It made quite the sensation.


    All the girls and all the boys stared.


    However, Annaliese was a pro at showing no emotion.  That was the thing that carried her through attending a school where the average student was an over-achieving showoff.  She didn¡¯t give them any reaction and instead looked unimpressed and vacant no matter what happened.


    Annaliese couldn¡¯t see the sensation she created as she pulled up, but Trip could.  He was standing on a balcony that overlooked the U-shaped drop-off point.  Everyone was watching as the white limousine pulled up.  When the chauffeur opened the door for her, the effect was quite dazzling.  She was not dressed like a person who ought to be coming out of a limousine.  She was wearing frayed cut-offs, a white undershirt with a short-sleeved plaid shirt over it, tied at the waist.  She wore yellow high-top sneakers and carried a backpack.  She yanked her headphones from her ears and stowed them away while the driver unloaded her luggage.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Her dark blonde flyaway hair was straightened, her tan was the perfect shade of golden and suddenly, everything about her was rich with a capital R.


    ¡°I know her,¡± Trip said to his friend Jamison, who was standing next to him.


    ¡°Sure, you do,¡± Jamison sniggered back.  ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.  That¡¯s Annaliese Strider.¡±


    Jamison clicked his tongue.  ¡°She must be famous.¡±


    Suddenly, it struck Trip as a mistake to let on how he knew her.  He had been one of the first people there and he noticed something from the way the other campers arrived.  He and Annaliese were rich by comparison.  It meant that his family was far wealthier than the families of the other campers, but he decided not to show it off.  He got the counselors to hide all his best tech toys in the camp safe and vowed not to use them.  He decided that the use of his gear was more important than whether or not anyone knew where they came from.  He ripped the logos off his hiking gear and drew on his shoes with a permanent marker.


    He came to the camp to have a normal summer, a stress-free summer, and he couldn¡¯t do that if he was labeled as a rich kid.  What if he was targeted by some brat who had something to prove?


    Staring down at Annaliese, it was already too late for her.  He racked his brain.  Why had she arrived in a limo?  Of all the stupid, careless¡­


    He looked down at her and his tirade stopped.  Maybe it didn¡¯t matter how she arrived.  She looked like white gold and sunshine.  She probably caused a riot wherever she went.


    A second later, she was wheeling her modestly sized suitcase behind her as she passed through the log arch into the camp.


    Annaliese was not surprised when she saw that she was rooming with three other girls. It said she would be on the website, but still, she was surprised by her roommates.  They were friendly, unlike the other girls at school.


    She went to dinner with them under an outdoor canopy.  She saw Trip on the other side of the cluster of tables, surrounded by his bunkmates because everyone was eating with their bunkmates for the first two days.  She tilted her head at him and gave him a cool-girl salute, which he returned in the form of a wink.


    There was no rush to meet up with him.  She knew he had been told to watch out for her.  She¡¯d meet up with him eventually.


    As she chewed on her grilled cheese sandwich, she glanced at him repeatedly.  He had really changed since the last time she¡¯d seen him.  They were almost the same age.  He was born on January third and she was born on January nineteenth of the same year.  What right did he have to have gotten that tall?  They had been the same height for as long as she could remember.


    Finally, she acknowledged that it had been a while since she had last seen him.  Two years?  Three?


    She chatted with her roommates and tried to ignore their awestruck gazes as they grilled her about what school she went to and what her life was like as a super-rich heiress.


    Annaliese tried to explain that the limo to the camp had been due to an error and not because she was a super-rich heiress.  She told them it was the first time she¡¯d been in a limo, which was a lie, but it was the first time she¡¯d been in a stretch limo, which was the truth.  She wasn¡¯t sure if she was curbing their enthusiasm, but she continued to try, while the rest of the camp did not hear her explanation.

 FOUR

    FOUR


    Trip was awoken that night by a counselor, a twenty-year-old named Skyler, hissing in his ear. ¡°Trip.  There¡¯s been a problem.  Can you get up?¡±


    The clock read 12:30, so he hadn¡¯t been asleep that long.  ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked as he flopped out of bed.


    ¡°Shh!  Don¡¯t wake up the other guys.  I only need you.¡±


    Trip was confused.  What could they need only him for?


    Skyler led him to the administrative building and to the counselor¡¯s lounge.


    Trip heard Annaliese crying before he saw her and quickened his pace.  He knew exactly what Annaliese sounded like when she cried.  In the room, a female counselor was hovering over Annaliese, clearly unsure of what to do.


    As soon as Annaliese saw him, she rushed him like a little girl who needed a hug.  Trip put his arms around her.  It was only a little awkward and the strangeness of them touching like that melted away in seconds.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked the counselor over Annaliese¡¯s head. The top of her head only came up to his jaw.


    ¡°Someone put a dead, bloody, rabbit in her bed.  Either she got into bed and didn¡¯t notice it at first or someone put it in after she was already in bed.  Needless to say, when she put her feet down at the foot of her bed, she felt something weird, investigated and this is the result.¡±


    ¡°You need to call her mother,¡± Trip said instantly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not be hasty,¡± the female counselor said.


    Trip understood immediately.  This counselor, Camilla (Trip read her name tag), knew that Annaliese¡¯s mother was a lawyer and didn¡¯t want to involve her.  Instead, she wanted to see if she could de-escalate the situation on their own.  The first thing they needed to do was calm Annaliese down.  They asked her if there was anyone in the camp who could comfort her, and she gave them his name.  Trip tightened his arms around her.


    Camilla went on to explain that it would be wisest if Annaliese and Trip took a few minutes to calm down in the counselor¡¯s lounge while she found out who had put the dead rabbit in her bed.


    Trip agreed that was fine.  They might be able to rectify the situation before they reported the incident to Annaliese¡¯s horrifying mother.  If they couldn¡¯t set things straight, nothing was going to stop the horrifying mother.  It was much better to try to find a solution first.


    He pulled Annaliese over to the couch and held her close as he yanked a tissue from the box free.


    Camilla left and Annaliese took the tissue from him like he was a hero and blew her nose.


    Skyler held a garbage can out to her.


    ¡°How are your feet?¡± Trip asked the weeping girl.


    ¡°How do you think?  I left bloody footprints all down Roger¡¯s Hall.¡±


    ¡°Did anyone take a picture?  You¡¯re going to want that for the scrapbook,¡± he chuckled ironically.  ¡°So many memories.¡±


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°This is serious,¡± she wailed.  ¡°I have to see a doctor in the morning!  I¡¯m up on my tetanus shot but I¡¯m going to need a round of antibiotics.¡±


    ¡°So you got your feet washed?¡±


    ¡°I washed them in the bathroom sink, but I don¡¯t know.  They still feel weird,¡± she wiggled her toes.


    ¡°Let me see them,¡± Trip said, moving to look at her feet.


    She had cute feet, perfectly polished toes, and an anklet made of string, which had absorbed a bit of blood through the ties that dangled.


    ¡°Your anklet is ruined,¡± he observed. He pulled her ankle onto his knee and undid the knot. ¡°I hope this wasn¡¯t like a friendship bracelet.¡±


    Annaliese did not have close friends.  ¡°Nah, I made it myself, but I¡¯m annoyed.  I liked it.  I bought the materials myself and learned how to make it myself so I would have one.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep it,¡± Trip said brightly, exuding a next-level charm he didn¡¯t know he had.  ¡°Can we get a baggie?¡± he asked Skyler.


    The counselor looked surprised but could see no reason to deny them a sandwich bag, so he got up.


    ¡°Are your feet clean enough?  Do you think we should wash them again?¡± Trip asked, turning her foot around in his hand.


    ¡°I dunno.  I scrubbed them.  I want a pedicure.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Trip said with a cheerful, yet wicked, smile.  ¡°If we told them you needed a pedicure to feel better, I bet the two of us could spend tomorrow in that cute little tourist village we passed on the way here.¡±


    She turned to him.  ¡°Are you good at milking things?¡±


    ¡°I bet I could make you cry all over again if you want to make the appeal look genuine.¡±


    Annaliese¡¯s mouth fell open.  Alone in the counselor¡¯s lounge, she bent toward him.  ¡°You want to go to the village, go to a spa, and get a pedicure with me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never wanted or had a pedicure in my life.  But, I was told that I was supposed to look out for you at this camp, and so far¡­ this is a bit beyond my pay grade.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re paying you!  I could die of embarrassment,¡± she cried as she pulled a throw blanket off the back of the couch and covered her head with it.


    ¡°They¡¯re not paying me!¡± he said as he pulled the blanket off her head.


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked with wide eyes.


    ¡°Really,¡± he said flatly.  ¡°All I was saying is that this is a little more drama than I was expecting on the first day! I require professional assistance.¡±


    ¡°Look, I know you didn¡¯t come to this camp to hold my hand.¡±  At that moment, he was literally holding onto one of her feet.  Annaleise was not able to articulate that the gesture was the most reassuring thing about having him come to comfort her.  If he was willing to touch her foot, then what happened must not have been that big a deal.  She pulled her feet back and tucked them under her on the couch.


    Trip didn¡¯t get to say anything further before Skyler came back with a ziplock and a tray of snacks and drinks.  He turned on the TV for some background noise and prepared to hunker down.


    ¡°Was Camilla thinking that she¡¯d figure out who did this before sunrise?¡± Trip asked.


    ¡°She was hoping,¡± Skyler replied.


    Trip thought that was impossible, but far be it for him to criticize.  He spent the rest of the night on the couch watching old TV programs and convincing Annaliese that it was fine to snuggle with him.


    The whole thing was a bit of a revelation for him.  He learned that he was cool-headed in a crisis, that he enjoyed cuddling with a girl, and that he could outlast a camp counselor in a game of which one of them could keep their eyes open the longest.  As soon as Skylar was asleep in the recliner next to them, Trip maneuvered Annalise so she was using his lap as a pillow and leaned back himself.


    He hadn¡¯t been aware that he had a crush on her.  He had a soft spot for her from their collective childhood as he had always thought she was very sweet.  He liked her better than the other girls he knew.  She was not fascinating to him in a novelty kind of way.  He had crushes on girls at his school sometimes, but it never felt like a replication of what he felt for Annaliese.


