The Understorey

“Oh! Well, I don’t know Jules. I’ll see if my mom will give me a couple of hours at two o’clock before we go to my grandma’s. Can you steal away then?”



“I’ll try. Give me a ring if you’re not able to and I’ll do the same if I can’t. Otherwise, see you at the rock bridge at two?”



“See you then. I love you Jules, Happy Christmas.”



“I love you too Elliott. Merry Christmas.”



I hung up the phone. It was enough to tide me over until two and I could breathe a sigh of relief. There was something about that phone call that didn’t set easily with me. It was the way she hesitated after she asked me to wait. Maybe I was reading too much into the inflection of her voice but I was already on edge as it was and this kind of stuff drove me insane. Just wait until two, I thought, she’s with her family. Jesse wouldn’t dare step foot in or around her house with them awake.



“Hey ma’?”



“Yes Elliott?” She asked, helping my little sister put together some ridiculous Barbie house Jules’ Aunt Isabel had gotten her.



“Can I see Jules’ at two? Before we head out to grandma’s and granddad’s?”



“Sure, I don’t see why not. Just make sure you’re back by four thirty, we leave at five.”



“Yes, ma’am. Thanks mom.”



“Mm, hmm.”



I headed to my room and got dressed. We ate lunch at one and I piddled around until half an hour ‘til and just couldn’t sit around any longer. I decided to leave early and just hang out, enjoy the cool air, and wait for Jules but when I got there Jules apparently had been there since one.



“If I’d known that Jules, I would have been out here sooner.”



I grabbed her face and kissed her glossy lips.



“I called but no one answered,” she offered.



“Oh, it must have been when mom was running the blender. She was making Maddy an orange smoothie.”



“Ohhhhh.”



“Well! It’s time for our own gifts!”



I climbed up onto our natural rock bridge and dragged Jules with me. She had already set out our blanket. The stone was dry, it hadn’t snowed since yesterday and the afternoon sun melted all the wet snow and dried it. I climbed into our cocooned blanket and she squeezed in next to me.



“Elliott?” Her voice trembled.



“Yes love?”



“Yesterday I drove to the church on my own because we were running late from Charleston. Did I tell you that?”



“No,” I shook my head, wondering where she was going with it.



“After church and dinner, after you walked me to my car and said goodbye, I got in and turned the key in the ignition, and when I went to put Carmen in reverse I noticed a wrapped package in the passenger seat.”



“Yes?” I said.



“It read, ‘From Elliott’.” I froze. “I knew automatically that it wasn’t from you. First of all, because it looked like it had been wrapped by a guy and I know you get your mom to wrap all of your gifts and second because we agreed on our question gift.”



“Where is it?” I demanded.



“Here,” she took her messenger bag and removed the thermos, some Christmas cookies, and a wrapped square box. “I couldn’t open it. I was too afraid. In fact, I don’t even want you to open it.”



“Jules, honey, I have to.”



“No you don’t actually,” she said. “Actually, you could just throw it in the creek and be done with it for good. The only reason I’m telling you is because I can’t keep the knowledge of the things they do locked up inside anymore or I’ll go mental.”



“I’m glad you told me. Maybe we should take it to Danny and have him open it,” I suggested to make her feel better. I could see that it did. The anxiety melted off her fair skin and some color was brought back into her paled cheeks.



“Thank you Elliott. Now, throw it over there so I don’t have to look at it anymore. I refuse to let him ruin our day.” She grabbed the thermos and poured hot chocolate in two mugs. “Cookie?”



“Yes, please. Thank you sweetheart.” I took a bite, “Wow! Did you make these?”



“I did. Do you like them? They’re a Jacobs tradition. Grams just taught me the recipe this morning.”



“Like them? I’m thinking of stealing the one out of your hand.”



She laughed like she hadn’t in a very long time. I missed it. I was determined to fix it.



“Oh Elliott! I can’t wait to ask you my question, but you first,” she requested.



I was happy to oblige, “Okay,” I reluctantly put down my cookie and mug and dusted the gingerbread off my hands. “Jules, I would like you to help me sell my bird houses again and I don’t want you to ask me why. Will you do this with me?”



She stared at me strangely.



“You know we won’t make enough in time for the trip right?”



“I know.”



“Okay,” she sighed. “And I can’t ask you why?” She asked. When I shook my head, she squealed in mock frustration, “I’m dying to find out why you want to do this. I can only imagine! I’m going to conjure up all sorts of strange things as your motivation, but I promise. I promise I won’t ask why.”



I felt incredibly empowered. My motivations were my own, the money had to sit there and I couldn’t wait to begin saving.



“You’re turn,” I said, excited for her question.



