Chapter Thirty-Five
Natalie
It was such a beautiful day that I couldn’t help but feel as though life was mocking me.
I was huddled in with a group of seniors, none of whom I was very familiar with. Graduation was fully underway and the atmosphere was excited, but I couldn’t find it in me to be anything but melancholy.
Missy was all the way on the other side of the huge arched ballroom that served as the setting for graduation. And without her, my mood had dropped considerably. She was the only reason I looked presentable. I was wearing a body-fitting cream dress with intricately worked sleeves and a modest hemline. My hair had been arranged into a messy yet elegant topknot, and my makeup was subtle and sophisticated. Missy really knew what she was doing when it came to makeovers.
Given that I was sitting beside a bunch of girls I didn’t know, I looked around, trying to distract myself from their conversation. If I stood a little, I could see my parents sitting off in the section delegated for family members. Dad was wearing his best jacket and Mom was in her favorite jade green dress. Both of them looked proud and happy. I caught Mom’s eye and waved to them, forcing a smile on my face.
Seconds later, I spied Chance walking onto the stage to sit with all the other professors. He was in his academic robes, but I could see the dark blue suit he wore underneath. He looked incredibly handsome, and I felt my heart shiver at the sight of him. I forced myself to turn away from him, but my attention focused inevitably on the conversation the two girls beside me were having.
“What are your plans after graduation?” the blonde one asked.
“I have an internship lined up,” the redhead replied. “At Saxon and Banks. It’s unpaid for the moment, but if I do well, I’ll be put on the payroll within the first three months.”
“Saxon and Banks, huh?”
“Pretty good, right?”
“Please, that’s incredible.”
“I had to pull a few strings to get in, though…”
“You’d have to, wouldn’t you? Saxon and Banks takes interns on recommendations alone.”
“What about you?” the redhead asked. “What are your plans?”
The blonde gave a delighted smile and popped her left hand up to show the large ring that sat on her ring finger. I felt my insides squirm as burning hot jealousy washed over me. I was surprised and ashamed of myself. Am I really so petty that I can’t be happy for someone else’s happiness if it means that I myself am not happy? I wondered. I tried not to listen anymore, but somehow, I was now completely invested in the conversation.
“No way!” screamed her friend.
“He proposed last week, just after finals.”
“Oh my God, the ring! How did he afford it?”
“It’s been in the family for generations. Apparently, it’s passed down to the oldest child to the oldest child forever, family tradition. Luckily, Trevor’s the oldest, which means I got the ring. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It’s spectacular.”
“He caught me completely off-guard, too. I wasn’t expecting a proposal. I just thought he was going to ask me to move in with him. I mean we had talked about it a little bit…”
“Marriage?”
“No, moving in together. So I was wondering why he was making such a big deal about actually asking me…officially, at least. But then he popped out the ring, and I freaked out.”
“Where did he do it?” the redhead asked.
He took me to the restaurant where we had our first date. Except he requested a table on the balcony, and he had even hired musicians. Then just before the dessert came out, he dropped down on one knee in front of everyone and proposed. It was the most magical night. We told our parents the next day.”
“They must have been thrilled.”
“Oh yeah, Mom’s been sending me wedding magazines all week. She can’t wait to start planning – neither can I, for that matter.”
“What are you thinking?” the redhead asked. “What kind of wedding do you want?”
“I’m thinking beach wedding,” the blonde replied. “Trevor’s family has this spectacular beach house in Malibu. That might be the perfect location. There’s an exclusive club that holds private functions for its members. Trevor’s father’s a member, so…”
“You’re set. Wow, you are so lucky.”
“I’m thinking smaller guest list though, maybe two hundred people tops.”
“That’s small?”
The blonde laughed. “We both have a huge family…my family alone is like eighty people.”
“Have you given any thought to what kind of dress you’ll be wearing?”
“Oh my God, that’s all I’ve been thinking about since Trevor proposed. I’m actually planning the wedding around the dress. I’m thinking dramatic mermaid for the actual ceremony, but I want a detachable skirt so that I can dance at the reception.”
“This wedding is going to be incredible.”
“I’m excited.”
“Have you discussed dates?”
“I’m going to need at least a year to plan the wedding. So I’m thinking end of summer next year.”
“Exciting.”
“As excited as I am about the wedding, I’m really looking forward to the honeymoon.”
“I’m sure… Do you know what you want to do?”
“There’s no question. We’re going to spend a few weeks in Paris.”
And that was my limit. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. It was stupid and silly of me. I was being petty and childish, but hearing about her wedding and her honeymoon was hard enough. Then to hear about Paris, that just pushed me over the edge. It reminded me of everything I had just lost, and it reminded me of all the plans I had wanted to make. Now they were all fallen dreams that I was forced to throw to the wayside.
Tears started slipping down my cheeks, and I tried like hell to cover them up. I could feel little droplets fall to my hands and I tried surreptitiously to brush them away. The moment I wiped my face clean, more tears materialized, and I knew there was no way I could hide my puffy eyes and my red nose.