    He clicked his tongue dryly and wondered if she was his first love.  Part of him hoped she wasn¡¯t.  The idea of a first love sounded doomed to failure in his mind.  The other half of him timidly suggested that he would have to find someone very attractive for him to find them more attractive than Annaliese.


    The idea was simply impossible.

 FIVE

    FIVE


    The next day, Trip kept to his word. He went with Annaliese to the village. They began their day by visiting the doctor, where Annaliese got the prescription for the round of antibiotics she knew she needed. Then they went to the pharmacy to get the prescription filled. Then to the spa for pedicures.


    ¡°Really, Trip, you don¡¯t have to do this with me,¡± she said, shaking her head wearily at him, but also squelching her laughter as they stretched out at the spa.


    ¡°I¡¯m only doing this because it¡¯s so funny for you,¡± he said with his feet in the whirlpool bath.


    He was wearing a T-shirt with a Batman logo on it. No one could have looked more out of place. The sight of him made Annaliese cover her mouth to stop the giggles.


    ¡°Do you want polish?¡± the beauty consultant asked Trip.


    He flipped his head toward Annaliese. ¡°Do I want polish?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± she gasped.


    He flipped his head back. ¡°I guess not.¡±


    When they left, he took her out for lunch. Skyer was with them, saying consoling things about how Camilla hadn¡¯t been able to figure out which camper had played the rabbit prank.


    ¡°Maybe we should stay at a hotel tonight,¡± Trip suggested casually. ¡°You know, because we don¡¯t know who did it. The criminal¡¯s still hanging around the camp. Annaliese can¡¯t be expected to return to her bed tonight or to spend another night in the counselor¡¯s lounge.¡±


    Annaliese and Skyler exchanged looks.  Clearly, they both thought that suggestion was too demanding, but at that moment, neither of them had a better idea.


    When the three of them returned to the camp, it turned out that the situation was more serious than they thought and the camp counselors were considering alternatives.


    It seemed that even though they spoke to everyone in the cabins and interviewed everyone, no one knew anything. The rabbit had been hit by a car, so it was probably hit by one of the people coming to the camp, but it had been fresh enough to make a bloody mess. Had whoever hit it stopped their car, got out, put the rabbit in a bag, and then dumped the whole thing out in Annaliese¡¯s bed? That would require an alarming amount of forethought.


    None of the campers knew how it happened. No one had any memory of their vehicle hitting a bump or anything.


    With no new information, Annaliese was finally encouraged to call her mother, but she knew that if her mother heard what happened, she would be pulled from the camp. She glanced at Trip and worried that if she decided to go home, it would not be the last time she saw him. They were getting older with only two more summers before they graduated from high school. She went to a different school than him. She wasn¡¯t sure how much more time she could spend with him if she bailed.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Could I be moved to a different room?¡± she asked Camilla.


    The camp counselor hissed in hesitation. ¡°There aren¡¯t any other beds available in the girls'' dormitory. There is an empty cabin for sick campers that we could set you up in until we find the culprit.¡±


    ¡°That sounds perfect,¡± Annaliese said.


    ¡°It¡¯s behind the front office. Do you think you¡¯ll be scared to stay alone? I¡¯d feel better if we could get another camper to stay with you.¡±


    Annaliese shook her head. ¡°As far as I know, the only camper here who couldn¡¯t have pulled the rabbit prank was Trip. You aren¡¯t going to let a boy stay with me, so I¡¯m fine staying alone.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your relationship like with Trip? Is he your cousin?¡± Camilla asked, digging a little deeper.


    ¡°He¡¯s not a relative. We¡¯ve been friends since we were little kids.¡±


    ¡°So, he¡¯s like your brother?¡± she asked, still picking.


    Annaliese didn¡¯t know where that line of thought was going, so she answered, ¡°I don¡¯t have a brother. Of the people I know, I guess he¡¯s the closest thing.¡±


    Camilla smiled knowingly and helped Annaliese cart her luggage out to the infirmary cabin and helped her get sorted from there.


    Afterward, Annaliese went under the canopy for dinner and saw Trip sitting all alone at a table. She was supposed to be sitting with her roommates, but since she didn¡¯t know if they were the ones who had left the rabbit in her bed, she walked at a measured pace over to Trip. He got up with her and they joined the line to get food.


    ¡°Why are you by yourself? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be sitting with your roommates?¡± she asked in a sly whisper as they moved through the buffet, choosing their dinners.


    He leaned over and whispered into her hair, ¡°I was removed from my room this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°They moved me to a room by myself.¡±


    ¡°Huh? So there were no free rooms in the girls'' cabins, but there were plenty of free rooms in the boys¡¯ dorms?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡± He gave her a meaningful look.


    Annaliese didn¡¯t know what that meant. When she sat at the table, she expected Trip to sit across from her, but he didn¡¯t.


    He sat next to her, with his shoulder brushing hers, and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m supposed to sneak out and sleep in your cabin.¡±


    Her face flushed red. ¡°Do they know how inappropriate that is?¡±


    ¡°They said that since I¡¯m like your brother and we have been friends all our lives and since the person you wanted when you found the rabbit was me, I should be there for you. Just until they find out who did this and then you can return to your room.¡±


    ¡°Even though all that is true,¡± Annaliese hissed back, ¡°we¡¯re not actually that close.¡±


    ¡°I heard Skyler tell them that in the eighteen hours he spent with us he has never witnessed less sexual tension between two teenagers than us.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be true. Half of these kids barely know the difference between their knees and their elbows. How could all of them be raring to go?¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    Annaliese swallowed, but the cool, empty look was on her face. ¡°What do you think about staying in my room with me?¡±


    ¡°We need to make a deal,¡± he said, trying to match the coolness on her face. If he could look as indifferent as her, it could only serve them both.


    ¡°Should we talk about it tonight, when we¡¯re alone in our¡­ cabin?¡± Annaliese asked in a conspiratorial whisper.


    Trip nodded.

 SIX

    SIX


    Trip snuck out of his room by merely packing a backpack with what he needed for the night and walking out his front door. The hall of the cabin was empty and the counselor on supervision knew he would be leaving and that everyone was fine with that.


    Annaliese waited for him. She had changed into her pajamas, ones she never thought would need to look good for a guy, and felt her heart hammering like there was construction going on inside her.


    He tapped on the door three times as they had already decided that would be their secret knock and she opened the door for him.


    Once inside, he dropped his backpack and locked the door behind him.


    The room was generally used as a sick room, so there were six beds lined up instead of the regular four of the dorms. He saw which bed she was using and put his stuff on the bed next to hers.


    ¡°I have a problem,¡± he said, trying to keep his mask of indifference up.


    ¡°Me too,¡± she said, sitting on the bunk facing him.


    He mimicked her and they sat together with their knees touching. ¡°This isn¡¯t a good situation for me.¡±


    ¡°Not me either,¡± she confessed.


    He started off easy. ¡°I don¡¯t like being here on the pretext that I¡¯m ¡®like your brother¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I agree. I¡¯ve never thought of you like that,¡± she reassured him.


    ¡°I¡¯m relieved to hear it,¡± Trip said steadily. ¡°The thing is, I think I like you too much to be here, spending the whole night with you. It would put my mind to rest if you merely told me that even though I am not your brother, you¡¯re not available. You have a boyfriend at your old school.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to have a boyfriend,¡± Annaliese squeaked.


    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡±


    ¡°No. My mother is fiercely opposed to my dating until I finish law school.¡±


    ¡°Law school?¡± Trip echoed in bewilderment. He started counting the years in his head. ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly finish all that before you turn twenty-six.¡±


    ¡°I know, but she didn¡¯t get married until she was thirty-eight and she didn¡¯t have any children until she was forty-six, so I¡¯m not going to win that argument. Besides, I haven¡¯t wanted to fight with her. She¡¯s a terrifying lawyer. If she turns all that on you, you don¡¯t win fights with her.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I have a similar problem, though not exactly,¡± Trip confided.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡±


    ¡°My father and my uncle don¡¯t believe in being with one person. They believe I should date as many women as there are weeks in a year. They think I should never be on a date with the same girl twice. They want me to die having sworn on an affidavit that I have screwed half the population of mainland Vancouver.¡±


    Annaliese was appalled and showed it. ¡°Do you want to do that?¡±


    ¡°Do I want to become the source of all sexually transmitted infections and diseases? Of course not. Those old men are mentally unstable, and even though I have spent Sunday afternoons lolling around in my uncle¡¯s mansion, my mother raised me. No, that is not what I want for myself.¡±


    She started snapping her fingers. ¡°I know what this is. It¡¯s my mother and your uncle. They¡¯re friends. What do you want to bet he¡¯s never slept with her? If he¡¯s slept with everyone, what do you want to bet he¡¯s never got together with her? She¡¯s the fortress he could never topple?¡±


    Trip continued the train of thought. ¡°And on her end, she¡¯s proud of her perseverance and wants to raise you the same way?¡±


    Annaliese tapped her lips with her fingertips. ¡°Our old people are weird.¡±


    He agreed.


    ¡°Back to what you were saying before,¡± Trip said, getting ready to say what he had to. ¡°You say you aren¡¯t allowed to have a boyfriend. Have you tried dating someone behind your mother¡¯s back?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t been asked and I haven¡¯t wanted to.¡±


    ¡°This,¡± Trip said, indicating the cabin around them, ¡°Is pretty far behind her back.¡±


    Annaliese huffed in surprise. ¡°Are you saying you want to date me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said breathlessly.


    She hesitated. ¡°You¡¯re not talking about one date and tossing me aside after it ends.¡±


    ¡°No. I want us to be a thing,¡± he said, sticking to his sweaty guns.


    She scoffed, skipping the question as to why he wanted to do such a thing and going straight for the how. ¡°How could we possibly date behind my mother¡¯s back? Your father and uncle would certainly tell her everything.¡±


    ¡°We hide it from them too. We hide it from everyone.¡±


    ¡°This is the deal you mentioned in the dining hall? You want me to be your secret girlfriend?¡±


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    He nodded.