“You’ve made me rethink my question now Elliott. What a strange request. I feel like torturing you with a similarly vague question.”



“You can ask me what you’ve planned or you can ask me something off the cuff. I’m satisfied to say yes to any request since you’ve so selflessly agreed to mine.”



“Well that was sweet,” she puckered her bottom lip. “Okay, I guess I’ll ask my original question. Though, It’s truly not very original,” she confessed, “but I’ve wanted it for months now.”



“Okay,” I sat up and readied myself.



“How much time do we have left before you have to leave?” She asked.



“That’s your question? It’s not even a yes or no question,” I teased.



“Hush, seriously, how much time?”



“Two and a half hours.”



“Okay,” she calculated in her head, “it’ll have to do.”



“I’m dying here Jules!”



She grabbed both of my hands and leaned into my ear. “I’m embarrassed to say this too loudly or look into your face for that matter, but,” she whispered, “will you kiss me again, the way you did that night in your truck? For the next two hours and twenty-nine minutes? I promise we won’t take it far.”



My throat began to burn for her and my heart had already started to race. My next move was the answer she was waiting for. I kissed her lips softly and peeled her coat off of her shoulders. I continued to kiss her and did the same with my own jacket. Though the temperature outside was freezing, our connection made it feel like a warm summer’s day. I laid her gently beside me on the blanket and covered us both up.



“This isn’t just a Christmas present for you Jules,” I lazily whispered, keeping my eyes closed, trying to focus my words. The heat made me sleepy. It had a dream like after-effect. “It definitely benefits me as well.”



“Does that mean I get another question? One that only benefits me?” She giggled, slowly slurring her words together.



I didn’t have time to answer because her lips stopped mine. I would have happily given her another question, ten more questions, if all of them had been like this. This envelopment with Jules smothered all lingering agony from the wanting that had these past few weeks sat so stagnant in my heart. It was as if I had been wandering through the Sahara with a canteen brimming with water and only allowed myself to drink one tablespoon a day though my body suffered for gallons.



I scorched myself, on purpose. I had recently come to the realization that the thirst was intolerable. It was the reason I asked her my question. My query was a cleverly disguised ruse. The money was a down payment. It was to be for a wedding. Ours. All I had to do was buy her the ring and convince her the timing was right. Not that hard right?



When my mind and body felt as satisfied as I was going to allow it to be, we continued to lay side by side taking in the other’s face. Hers was flawless, blindingly beautiful fair skin, rosy pink cheeks, large curls ran throughout her long raven hair.



“My God, you are so beautiful Jules,” I declared.



“Thanks you Elliott,” she said and kissed my forehead, nose, then lips.



I pulled my pocket watch out to see the time, “Oh crap!”



“What is it?” She asked.



“It’s five fifteen Jules. My family was supposed to leave for my grandma’s at five. I’m in deep.”



We gathered the blankets and I towed her behind me as I raced for my truck. I kissed her goodbye and followed her back into town. When she went left and I went right we both waved at the other. I pulled up to my house and thankfully they didn’t even notice I was late as they were running behind themselves.



“What’s wrong with your hair?” Maddy asked.



“What?” I ran to the hall mirror and ran my fingers through the disheveled mess that was my hair.



Why didn’t Jules say something? She’s such a troublemaker.   



”You need a haircut son,” my dad said taking packages out to the car.



“I kind of like it long like that,” my mom admitted. “I think Jules does too.” She winked at me.



We arrived at my grandma’s house to open arms. She was a sweetheart of a woman. Granddad was in his lounger with the largest smile on his face. His hip hurt too badly to stand up for a hug so we all went to him.



We ate dinner at grandma’s and granddad's once a week, every week but they greeted us with such fervor each time. It was as if we were returning to them after a long absence.



We opened gifts, played games, laughed, ate, and sat around. I was very careful to make sure that everyone was content and having a good time before I took Danny out to my parents’ car to show him Jesse’s gift. I didn’t want people wondering.



“Hey, Danny?” I asked.



“Yeah Elliott? What’s up?”



“I have something I want to show you. I need your opinion on what we should do.”



“Can’t it wait Elliott? It is Christmas.”



“I don’t think it should.”



He looked annoyed but got up anyway. My mother’s eyes followed me as I lead him to the car. I opened the back passenger door and pulled out my bag. I handed him the gift.



“From Elliott,” he read.



“It’s not from me,” I revealed. “Actually, Jules found it in the passenger seat of her locked car on Christmas Eve after church.”



“You didn’t open it?” He asked.



“No, I thought it would be best to wait for you to look at it.”



“Wow,” he said, surprised. “What amazing self control.”