“Oh my God, are you all right?” It was the blonde girl. She was turned towards me, and her expression was one of concern.
“Yes, of course.” I nodded, trying to smile through the tears. “I’m just being silly.”
“Is something wrong?” the redhead asked.
“No… It’s just I’m a little emotional today, that’s all, what with graduation…”
I hoped that was a convincing enough lie. They exchanged a glance, but neither one questioned me, and I felt completely ridiculous.
“I’m sorry,” I sniffed. “I’m being so silly.”
“No, don’t say that,” the blonde said, patting my arm. “Graduation is emotional. We’ve all worked out butts off for four years to get here. This is a big deal. You have no reason to be embarrassed.”
“Thank you,” I said. “You’re nice.”
“Nice is my middle name.” She laughed. “But the name on my birth certificate reads Martha. It’s nice to meet you. And this is Abigail.”
I smiled through my tears and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you both. I’m Natalie.”
“I’ve seen you around, Natalie,” Abigail said. “You took sociology, didn’t you?”
“I did,” I nodded.
“We were in the same lecture for two semesters.”
“Really?” I said, amazed that I didn’t recognize Abigail at all. “I’m sorry, I can’t say that I remember you.”
“That’s okay,” Abigail laughed good-naturedly. “You always had your head down, and you concentrated so hard on the lectures. I used to admire your focus. I certainly never had any. The only time I concentrated on my lectures was when the professor was reasonably good looking. So in my case, that meant never.”
Martha laughed and shook her head at her friend. “You should have taken Economics 401 then.”
I felt myself grow a little more alert as Martha mentioned Chance’s subject. “You took Econ 401?” I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.
“I did,” Martha nodded. “For half a semester, and then I dropped out. The professor was a total babe, but the subject was way too difficult for me. I was losing sleep trying to research for the assignments he gave us. In the end, I just couldn’t hack it.”
“Which professor is this?” Abigail asked, with interest.
“Professor William,” I said immediately.
“That’s the one,” Martha nodded. “He’s way over six feet tall, broad shoulders, ripped body, blond hair, and blue eyes.”
“Hazel,” I said before I could stop myself.
“Sorry?”
“His eyes,” I said reluctantly. “I’m pretty sure they’re hazel.”
“Oh, guess, I haven’t been close enough to him to notice.”
“I consulted with him on an assignment once,” I said, feeling as though I needed to explain.
“Did you really need the consultation?” Martha giggled. “Or was that just an excuse to meet the elusive professor?”
“I really needed the consultation,” I said. “Seeing him was just a bonus.”
“Okay, I’m curious about this professor now,” Abigail said. “Is he on the dais with the other professors?”
“He’s over on the right,” Martha said, pointing Chance out to her. “The one sitting next to Professor Tucci.”
“Whoa,” Abigail said appreciatively. “Damn, he is hot.”
“Told you.”
“And, he’s so young.”
“I think he’s still in his twenties,” Martha nodded. “One of the youngest members of the faculty, if I’m not mistaken. I heard a couple of teachers talking about him the other day actually. I think they’re going to offer him a permanent position here.”
“Really?” I said, immediately proud of him despite our current status.
“Yeah.”
“That’s amazing.”
Both girls looked at me a little curiously, as though they couldn’t understand my investment in a professor. “He was a really good teacher,” I said. “I’m just glad that he’s being recognized.”
“Did you manage to stick with his class?” Martha asked.
“I did.” I nodded. “Passed it, too.”
“Congratulations,” she said. “You must be fucking smart.”
“I think I have what they call book smarts,” I said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I have a lot of street smarts.”
“You’ll learn,” Abigail assures me. “Life teaches you fast.”
I smiled. They were both really nice, and I actually enjoyed talking to them. It made me realize how much I had missed out on over the years by sticking to my books like they were my friends. From that point on, Abigail and Martha included me in their conversation. I was so engrossed that I barely noticed the message coming in on my phone. I gave the screen a cursory glance. It was an unknown number, and that was what caught my attention.
“Hi, Natalie. You don’t know me, but I’m a friend. Trust that I have your best interests at heart. I’m contacting you to suggest that you ask Chance out tonight. I know, this is a strange request, especially coming from an anonymous source, but I think it will pay off. Actually, I know it will pay off.”
I read the message again, growing increasingly more curious. Who was this person, and why were they concerned with me? Also, how did they know about my relationship with Chance? Could this be some sort of twisted joke? Was it possible that Jason was behind this? I hadn’t seen him this last week, and now I was wondering if he was behind the message.
I looked up at the stage and caught Chance’s eye. We held each other’s gaze for only a moment, and then he turned away without so much as a spark of recognition in his eyes. I looked back at the message and tried to suppress the hope that was clawing its way up.
Should I disregard it or should I act on it? Should I be safe or brave? Should I take the risk or slink back into my safe little corner and forget about Chance?