    Instead of answering, Annaliese got up and started pacing the room. ¡°We would have to make a detailed bargain.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have any other girlfriends other than me, secret or out in the open.¡±


    He leaned back on his elbows. ¡°Same goes for you. No one but me.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°You think there¡¯s a lineup of guys who want to date me?¡±


    ¡°There is. You just don¡¯t see it because you¡¯re always looking over it with that distant, snobby look you wear so well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not distant or snobby,¡± she contradicted with her nose in the air.


    ¡°You don¡¯t do it because you¡¯re trying to keep people away. You¡¯re doing it because you¡¯re trying to keep people away.¡±


    ¡°You said the same thing twice!¡± she exclaimed.


    ¡°I know. You¡¯re using it as a filter so you only let the good ones in. I¡¯m flattered by it constantly because I¡¯m one of the rare ones you let in,¡± he admitted with a warm smile.


    ¡°What would agreeing to this tonight entail?¡± she asked briskly. ¡°Are you saying all this because this sleepy-time arrangement is too good to pass up?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want anything,¡± he said, without hesitation. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this because I want to fool around with you tonight. I¡¯m doing this because I want your phone number. I don¡¯t have it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d give you my number anyway,¡± she said, rolling her eyes, and grabbing her phone.


    Trip needed more of an answer than that. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t think this is the first time we¡¯ve talked about this, or that I¡¯m whipping this out of thin air. Do you remember playing pretend with me in the library?¡±


    She did remember, but it was pretty embarrassing to bring up. When they were little kids, they used to play games where she was the princess and he was the prince. They¡¯d enact little weddings on occasion.  It was also true that they had little affectionate rituals. They¡¯d hug when they met and when they said goodbye. He¡¯d kiss her booboo if she skinned her knee. They held hands when they crossed the street.


    It was just that she had always wanted to believe that that was just how a little boy and a little girl acted when they were friends.


    It wasn¡¯t special until he said it was.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said, putting up her hands in a gesture of surrender. ¡°I believe you. I even want to do this crazy thing with you. I¡¯m just not sure how we can do it. If we¡¯re only going to date for the five weeks we¡¯re here, then that¡¯s one thing, but what will happen to us when we go back to school in the fall?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to act like we¡¯re going to break up. Let¡¯s make plans for the fall,¡± he said quickly.


    She swept her hair off her shoulder, a plan springing to her mind. ¡°I¡¯ll get my mother to switch me so I¡¯m going to your school instead of mine.¡±


    ¡°How will you do that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell her how much better my life will be if I go to a school that¡¯s close to home. My schedule right now is murder. I spend an hour and a half on the bus every day just going one way,¡± she complained.


    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯ll tell her, I¡¯ll tell her, and we¡¯ll get anyone else who¡¯ll listen to tell her. My school costs less and it¡¯s less of a big deal, but you need something less rigid.¡± His emphasis on the word ¡®need¡¯ cracked her up.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do better telling her I get motion sick and that I would like a shorter commute rather than fighting on the grounds that I need time to be a teenager.¡±


    ¡°Should I tell her that too?¡± Trip offered.


    ¡°No. You shouldn¡¯t say anything. It would make it look like you care where I go to school.  It would be a mistake that would make her suspicious. I¡¯ll just tell her that you told me about your ten-minute commute and I got jealous. After all, we don¡¯t live that far apart.¡±


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯d send you to board somewhere near your old school rather than switch schools?¡± Trip wondered. ¡°If the prestige means that much to her.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Annaliese said firmly. ¡°She did not go through the trouble of getting me only to send me to boarding school. She wants me around.¡±


    Trip picked up on the odd construction of that sentence and idiotically pointed it out. ¡°Doesn¡¯t a mom usually say the trouble of having a child rather than the trouble of getting a child?¡±


    ¡°My mother was forty-six when she got me. She did not give birth to me. I¡¯m not really her kid,¡± she admitted candidly.


    Trip¡¯s mouth hung open. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were adopted. Were you adopted, or surrogate?¡± he stumbled over the word badly.


    ¡°Not a surrogate. I had a different mother before I was adopted. My new mother adopted me when I was three. I thought you knew.¡±


    He stayed silent like he absolutely did not want to stick his foot in his mouth a third time. He also didn¡¯t know exactly what that meant.


    Suddenly, Annaliese started laughing. ¡°You are so sweet. Everyone knows I¡¯m adopted. I don¡¯t look anything like my mom or my dad.¡±


    Trip thought of Annaliese¡¯s sixty-year-old mother and her sixty-five-year-old father. It was hard for him to tell if her mother had once been the harvest breeze Annaliese was when she was old enough to be her grandmother, but he didn¡¯t like to say.


    She continued, ¡°And there has never been a time when I didn¡¯t know I was adopted.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I was three when my mother got me. I remember a bit about my biological mother.¡±


    Trip didn¡¯t dare ask her any questions about that. ¡°Oh¡­ sorry, I didn¡¯t realize any of this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said softly. ¡°So, let¡¯s say I start going to your school. What then?¡±


    ¡°Then, we tell everyone that we¡¯re friends. That way we can hang out as friends in front of everyone without any issue. The rest of the time, I have to make an appointment to have some alone time with you. If we duck around corners and kiss, we¡¯ll get caught fast.¡±


    ¡°I think that too,¡± she agreed.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to take our secret dating seriously. I¡¯ll invite you over to my place when no one is home and vice versa.¡±


    Annaliese nodded.


    ¡°And for now?¡± he asked, leaning in for more conspiring.


    ¡°You want me to make the rules for camp?¡± she asked, leaning forward also.


    ¡°Yup. Make the rules.¡±


    ¡°We just started this, so let¡¯s just try being friends in public and see how that goes.¡±


    ¡°We can do that,¡± Trip said, nodding. ¡°But I do need a little more tonight.¡±


    Annaliese swallowed. What was he going to ask for?


    Trip continued, ¡°I said I want to date you, which felt like a pretty big confession at the time, but now it doesn¡¯t seem like it was enough.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°B-because you haven¡¯t told me that you like me,¡± he stuttered.


    Annaliese leaned further forward. ¡°I like you. Everything about you is just a little strange because you¡¯ve grown so much since I last saw you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to me,¡± he said confidently.


    She kissed him, giving him a sweet lingering kiss that was preceded by deep looks and fluttering eyelashes before the knock on the door startled them both.


    Trip jumped to answer it.


    Skyler stuck his head in.  ¡°You didn¡¯t think we¡¯d let the two of you sleep alone, did you?¡±


    Trip widened the door for him.


    Skyler came in, observed their beds and the placement of their things, and nodded.  Everything was in order as far as he was concerned.

 SEVEN

    SEVEN


    In the morning, a dead squirrel was found in another girl¡¯s bed and after thoroughly investigating it, or claiming they had, the counselors decided that the girl who was targeted couldn¡¯t have been the culprit.  The squirrel was also roadkill but not as fresh as the rabbit found in Annaliese¡¯s bed and the girl was just as freaked out as Annaliese had been since the squirrel was flattered and in two large pieces.


    The girl, Dawn, was invited to join Annaliese in the cabin.  It was noticeable how much the two girls had in common.  Both were blondish, with light builds and huge eyes.  Annaliese was bigger because she was three years older, but they still looked a little like different versions of the same girl.


    With another girl, Annaliese did not expect Trip or Skler to join them.  She was stunned when Trip showed up anyway, tapping three times at the door.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she hissed after opening the door for him.


    ¡°Skyler will be here in a few.  We¡¯re not going to stay the night,¡± he said immediately.  ¡°I¡¯m just here to make sure you¡¯re both all right and make sure you have the correct number of people to play cards.  Hearts?  Rook?  I¡¯ve got both!¡± he said playfully as he showed a set of cards in both hands.¡±


    ¡°I guess you can come in,¡± Annaliese said grudgingly as she stifled her giggle.


    Trip came in and locked the door behind him.  They pushed a few of the beds together so they could all sit cross-legged on the mattresses.  Skyler brought snacks from the kitchen and tried hard to turn lemons into lemonade, hoping to turn their misadventure into a fun story for later.


    As they played, Dawn was in complete awe of Trip and Annaliese.  They were older, more confident, and downright beautiful.  She was too shy to ask them questions, like if they were dating, how long they¡¯d known each other, or even why he was there at all.  They played cards until two in the morning when Dawn was so tired she would have fallen asleep on the mattress with the dead squirrel on it.


    Annaliese walked Trip and Sklyer to the door.  Skyler was saying reassuring things about the deadbolt and the phone if Annaliese heard anything outside.


    Behind him, Trip gave her a look that she would learn to recognize as the equivalent of a kiss, and the two of them left to go back to the cabins.


    ***


    It turned out that it was good someone had been walking around late that night because Trip and Skyler saw some campers out of their beds.  They followed them and hid behind trees until they saw them head back to their cabins.  Once they were gone, Trip and Skyler returned to their base and lit it up with a light Skyler kept on his keychain and found a stash of dead animals.


    Yes, they found the animals, but they weren¡¯t in time to stop a dead skunk from arriving in a camper¡¯s bed that night.  It was a boy.


    ¡°Wow.  They hit someone different every night since we got here.¡±  Trip whistled the next morning when he talked it over with Skyler.


    ¡°You said you saw three people?¡± the counselor pressed.  ¡°I only saw two.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Trip said, detailing what he¡¯d seen in the forest for the second.  ¡°The thing that makes the most sense is that they have two girls and one boy who are doing this.  It¡¯s someone who¡¯s in their rooms who¡¯s doing this, so that narrows your suspects down to nine since there are four campers in each room.  One of the girls is one of the girls who shared a room with Annaliese, another one is one of the girls who shared a room with Dawn, and the guy shared a room with last night¡¯s victim.  I mean, if you don¡¯t think the boy who was targeted with the skunk is a suspect.¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Skyler frowned.  ¡°I do suspect him.  His name is Powell.  I think he has a grudge against Annaliese and Dawn and that¡¯s why he put the skunk in his own bed.  He thinks he¡¯ll get pulled out of his dorm room and sent to join the girls in the cabin.  Then he can do something really outrageous to them.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t send him to join the girls.  Put him with me in my room,¡± Trip offered.


    ¡°Really?¡± Skyler asked, surprised.  ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried something will happen to you?¡±


    ¡°Like what?  What can he do after we¡¯ve gathered up all their dead animals?  I¡¯m pleased no one will get that stack of dead snakes in their bed.¡±


    Skyer followed after Trip to the canopy, where breakfast was being served.  ¡°You don¡¯t have to be a hero, you know.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s trying to be a hero?¡± he asked with his hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts.


    He separated from Skyler and joined Annaliese and Dawn at their separate table and told them they were going to the village for some special treatment. He wanted to get Annaliese and Dawn off the campgrounds while they disposed of the dead animals.


    ¡°Why are you saying that?¡± Dawn asked.  ¡°You¡¯re not a counselor.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I have a big beautiful mouth and I¡¯ve got them to do most of the things I¡¯ve asked for.  I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to get them to do this too.¡±


    ***


    Catching the culprits was easy from that point.  They put a camera over the crate where the dead animals were being stored and when Powell and his two girlfriends showed up, they took a video feed of them.


    When questioned, it turned out they didn¡¯t have anything against Annaliese or Dawn.  They were just interested in seeing how long they could get away with it.  They were all sent home, which was apparently their goal in the first place.


    Once that was done, Annaliese and Dawn went back to their rooms, but Trip didn¡¯t.  He said he preferred the private room.  He used the alone time to write Annaliese love letters.  He didn¡¯t sign them with the moniker Trip but decided to sign them with the reason he was called Trip.  Three marks, III, because he was not a junior, but a third.  Trip was short for triple. He would joke privately that he was going to name his son Quip since that would be cuter than Quad.


    He folded his love letters into tiny books that had to be dismantled if they were going to be read and stuffed them into Annaliese¡¯s pocket when he had a moment to swing a hand along her hips and slide the book into her pocket.


    One of Trip¡¯s love letters looked like this:


    Annaliese,


    I saw you today in the archery range.  You looked beautiful as you drew your bow.  I wanted to call out to you, to cheer you on, but I had to move.  I was carrying a volleyball net.  I¡¯ll watch you next time.  I¡¯m horseback riding tomorrow.  See if you can come with my group.


    III


    By the end of summer, she had little stacks of his books.


    In an attempt to return his feelings, she ransacked the arts and crafts tent and made him the most masculine friendship bracelet she could manage.  She ended up making a stack of them and dropping them in his lap when she walked by him.


    One of the other guys stopped her and howled.  ¡°Why are you giving him those?  Are you guys dating or something?¡±


    Annaliese yawned.  ¡°I was bored, so I made them.  I¡¯ll make one for you if you want.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I want,¡± the guy said with eyes large with shock.  He clearly didn¡¯t think she¡¯d make one for him.


    ¡°Kay.  Next time I¡¯m bored I¡¯ll make one for you.¡±


    She made him a yellow one with stars.  She thought it was too girly for him to be happy, but it ended up being a thing where every guy in the camp wanted a friendship bracelet from Annaliese.  She was swamped with requests.  By the third day, Trip started helping her make them.  Together they made enough for every guy in the camp and even some of the girls.  It was lucky the rest of the girls acted like they didn¡¯t want them or it would have turned into a labor camp.


    Trip had a stack of black and navy ones on his brown arm, but one odd one that was yellow with stars.  It was one he knew for a fact she¡¯d made.

 EIGHT

    EIGHT


    Back from camp and in the real world, it took Annaliese about a minute and a half to get her mother to agree to send her to Trip¡¯s school. Apparently, she had been wondering if Annaliese would prefer the change before Annaliese mentioned it, but she had been uncertain if her daughter wanted to leave her friends at her old school.


    Once Annaliese had given her mother the green light, Annaliese¡¯s life changed very quickly.


    Each morning, Annaliese would wait at the bus stop, the bus would pick her up, and at the next stop, Trip would get on. Without a word and with his headphones on, he sat next to her. She¡¯d leave a flap in her backpack open and set it on the floor. He¡¯d slide the little book in through the gap.


    They tried to take as many of the same classes as possible. They¡¯d write each other post-it notes and leave them within the pages and switch textbooks.


    A school dance came up to celebrate the harvest. When someone asked Trip to the dance, he went. Annaliese went stag with a few of her friends who were also proclaiming their independence and went alone. Annaliese didn¡¯t feel alone. Her eyes met Trip¡¯s three times that night, and she wouldn¡¯t have gotten more out of the event if she¡¯d had a date of her own. It didn¡¯t matter who Trip was out with¡­ he loved only Annaliese.


    Later at school, in the girl¡¯s bathroom, Annaliese heard Trip¡¯s date talking about him with one of the other girls as they vaped. ¡°You would not believe what he told me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He told me not to ask him out again. He says he has to spread himself around, so I shouldn¡¯t ask him twice.¡±


    Annaliese flushed the toilet and came out of the bathroom stall.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re that girl who¡¯s always with Trip,¡± the girl said, deliberately exhaling her smoke away from Annaliese. ¡°He was clearly blowing me off, but was what he said real? Does he only date a girl once?¡±


    Annaliese nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how he rolls.¡±


    ¡°Well, have you been out with him?¡±


    Annaliese shook the water off her hands and grabbed a paper towel. ¡°I won¡¯t date him. I¡¯ve known him since he was four and I would never bother.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t ask anyone else to the dance,¡± Trip¡¯s date noticed.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Annaliese shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anyone I thought was interesting. Maybe next year.¡±


    She swept out and saw that Trip had been waiting for her to get out of the bathroom. Whether he heard any of that didn¡¯t matter. She put his headphones over his ears and they went out to catch the bus.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ***


    It was months before Annaliese¡¯s parents were out of the house for a few hours. Trip came over. He kissed her feverishly as soon as the door behind him was shut.  When it ended, they were too bashful to look at each other.  They went to her room and made a little bookshelf for all the tiny books he gave her. It was made out of gift boxes they¡¯d bought together. Thus, on one of her bookshelves, she had a box that looked like nothing. No one would ever guess that it contained entire books that were nothing but Trip writing ¡®I love you¡¯ in different ways on repeat.


    At Christmas, they started wearing couples'' rings, though no one noticed. They wore them on their middle finger on their right hands and they didn¡¯t match. His was a Celtic knot and hers was fake diamonds all around her finger.


    They read books to each other over the phone to pass the time.


    Annaliese came to the library when Trip had permission to invite her to his Uncle¡¯s house and they¡¯d replace all the papers inside the chess pieces. The first time he filled his up entirely with the words, ¡®I love you¡¯, and he filled up hers entirely with ¡®I miss you.¡¯


    No one noticed.


    If Uncle Clement saw or noticed, whether he approved or disapproved, he said nothing.


    Everyone else knew they were close friends. Everyone knew they were inseparable, but it seemed like no one knew they were a couple. Her parents would invite his whole family over for dinner sometimes and whenever any of his brothers teased that there was something going on, they¡¯d both gag.


    ¡°Not if you paid me,¡± she¡¯d say.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even date her once,¡± he refuted when his relatives wanted him to date everyone at least once.


    ¡°Then why do you hang out with her all the time?¡± his father once asked.


    Trip looked at Annaliese like she was a bug while she looked at him like he was boring. ¡°You know, not everything is about that.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± his father asked. For Trip¡¯s father, everything was about love games¡­


    Which may have been why Trip was so good at playing them under his father¡¯s nose unaware.


    ¡°She¡¯s my best friend. I¡¯ve never had a friend like her, and I won¡¯t be shy about it. She keeps the other girls away and saves me from a lot of nonsense.¡±


    ¡°You make a good argument for drowning her in a river,¡± Trip¡¯s father laughed heartlessly as if women and unwanted kittens were the same thing.


    When Annaliese had to answer, she said, ¡°He helps me with my schoolwork. I¡¯d be failing if it wasn¡¯t for him.¡±


    Everyone chuckled, even Annaliese¡¯s mother, but what she claimed was completely true. Between the two of them, Trip was much better in their classes than she was. She knew why that was true. It was because she was not her mother¡¯s daughter. She was someone else¡¯s daughter and her biological mother had not been a class act. All the same, Annaliese said her prayers, did her homework, and hoped that she¡¯d be able to hobble along long enough to get through law school. It was her mother¡¯s fondest wish.


    ***


    When spring came, Annaliese and Trip put their heads together for where they were going to go to camp. They decided they could not go to the same camp they went to the summer before. Instead, they sought to find one that had loose rules. Something free-spirited and less structured so they might have more time together.


    It ended up being a wash. Annaliese¡¯s grades had not been good enough to go to camp, so she was sent to summer school to help improve her grades. Trip stayed home to keep her company, got his driver¡¯s license, got a job, and saw her when they could both manage it.


    Then school started again.


    The harvest dance came up. No one invited either one of them. They were freaks. They liked it. No one paid attention to them. They went together, showed up late, danced quietly in the corner, and left early to make out in the car on a deserted street in an unfamiliar neighborhood. They topped it off by coming home early too so no one suspected anything except that they were boring and no one liked them.

 NINE

    NINE


    The day before Christmas Eve was the day that Trip and Annaliese celebrated themselves.  They met at the mall, as they were pretending to go Christmas shopping as friends.  They went to a restaurant where they thought they wouldn¡¯t be seen to exchange gifts.


    Annaliese had bought Trip a collection of ebooks she had loaded onto a memory card that she was giving him in a watch box.  She thought that would be classy.


    Alone in their dark booth.  He opened it and said he¡¯d like it more once he could see what books she¡¯d bought him, but he was too nervous to plug it into his phone to look at them just then.  He needed her to open her present first.


    He handed her an envelope.


    Annalise was delighted.  No matter how many love letters he gave her, she loved them all.  The envelope was fancy, with a wax seal, and felt thick and expensive.  She opened it and was confused.  It looked like an invitation.


    ¡°What is this?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Open it,¡± he encouraged.


    She did and she had to read it several times before she understood what it said.  ¡°You want to marry me?¡±


    He nodded.


    It was an invitation to Trip and Annaliese¡¯s wedding on January twentieth, the day after Annaliese turned eighteen.  It was to be at the courthouse.  There would be no guests, no presents, and perhaps no honeymoon.


    Annaliese opened and closed the invitation in her hands.  ¡°This is because of sex, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Sort of,¡± he answered, desperate not to be misunderstood.  ¡°More than anything, I wouldn¡¯t like to give you the impression that I want to have sex with you in a casual way.  I want to be with you forever.  I feel that offering you marriage is the best way to show you my love rather than ravaging you in the backseat of my car.¡±


    Annaliese was contemplative.  ¡°Looking at this invitation, it does sound a little like our wedding night might end up happening in the back of your car.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but no matter where it happens, I want you to know that it didn¡¯t happen casually.  I want to declare that you are the only one for me and I, for one, am completely ready to spit in the face of the patriarch of my family and say I want only you.  Except I¡¯m not the only one who would need to be ready to do that.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Annaliese paled.  He was right.  She agreed, ¡°I¡¯m not ready.  If anything, I¡¯m less ready than I was two summers ago.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he said, touching her knee supportively under the table.


    ¡°It¡¯s becoming more obvious every day that I am not really her daughter.  I am nothing like her.  I¡¯m an arts student and she wants me to study law.  Talk about putting a square peg into a round hole, but anytime I try to talk to her about how that path might not be right for me, she is so¡­ unbelievably nice.  She says she¡¯ll pay for everything,  She says it doesn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t do well the first time.  She says there¡¯s enough time in the world for me to learn slowly if that¡¯s what I need.¡±


    ¡°Annaliese, I¡¯ve been meaning to talk to you about this.  What would you think of us taking the same degree in university together?¡± Trip offered kindly.  ¡°I¡¯ll go and be a lawyer too and I¡¯ll help you along¡­ every step.¡±


    She groaned.  ¡°You don¡¯t want to be a lawyer.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be anything.  I can¡¯t think of a career for myself.  I know one thing, I want to be with you, and maybe if I¡¯m supportive of your mother¡¯s dream for you, we can come out as a couple sooner.¡±


    ¡°If she found out I married you, she¡¯d be so angry.  She¡¯d feel like it was a betrayal.¡±


    Trip didn¡¯t exactly go pale, but he went cold and clammy.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to put any pressure on you, but what will happen to us if we try to go on like this?¡±


    Annaliese knew what he was talking about.  She forgot the exact moment when she had started wanting to go to bed with Trip. It had been so long ago that it had become a hazy thing in her memory.  He was right.  They couldn¡¯t go on the way they had been, kissing each other when they were finally alone and not doing anything else.  They couldn¡¯t break up either.  They were too close with every aspect of their lives interwoven.


    She put the invitation down between them.  ¡°I can¡¯t get pregnant,¡± she said sternly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    ¡°More than careful.  My biological mother was seventeen when she got pregnant with me, the same age I am now.  If I were to get pregnant, there is nothing in the world that would scare me more.¡±


    He jumped on that.  ¡°I¡¯ve been reading about it.  If we get started with our preparations now, we can be ready to be very careful on our wedding night.¡±


    She had been about to say more, but the sincerity in his voice prevented her from adding anything.  Trip had always been very courteous toward her.  She couldn¡¯t believe he would turn into a selfish jerk if he started sleeping with her.


    ¡°I want at least the first night to be in a hotel for privacy''s sake,¡± she added.


    He nodded.  ¡°Okay.¡±


    She hesitated to say more, thinking of her mother and her expectations of her.  ¡°And things will go on as they have, still keeping our relationship a secret, except our arrangement will be permanent?¡±


    ¡°We can have a fancy wedding for everyone else when we graduate from law school,¡± he said softly.


    She breathed and ran through different scenarios in her head.


    ¡°We don¡¯t even have to get different rings if you don¡¯t want to.¡±  The need in his voice broke her down the rest of the way.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get married on the twentieth.¡±


    Trip looked both ways before he bent down and kissed her on the mouth.  Thus far, it was the first time he had kissed her in public.

 TEN

    TEN


    On the twentieth of January, Annaliese got up and went downstairs for breakfast.  It was a Friday, so she was planning on going to school.  She kissed her mother on the temple as she sat at the table munching on a bagel.


    ¡°What are your plans for the weekend, dear?¡± her mother asked, her voice sensitive and kind.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting to ask you because I was too shy, but I was wondering if you¡¯d let me go skiing with Trip,¡± she asked, matching her mother¡¯s tone and cadence.  ¡°You know, as a present for my eighteenth birthday.¡±


    ¡°Skiing with Trip?¡±  It sounded so respectable when her mother said it.  ¡°Of course, you can.¡±  She whipped open her purse and handed Annaliese a gorgeous gold credit card.  ¡°Get your own room at the lodge and charge it to that.¡±


    ¡°I think Trip might have paid for the rooms already,¡± Annaliese answered weakly.


    ¡°Then shop, pay for ski rentals, or whatever you want.  It¡¯s your birthday and your teacher called me and told me all about the improvement in your grades.  Have a good time!¡±


    Annaliese took the card and thanked her mother with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Why must you look so sad?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve just been feeling worn down lately.¡±  The reason why was because she¡¯d gone on birth control pills and they were playing havoc with her body, but she didn¡¯t tell her mother that.  She only said how grateful she was to go skiing and how she was sure she¡¯d have a lovely time.


    ¡°Trip is such a good boy,¡± her mother continued.  ¡°When it comes time for you to date, I hope he¡¯s still around.¡±


    It was on the tip of Annaliese¡¯s tongue to say, ¡®Why wait?  You could come to our wedding this afternoon!¡¯ But even in her head, it went badly. Even lesser versions of the truth went badly.


    Instead, she reverted to her old repertoire, and said, ¡°I can¡¯t get together with Trip.  It would ruin a perfectly good friendship.¡±


    ¡°Atta girl,¡± her mother said pleasantly.


    Suddenly, Annaliese got strangely giddy.  ¡°Will you let me skip school today?  I¡¯d like to go shopping and Trip won¡¯t be leaving until three.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, dear.  I¡¯ll call the school.¡±


    Instead of going to school, she went to the mall and tried on dresses.  She thought she could claim to have found the perfect grad dress.  Otherwise, there was no reason for her to come home with a formal dress.  However, if there was one thing she wanted (other than to marry Trip), it was to get married in a pretty dress.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The one she chose was pure magic and she was happy to throw it on her mother¡¯s credit card.  It was champagne gold sequins that broke at her knee to a tulle mermaid with a stripe of gold at the bottom, but the tulle bottom was optional. Annaliese stuffed it in the bag and wore the dress out with a black overcoat over top when she left the house that afternoon.


    She met Trip at the courthouse.  It was ridiculous.  They both wore hats and sunglasses.  They felt it was necessary since Annaliese did not know if her mother would be in court that day and Trip didn¡¯t know if Uncle Clement would be there either.  They snuck up to the third floor where weddings took place and got married more quietly than anyone had ever gotten married before.


    They felt weird, trying to celebrate a wedding in the dark.


    Annaliese wore a black overcoat and sunglasses, but for the actual wedding, she stripped the coat and the glasses and looked like she was made of more gold than Cleopatra.  It would have been a spectacular display except that Annaliese had been eighteen for one day and because of her nerves, she looked three years younger.


    Trip was just as bad.  He opted to wear a black turtleneck to the wedding, but he was so ragged from nerves that he looked ten years older when he took off his sunglasses.


    They both kept shushing the justice to keep his voice down, so no one would hear him.


    It was the first time that Annaliese heard Trip referred to as Christopher.  She knew that was his name because that was his father''s and grandfather¡¯s name.  Most people didn¡¯t realize that Trip was short for triple because he was the third.


    They signed the papers, kissed, and received odd looks from everyone who saw them.  They would have stood out more, except a lot of couples popped into the courthouse to get married suddenly, so the staff smiled and wished them well and no one realized who Annaliese and Trip were.  After all, it was his uncle who was the grand lawyer and not his father.  No one would mistake Trip for his uncle¡¯s son.  His uncle was a famous womanizer who ¡®apparently¡¯ had no children.


    The newlyweds made it to the car.  Annaliese told Trip that she had permission to go skiing with him that weekend.  He hooted.  He had permission too.  Had they really fooled everyone into believing that they could never be anything but friends?


    Trip drove to Courtenay where they could ski on mountains with ocean views.  He parked at the resort he¡¯d made reservations at.


    Annaliese was nervous as Trip got their key and handled their luggage.  Everything about the place intimidated her and she felt a sick feeling spiraling from her gut.


    ¡°Feeling okay?¡± he asked her as he unlocked the door to their room.


    ¡°Nope.  I feel gross.  How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Like all of this should have been harder.  Your mother gave you a credit card and told you to go nuts?  I played the birthday card too and my father gave me a whack of cash and told me to have a wild time.  I don¡¯t know exactly what he thinks I plan to do, but his reckless abandon has me worried.  If I don¡¯t come back with a scar, a tattoo, and a cocaine addiction, I think he¡¯ll be disappointed in me.¡±


    Inside the hotel room, Annaliese walked to the window.  The curtains were tied and she looked out onto the slopes where the chairlifts were still taking skiers up the mountainside.  Trip left the lights of their room out and came up behind her, encircling her waist with his arms.  He kissed the place behind her ear.  Normally, he didn¡¯t get much further before he had to stop.


    Not this time.


    He didn¡¯t stop kissing her.


    They were alone at last.  He¡¯d give her everything he had in exchange for this night, this life, this moment, and the one after that.


    No matter how many times he said he loved her, wrote that he loved her, and showed her that he loved her, it was all leading up to this moment for him.


    For the first time, Annaliese gave him everything.

 ELEVEN

    ELEVEN


    When they got back to society, it was about a thousand times easier for Trip to act like their relationship was a mere friendship.  He asked Annaliese to be his grad date and told everyone they were going as friends.  All the tension was out of his shoulders.  The time he spent with Annaliese on weekends was better.  Helping her with her homework was easier because he wasn¡¯t distracted because when they were alone, all the old restrictions were off.


    Life was sweet.


    Annaliese wouldn¡¯t have liked to talk to anyone about teenage marital bliss, but she was much happier with their new arrangement too.  She feared Trip would stop writing her little love books if they got married, but he didn¡¯t stop.  He still got on the bus and slipped a book into her backpack.  If they ate lunch somewhere, he would reach under the table, slip her shoe off her foot, and put her foot in her lap, where he would treat her to a foot rub while they waited for their food.  Sometimes Annaliese wondered if he chose the restaurants with the slowest service in the city just so he could rub her foot longer.


    Annaliese¡¯s mother was pleased with her choice of grad dress and was unaware that she had used half of it as a wedding dress.  In retrospect, Annaliese¡¯s mother was sorry she found a grad dress so easily and took her out shopping several more times before grad actually came, filling her wardrobe like she was creating a trousseau.


    Trip and Annaliese chose the local university because they thought she could get into it and sent in their transcripts.  She took political science because she believed the classes would prepare her for law school.  Trip took the same classes, not caring for a second that he was not taking a degree he was even the least bit interested in.


    The summer between high school and university came.  Since they had chosen to attend a university close to home, they made Annaliese¡¯s mother blissful, like all the difficulties in raising someone else¡¯s child had been nothing.  How could it matter who gave birth to a child when she turned out so perfectly?


    They lived at home for the first year of university, but by the second year, both of them were getting annoyed.  They were getting tired of saying goodbye after spending their days together and then being forced to part ways at night.


    In the second year, they rented two studio apartments that were in the same building and finally got to live together, though the situation was not ideal.  It would have been nicer if they had been on the same floor.  As it was, they traveled between their apartments in their housecoats with toothbrushes sticking out of their mouths.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just move in together,¡± Trip begged one day as they walked through the hall of their building.  ¡°We can decorate it like a girl¡¯s place.  Put anything you want in it and I¡¯ll hide my clothes under the bed¡­¡± he trailed off.


    Annaliese¡¯s mother was standing in the hallway.  Someone had let her in the building without her being buzzed in and she heard what Trip said.  Not only that, but both of them were in their underwear and housecoats.  Annaliese was walking back to her apartment and Trip had followed her because he always walked her back to her place.


    ¡°Annaliese,¡± the old woman said sternly.


    As primly as any dutiful daughter, she welcomed her mother with a smile and a kiss and decided to try her luck at winning her over with charm.  After all, she was twenty years old and she thought her chances of getting her mother to listen to her were better now than they had ever been.  She told Trip to go get changed and to meet them upstairs in her room.


    Annaliese was lucky when they went inside her apartment.  It was extremely clean and well cared for.  It made her feel more like an adult and less like a bratty child.


    Trip changed his clothes, combed his hair quickly, and made it back to Annaliese¡¯s apartment before she had finished changing.


    She set her mother down in the only comfortable chair in the apartment.  She pulled two folding chairs off the wall and put one down for Trip and one down for her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about dating,¡± Annaliese began with a smile that she hoped didn¡¯t make her look like a defiant child.


    ¡°You two are clearly not dating.  How long have you been sleeping together?¡± her mother asked coldly, the unforgiving wrinkles around her mouth puckering distastefully.


    Annaliese was deeply unhappy at her mother¡¯s way of slicing up her and Trip¡¯s love and for a moment, she was unable to answer.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Trip was faster.  ¡°This is a misunderstanding.  We were doing laundry together.  We¡¯re just not shy about our bodies.  You know how kids are these days.¡±


    She glared at Trip.  ¡°Answer me!¡±


    Annaliese took a deep breath and had the courage not to answer her.  ¡°Mother, I have the highest respect for you.  I have always wanted to do things exactly as you wish, but asking me not to date has been a bit much for me.¡±


    ¡°You never complained,¡± her mother pointed out.


    ¡°Yes.  That¡¯s how much I have wanted to follow your instructions.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± her mother said, straightening herself and breathing calmly.  ¡°I understand why you fell into temptation.  I will forgive you completely if you gather your things together and move back home again¡ªtoday.¡±


    ¡°But¨C¡±


    The old lady cut Annaliese off.  ¡°I understand why you fell for him.  He¡¯s been there for you since you were a baby, held your hand through everything, and he¡¯s been a gentleman enough not to take up his father and uncle¡¯s disgusting habits.  But Annaliese, it¡¯s time for you to do this next bit without him.  If he truly loves you, he¡¯ll wait until you are finished law school.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way that I can get through law school without him.  I¡¯m stupid on my own,¡± Annaliese said without flinching.  ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have even made it this far if he didn¡¯t match the classes I had to take.  He¡¯s been tutoring me through it all.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll never respect yourself if you don¡¯t do it alone,¡± her mother said inflexibly.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll never respect myself because I would never be able to do it alone.¡±


    The situation was tense.  Annaliese had given Trip strict instructions that he was never to tell her mother that they were married.  No matter what provocation came, no matter what she said, no matter what good he thought he could do, he had to let Annaliese handle her mother in her own way.  Mostly, that meant avoiding her mother and going behind her back.  Trip hadn¡¯t minded doing that, but he also looked forward to the day when he could tell his old men that he respected women and that he respected Annaliese so much that he had already been married to her for over two years.  He was completely committed.


    It was a blow for him when he discovered the secret Annaliese had been keeping from him.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t come home today, I swear to you, you will lose me and you¡¯ll end up exactly like your biological mother,¡± the pitiless old woman said strictly.


    The words that came out of the woman¡¯s mouth were not like a slap.  No, it was like she had shot her straight through the heart.  Annaliese¡¯s eyes went wide like the moment of surprise when your heart stopped.


    Trip turned to catch her, to put pressure on her wound, but where should he put his hands?  There was no blood, just a sputtering like blood that spewed from her lips.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t she tell you?¡± the old lady continued.


    ¡°Tell me what?¡± Trip asked in a cold panic.


    She stood up, looking down stonily at Annaliese.  ¡°Her biological mother didn¡¯t surrender her to social services, or ask for help.  She wrote a note, overdosed on the sick little cocktail she was injecting herself with, and left Annaliese all alone with her corpse in a room for three days before Annaliese¡¯s crying became too much for the neighbors.¡±


    Trip stopped dead where he was.


    Annaliese¡¯s mother continued coldly, ¡°I have loved her and cared for her in a way her real mother couldn¡¯t and I only ask for the opportunity to put Annaliese on the correct path, so that she will always be safe, always be provided for no matter what man comes and goes from her life.  No matter what help you gave her, Trip, I believe you meant well, but I don¡¯t want to see you with my daughter again until she has finished law school.¡±  She looked down at Trip with her dead brown eyes.  ¡°Help her pack.¡±


    ¡°Wait. I love her,¡± he said, on the verge of breaking his promise to Annaliese and spilling to the old lady that they were legally married.  ¡°I love her and I only want to help her.  If you¡¯re scared she¡¯ll get pregnant¨C¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not scared she¡¯ll get pregnant because she won¡¯t be with you anymore.  I¡¯ll wait downstairs for half an hour.  You¡¯d better have her most important things packed and her in my car before my timer goes off,¡± she said, with her hand on the door.


    ¡°Or what?¡± he burst.


    She didn¡¯t look at him.  ¡°You don¡¯t want to know.¡±


    The old lady left the room with a click of the door and the clack of her heels on the hardwood floor in the hallway.


    Trip wrapped his arms around Annaliese and held her closely.  Suddenly, he realized why the dead rabbit scared her so much all those years ago back at the camp.  He held her again while she cried like she was a little girl all over again.


    ¡°We have to do what she says,¡± Annaliese wailed once she could get a few words out.  ¡°I have to do what she wants.¡±


    ¡°Why?  Can¡¯t we tell her we¡¯re married because everything is fine between us?  I¡¯ll never leave you and¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be fine to her,¡± Annaliese shrieked, cutting him off.  ¡°It won¡¯t be!  I have to go down there and leave with her.  I have to.  We can¡¯t tell her we¡¯re married.  She¡¯d file for divorce for me.  I don¡¯t want to divorce you.  Even if I have to move back home and we have to go back to how we were living when we were married and still in grade twelve, fine, but I have to go home.  I can¡¯t let her file for divorce.¡±


    The last thing in the world Trip wanted was to go back to the way they lived when they were still in high school, but there was nothing else to do at that moment.  Following his wife¡¯s instructions, he went around the room and picked up the things she said she needed most.


    He felt sick that he was not one of them.


    When the half-hour was up, Annaliese sat in her mother¡¯s car, blowing her nose and covering her eyes with a pair of sunglasses.


    Trip didn¡¯t get to kiss her goodbye.

 TWELVE

    TWELVE


    Annaliese sat at the breakfast table with her mother and spooned out the sections of a grapefruit.  She was unhappy with the situation of living back at home, but she didn¡¯t let it show on her face.  She slid the mask of calm indifference over her face and wore it like it was underwear¡ªthe kind of clothing you never forgot to put on because you always put it on first.


    She still saw Trip during her classes at university, but it was hard to find other places for her to see him.


    Their relationship had turned into the weirdest thing in the world.  Instead of sneaking around like teenagers with a secret, they were sneaking around like they were having an affair. Except she was having it with her own husband.


    They had a large break in the middle of the day on Tuesdays, so they¡¯d simply go home to his studio apartment to be together for a few hours before the final class of the day began.  Her weekends were watched fiercely.  She was trotted off to the ballet, the opera, the theater, and anything else her mother could think of to keep her busy.


    Her mother was happy during this time.  Annaliese could tell, and she tried to appreciate the pleasant aspects of her current situation.


    The fact that her biological mother had died and she was trapped in the apartment with her corpse for days was the one thing Annaliese had never been able to forget.  She was best at forgetting it when she was with Trip.  For one thing, he hadn¡¯t known about the crowning spike of her painful past. For another, he was so dazzling and bright that it was easy for her to forget things that made her unhappy.


    Annaliese could not believe it when her mother brought it up in that way, using her trauma to control her.  Her mother did it because she was afraid.  She was afraid of what would happen to Annaliese if all the boxes weren¡¯t checked... if all the Ts weren¡¯t crossed.  She used the only tool she had left to make Annaliese proceed on the only safe path forward.  Annaliese understood, but it didn¡¯t make hearing those things any more palatable.


    For the first week after Annaliese returned home, she was flung into the nightmare she had so steadily avoided when she was with Trip.  He was gone, except when they sat next to each other in class, except in the precious two-hour gap on Tuesdays when he pressed his skin against her and comforted her.  He never spoke to her about the things that she neglected to tell him.  His consideration meant everything to her.  Every time she touched him she compared every square inch of his skin to gold.


    But she had to snap out of it.  The nightmare was making her lag in her classes.  If she lagged in her classes, she¡¯d never get to be with Trip.


    At the very least, the little books kept coming.  He began writing them again and sliding them into her backpack.  Sometimes he prepared more than one a day.  He tried to say things that were more meaningful than ¡®I love you¡¯ over and over again, but a lot of the time, that was what came out when he started writing.


    The third year of university started.  She and Trip took all the same classes again, arranging for more than one break a week in the middle of the day.  That year she got him on Tuesdays and Fridays.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Or contrary-wise, he got her on Fridays and Tuesdays.


    On Annaliese¡¯s twenty-first birthday, her mother asked her what she would like as a present.  She said, ¡°I¡¯d like to go skiing with Trip.  Could I do that?¡±


    Her mother sighed.  ¡°What would you spend the weekend doing if I forbade it?¡±


    Annaliese went to her room and brought out the gift boxes.  By that point, there were ten boxes.  Annaliese opened them and showed the tiny bookcases filled with tiny books.


    ¡°What is this?¡± her mother asked curiously.  ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you had a hobby like this.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t write them.  Trip wrote them.  He¡¯s been writing these tiny books for me for years.¡±  Annalese chose one at random and showed her mother how to open it so that it revealed a whole page of writing.


    The one she picked was one that was written the autumn before they got married.  Her mother read it carefully.  ¡°This was written four years ago.  How long has Trip been in love with you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.  Maybe since we were children.  He confessed it the first time when we were sixteen and has been standing by my side ever since.  You must know that I still see him and he still helps me with my classes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very noble of him to do that when you aren¡¯t sleeping with him,¡± her mother said flatly.


    Annaliese didn¡¯t answer.  If her mother wanted to believe that, Annaliese wasn¡¯t going to correct her.  She packed up the books and put them away.


    Her mother tried to speak to her again.  ¡°I have nothing against him.  I keep telling you, it isn¡¯t about him.  You can marry him when you finish law school if you both still want to.¡±


    For Annaliese, it was like talking to a brick wall.


    Annaliese wanted to leave home, she wanted to call it quits, to declare that she loved Trip with all her heart and she had to go to him¡­ except that wasn¡¯t true.  If she closed her eyes, she remembered being a child who had just lost her mother and the fear inside her that tainted everything.  For the first few years after being adopted, Annaliese would go check to see that her new mother and father hadn¡¯t died in the night.  Then she¡¯d curl up on the floor to wait for them to wake up.


    As an adult, Annaliese couldn¡¯t imagine the goodness in her mother¡¯s heart to take her into her home.


    When Annaliese arrived, she had been swarming with lice, covered in bed bug bites, and caked in filth.  Her name had been spelled Annaleeze like her name was a sneeze, and not like she was a precious child with a bright future.  Instead, her name was the joke of a teenage drug addict.  Her new mother treated her sores and picked her hair clean even though she was a high-power lawyer who had hardly touched a child in her life.  She also changed Annaliese¡¯s spelling to something beautiful and the way her new mother said her name made her feel like she was a precious child after all.


    She remembered the new mother, so eager to do things right, so eager to spoil her with love and attention.  Reading in a rocking chair.  Watching cartoons together.  Swinging at the park.  There was no scraped knee or broken dream that her new mother couldn¡¯t fix with laughter and love.


    Trip had been there too, on those Sundays in the library, in the garden, and under the swaying trees.  In those days he was a child, not a man who could give her the safety and security an adult could provide.  Trip had been there for her when she needed him for the last five years, but her mother had been there since the tragedy and Annaliese couldn¡¯t ignore it.


    Not only that but sometimes in the present, she wondered if her mother was well.  Her sixty-fifth birthday was coming up and sometimes waves of pain crossed her features like a shroud of pain fell upon her.


    Annaliese couldn¡¯t leave her mother, so she made do with Tuesdays and Fridays.

 THIRTEEN

    THIRTEEN


    Then there were all the ways Trip and Annaliese¡¯s relationship broke down.


    For the last year of their political science degree, Annaliese had already taken all the core subjects she needed, so there were a bunch of options she had to take, and Trip didn¡¯t need to be in those classes.  It was a chance for them to grow in different ways.  He took computer science courses while she took art. They still timed their breaks and got Tuesdays and Fridays, but they didn¡¯t see each other during the day as often.


    Then there was the time they had to study for the LSATs and Annaliese¡¯s mother hired private tutors to help her study.  Trip wasn¡¯t allowed to be around for that.


    Annaliese passed the exam with more breathing room than anyone expected. Her mother thought it was because the tutors were better at teaching her than Trip.  That wasn¡¯t it at all.  If Annaliese didn¡¯t pass, she couldn¡¯t go to law school with Trip.  She had to pass.


    Trip didn¡¯t pass.  He failed it by a hair¡¯s breadth.


    He took the exam, but when it came around, he hadn¡¯t seen his girl for weeks. There had been no Tuesdays and Fridays and he was having a hard time focusing.  Not only that but there was a mean little part of his brain that knew he didn¡¯t have to get into law school.  He didn¡¯t need to pass, only she did and if her mother was paying for tutors then what did it matter if he tutored her or not?  He didn¡¯t even study by himself.


    He should have passed.


    The fall-out for his not passing was incredible.   His family, not just his father and his uncle, but his brothers and his mother too, were very disappointed.  The discovery he made while he scrambled for another career was jarring.  He didn¡¯t want to do anything else.  If Annaliese was going to be a lawyer, he wanted to be a lawyer with her.


    She went to law school and floundered.  Tuesdays and Fridays were a thing of the past and when a day came up where she could slip away to see Trip, he was usually working.


    He was going to take his LSAT again in the spring, but for the time being, he was putting his political science degree to work and had gotten a job working at the Victoria Legislature.  Each time she saw him, her teenage husband with the headphones over his ears was further and further away.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    He wore suits.  He got a better job and then another better job.  Soon it was clear that if he stayed working for his MLA, he would have an extraordinarily cushy job he didn¡¯t have to get elected for.  He gave up his studio apartment and bought a condo with incredible views.


    When Annaliese visited him, it was like visiting your date¡¯s home for the first time, and nothing like going home with her husband.  At least, they had decorated their crappy studio apartments together.  The feeling of distance grew as he had more and more of an adult life that had nothing to do with her.  He had friends he met in the evenings when she wasn¡¯t around.  After a while, the whole thing felt very much like having an affair with a married man.


    Actually, she was the one cheating¡­ on the people in her life¡­ cheating everybody.  She was only keeping half of her promises.


    The little books had stopped when he no longer sat next to her in class.  Instead, he wrote her a love letter a week.  It was typed instead of handwritten and placed in an envelope that arrived with a bouquet of flowers.  Annaliese¡¯s mother saw nothing inappropriate in this and allowed it.


    He had become an ordinary lover instead of the secret, whimsical one he had been.


    And the letters changed over time.  ¡®I love you.  I need you.  I¡¯m dying without you!¡¯ turned into ¡®holidays are coming up and if you¡¯re not free at Christmas to see me then I was thinking I¡¯d go skiing with a few of my friends.  How are your classes going?¡¯


    Annaliese started writing him back.  She sent him half-finished letters because she stopped knowing what to say to him and she couldn¡¯t bear to send him nothing.  If the letters and bouquets stopped, she would have nothing.


    Her life was terrible.  She hated law school.  She hated a school where Trip wasn¡¯t there.  It was like she had been jolted back to her old high school where the competition was fierce and there was no handsome boy to smile at her and shield her from all the drama that went on if she tried to talk to people.


    She woke up and missed waking up in Trip¡¯s arms until she couldn¡¯t quite remember what that felt like.  One day she realized that it had been three months since a Tuesday or a Friday.  Annaliese felt so out of sorts, that she almost called a doctor for a checkup and then she remembered you didn¡¯t need a doctor when you were lovesick.


    She wasn¡¯t the only person in the house who wasn¡¯t doing well.  Her mother was sick.  If the old woman knew what she was sick with, she wasn¡¯t telling.  If she didn¡¯t, it came on so stealthily that it snuck up on even her.


    The morning that Annaliese heard from her father that her mother had passed away during the night, it was a blow to her.


    A blow.

 FOURTEEN

    FOURTEEN


    It was March.  There was a huge fuss at the funeral.  Trip was there, surrounded by his whole family, but there were so many people there who demanded Annaliese¡¯s attention that he couldn¡¯t get near her for longer than a few minutes.


    At her house after the funeral, he came with his family.  But once again, Annaliese was thronged by people who had to tell her one last story about her mother as their way of saying goodbye before they left.


    By the time all the mourners had gone, all of Trip¡¯s family had gone too, but he stayed.  Annaliese was not concerned about what her father thought of her and she took Trip to her bedroom.  They didn¡¯t talk.  Trip took her black clothes off her, pulling them over her head, and comforted her like an adult.


    When she woke up in the morning, he was gone.


    At the breakfast table, her father said that he had seen Trip leave that morning.  ¡°Was everything okay last night?  Were you really upset?  Is that why he stayed?¡±


    Annaliese gave a shadow of a smile.  ¡°Daddie,¡± she said softly.  ¡°I¡¯ve been married to Trip for over five years.¡±


    He gasped.  ¡°Legally?¡±


    She nodded.  ¡°Legally.¡±


    He threw down his napkin.  ¡°Why have you been living here?¡±


    She put a hand to her forehead.  ¡°You know why.  Because mom wouldn¡¯t listen to me.  Her and her damn arguing.  Her lawyering.  You knew I had to be a lawyer or she would never give me and Trip her blessing.  I didn¡¯t tell her we got married.  If I had, I thought she¡¯d force me to get a divorce.¡±


    He nodded.  ¡°I see your problem.  I¡¯m sorry.  I couldn¡¯t talk her out of it.  She just said she knew what was best and I should back off.  She felt that way because I was her fourth husband.¡±


    Annaliese stared.  ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You know, she didn¡¯t actually get her law degree until she was thirty-eight.  In her twenties, she was married to a country boy and when she only had miscarriages, he dumped her stuff out on the lawn.  Husband number two was a white-collar worker, but he was unfaithful.  It was pretty tough on her when she had miscarriage after miscarriage and he was off doing whatever, whoever.  She stayed in that marriage for eight years before getting up the courage to leave him.  Then she was married to Clement.¡±


    Annaliese nearly died at that announcement.  ¡°Trip¡¯s Uncle Clement?  If they were married, why did you let her visit him all those Sundays for all those years?¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    He chuckled with a twinkle in his eye.  ¡°It didn¡¯t matter.  I wasn¡¯t concerned about them having an affair. When they were together, he wouldn¡¯t let her even try to get pregnant.  He didn¡¯t want any of those bloody messes on his watch.  Instead of letting her drive herself crazy over motherhood, he convinced her to go to law school.  I¡¯m not sure if she would have made it through if he hadn¡¯t held her hand, but he wasn¡¯t dependable enough for her in other ways.  He didn¡¯t want her to adopt because I don¡¯t think he enjoyed a single child until Trip was born.  If you came over, he had an excuse to invite Trip to the house.  I don¡¯t think any sight in the world made him happier than Trip sitting in his library with a pretty girl sitting across from him.  He had such high hopes for Trip.  That Trip would lead the life he couldn¡¯t, or wouldn¡¯t.¡±  Her father sighed and scanned his memory.  ¡°The truth is¡­ I¡¯m not sure if your mother and Clement were legally married.  She had so much shame about the things she had done wrong in her life, she may have just said they were.  It didn¡¯t really matter to me.¡±


    Annaliese felt like screaming.  ¡°She could have told me all that.  Like the daughter of an overdosing drug addict wouldn¡¯t understand mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± he said softly, rolling over what his late wife never said in his mind.  ¡°She thought it was her responsibility to make sure you had something more¡­ something better.  Her life never really improved until she graduated from law school.  Your real mother expressed a similar sentiment in her last letter.  She wanted better for you.  My wife became obsessed with keeping that promise.  Did she keep it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.  I don¡¯t think I have to go to law school to live happily.  There are tons of people who have never gone to law school who find a way to live in this world.¡±


    ¡°Well, you certainly don¡¯t have to finish law school to make me happy.  You can move in with Trip tonight with my blessing.  He¡¯s doing well.  I don¡¯t mean to do this immediately, but I was thinking that I¡¯d like to collapse this house in the next few years.¡±


    ¡°Where will you go?¡±


    He looked around at the empty six-bedroom house that surrounded them.  ¡°Somewhere smaller.¡±  He leaned forward and patted her hand with his warm one.  ¡°The point is that you don¡¯t have to stay here.  I¡¯m over seventy and I don¡¯t need a place this big.  A six-bedroom house is a lot for a family who only had one daughter, but I think that your mother thought this house was full with only you in it.  It¡¯s because you filled her heart.¡±


    Annaliese let the tears spill down her cheeks and her father held her.


    When the moment had lapsed, Annaliese called Trip.  There was no answer, but she left a message that she had spoken to her father and she needed to talk to him.  She went to her room and started boxing up her things, so she could do exactly as her father said and move in with Trip that night.


    Except, he didn¡¯t call her back.


    By the time he did call her back, two days later, she was rethinking the whole thing.  He was sorry, but his phone had been on the fritz and he had been very busy with work and family problems.  He was coming by the house.  In an absurd panic, she fled the house and even though he waited, she didn¡¯t come back until he had gotten fed up and gone home.


    No matter what misunderstandings were plaguing them, they needed to talk.  They were married!  Annaliese called him.  No answer. She left another message, apologizing like a preteen about her lack of communication.


    He called her back, but she heard a woman laugh on the other end of the line, went temporarily insane, and hung up.  He called her back a second time, but she was too scared to answer the phone.  What if he told her that he¡¯d found someone new?  They¡¯d been apart for months.


    That was the state of things when she saw him at the dinner party, couldn¡¯t bear to see him and had to leave.


    It was still the state of things when she asked him if he was seeing someone else as they played chess in his new library¡ªthe same one from their shared past.

 FIFTEEN

    FIFTEEN


    Annaliese looked at the pieces on the chessboard.  Trip was going easy on her.  Not only was she having trouble remembering how to play chess, but he was controlling the game so completely that he was choosing which one of her pieces would topple his pieces.


    ¡°Trip,¡± she said quietly, ignoring the game in front of her.  ¡°What I¡¯ve done to you feels inexcusable.  You¡¯ve been beyond patient and I¡¯ve done nothing but take advantage of your goodness.  If you¡¯ve had enough, you have to tell me.¡±


    ¡°Why would you think I¡¯ve had enough?  You¡¯re the one who¡¯s been avoiding me,¡± he said like he was the source of the patience fountain.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that.  I heard a woman laughing on your end of the phone and I wondered if maybe you¡¯d met someone new in the months we hadn¡¯t seen each other.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything of the sort.  This whole situation put us in a love desert, but it was never supposed to last forever.  Your mother didn¡¯t hate my guts, she just had ideas that would only be satisfied by one thing.  You told me that was the deal when we were sixteen.  You didn¡¯t deceive me.  This has sucked, but that hasn¡¯t been your fault.¡± The patience fountain was drying up as he raked a hand through his hair.  ¡°Now, do you have anything you have to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Well, is there another man?  Did you meet someone in law school who saw you the way I saw you, like a little stalk of wheat who didn¡¯t understand the work involved in legislative drafting and needed a hand?¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Annaliese groaned.  ¡°No, but only because I told them to get lost.  I failed half of my courses this semester.¡±


    ¡°Good girl.  No more law school?¡±


    ¡°No!  No more law school,¡± she burst, half like she was screaming and half like she was throwing up.


    He got up from his chair, came around the table, put his arms around her, and pulled her close to him.  Resting his chin on the top of her head, he asked quietly, ¡°What do you want to do instead?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.  I don¡¯t care.  What are you doing?  Can I go along with you until I have had time to think about it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.  I still haven¡¯t given up my condo downtown.  Do you want to live here or do you want to live downtown?¡±


    She pulled away from him.  ¡°There¡¯s a choice?¡±


    ¡°Of course there is.  This house has no mortgage on it.  I own it completely.  If you want to live here, we can.¡±


    Annaliese felt herself fall.  His arms came around her and he stopped her from falling on her bottom on the hardwood floor.  She was crying.  ¡°How can I ever pay you back for letting me have that last bit of time together with my mother?  How can I ever thank you for waiting for me?  How can we be in a fair relationship when all I¡¯ve ever done is take from you?¡±


    ¡°Have my baby.¡±  He didn¡¯t even hesitate.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Seriously.  Have my baby.  We¡¯ll live here and have little children run around this house the way we did.¡±


    She panted, surprised.  She didn¡¯t even know Trip wanted children.  ¡°I¡¯d throw out my birth control pills tonight, but if I get pregnant tomorrow, what will everyone think?  No one knows we¡¯re married.¡±


    He laughed.  ¡°If you¡¯re game, I¡¯ll work it all out.¡±

 SIXTEEN

    SIXTEEN


    Trip and Annaliese had a garden wedding that summer.  She wore an empire waist dress that cinched just below her breasts and though she wasn¡¯t very big yet, the maternity wedding dress was chosen on purpose.  All of which surprised the salesgirl who sold them the dress.  Annaliese bought a dress intended for a pregnant woman when she was still slender as a willow branch.  She also brought her groom to the bridal boutique and asked his opinion about which dress to buy, but they had a hoot as she tried on dresses and he thumbs-up or thumbs-downed them.  They also didn¡¯t shop around.  They found a dress they liked on their first shopping trip and bought it without visiting over and over.  It was all very perplexing.


    The wedding vows they spoke in front of their family and friends were not overseen by someone with legal authority.  They had her father pretend to marry them, saying all the flowery words and giving all the blessings they needed to hear.  After he proclaimed them husband and wife, several lawyers stood up to clap and then rushed Annaliese¡¯s father to say that what they had witnessed was not a legal wedding ceremony.  He told them to calm down.  They knew it wasn¡¯t legal.  Trip would explain everything.  The lawyers stomped off to the reception in a collective huff.


    At the reception under fairy globes, Trip got up and said, ¡°It says on your program that this is the toast to the bride.  I¡¯m giving it.  I would like to thank my darling wife for becoming my darling wife¡­ five and a half years ago.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The gasp from the attendees was one of the rewards Trip got for enduring all the hardships of being married to Annaliese.


    ¡°As some of you noticed, what you witnessed in the clearing just now was not a legal wedding.  We know.  Annaliese and I have loved each other since we were children and had to wait a long time to turn eighteen.  As many of you know, we were both born in January, so as soon as we¡¯d both had our birthdays, we got ourselves to the courthouse and got married without any kind of parental consent or knowledge.¡±


    Trip beckoned for Annaliese and she joined him in front of their family and friends to come clean.


    He went on.  ¡°We had a weekend away skiing to celebrate our wedding and then went back home to our own beds on Sunday night.  The next day, we got up and went to school.  I know a number of you have fantasized about what this kind of relationship would look like or feel like.  I wouldn¡¯t recommend it.  We managed to convince everyone we were best friends and nothing more.  It feels like I have waited forever to come in front of all of you to say what I have always dreamed of saying.  I love Annaliese.  She is all I ever wanted and I have waited so long for the chance to say it.¡±


    They kissed and their crowd of well-wishers clapped, hooted, and whistled for them.


    ¡°Annaliese has an announcement to make,¡± Trip said into the microphone before handing it over to her.


    ¡°We¡¯re expecting a baby¡­ in January.¡±


    The End