Goddesses Don't Get Sick (9 page)

TWENTY-THREE.

FOR A FIRST DATE
that takes place at a graduation party, there is a certain limitation on the level of romance that can be achieved. Having said that, Angela did have to give Jason points for trying.

He’d shown up promptly, and had presented her with a bouquet of brightly colored flowers.

(They should have been roses)

They really were beautiful, and smelled lovely, and Angela told Jason as much, thanking him with a smile that never touched her eyes as she placed them in water before he walked her out to his car. The party wasn’t too far away, and the night was perfectly clear…

(Tuyen would have suggested we walk)

But it was far enough away to justify the drive. Just in case it rained, Jason pointed out.
Or so they had the option of returning to his place?
Angela wondered.

The party was full of faces that were at most vaguely familiar to Angela. Maybe from taking one class or another together, maybe just from being on the campus for nearly four years now. Angela felt inexplicably shy in the large crowd, wanting to hide in a quiet corner, but she knew Jason wasn’t going to leave her side and could tell he knew a lot of people here and wanted to mingle.

(Tuyen wouldn’t have cared if he’d known everyone in the house he’d have asked what I wanted)

SHUT UP

And so, smiling as prettily as she could manage, Angela let Jason guide her around the party, making pleasant small talk as she was introduced.

She did have to hand it to Jason; he was wonderfully charming, and never made her feel like a showpiece. And he did seem utterly infatuated with her. It was a nice feeling for Angela, to have someone clearly interested in her and not…upset

(
Panicked?)

by the fact.

Still and even so, there was only so much drinking and socializing Angela could manage with a smile on her face, before she felt herself beginning to wilt a little bit.

Jason had rested his arm around her, and she found herself leaning into him enough that it got his attention.

“You okay?” He murmured in her ear. His breath tickled, but Angela resisted the urge to flinch away.

(Tuyen’s breath never tickled)

“Just…a bit tired, I guess,” Angela smiled up at Jason.
He nodded understanding.

“Would you like to get out of here then? Maybe go and get some dinner?”

“Dinner would be nice,” Angela admitted. “But where’s open?”

“Oh,” Jason smirked, “I think I know a place. Come on.”

With a feigned air of carelessness that told Angela he’d had it planned right from the start, Jason drove them to a quiet Italian restaurant, packed with couples sitting across from each other and smiling like love-sick puppies.

Oh, Jason
, Angela had to suppress a smile.
This is too cheesy not to be deliberate
. He certainly was pursuing Angela with an effort that was somewhat flattering.

(But it’s not Tuyen)

They were shown to their table and, despite the filled restaurant, served reasonably quickly. Jason entertained Angela with various humorous stories about his family; his easy air and the alcohol helping Angela’s smile become less affected.

She did enjoy his company, she had to admit. But romantically? That was still to be decided. Regardless, Angela found herself deciding, even before they were finished with their meal, that she would go home with him.

Was it worrying that she was unable to tell if this was a good idea or not?

(Everything with Tuyen felt right, but…)

But this did not involve Angels. And Jason was here, and real, and not afraid of her.

And he loved her. Even this early, Angela was certain he did.

Maybe…
She thought, as Jason drove her back to his apartment and led her to the bedroom.

Maybe if she gave herself a chance, she could love him too.

TWENTY-FOUR.

BIRDSONG WOKE ANGELA EARLY.
Too early, especially for a Saturday. She opened her eyes and stared at the unfamiliar wall opposite.

The room had an almost militaristic neatness to it, a drastic contrast to the organized clutter that made up Angela’s own room. She lay where she was for what felt like an age, trying to decide if she should stir and risk waking Jason.

As if reacting to her thoughts, Jason rolled over and slung his arm across Angela’s midsection. Waking up enough to notice his bed wasn’t empty, he cradled Angela’s stomach and slowly pulled her across the bed towards him.

“Good morning,” he mumbled sleepily into her ear as he snuggled closer. Angela resisted the urge to squirm from his grasp; she’d never been one who could snuggle after sex (or the morning after), usually waiting long enough for the guy to fall asleep before moving to the opposite side of the bed. This time, Angela settled for a slow stretch that woke her body up enough to tell her she had an excuse to escape.

“Bathroom?” She asked, carefully untangling herself from Jason’s arms.

“First door on the left,” he yawned, watching Angela move as she got out of the bed and snagged a shirt from his laundry basket.

Closing the bathroom door behind her, Angela combed her hair with her fingers as she took care of her body’s more pressing needs. While she was washing her hands, Angela caught her reflection in the cabinet mirror and paused to look at herself.

Did she always look this tired? It was hard to tell behind the makeup she hadn’t bothered to take off the night before. Taking advantage of the moment, Angela scrubbed her face with cold water until the dark smudges were gone.

Better
, she thought to herself.
Not great, but better.

Another, smaller voice attempted to intrude:

Is this right?

Pushing away the thought, Angela left the bathroom and padded quietly back to Jason’s room.

“That’s a sight I could get used to,” Jason smiled as he took in Angela’s body underneath his shirt.

“What, a girl in your clothes?” Angela grinned wryly as she returned to the bed and lay on it without getting under the covers.

“If you want to see it that way,” Jason shrugged. “I didn’t mean just any girl though…”

He gave her another Look then, as subtle with its hidden meaning as a brick to the side of the head. Something twisted inside Angela, tried to complain, but she growled at it silently even as she dazzled Jason with another of her fake smiles, causing his own face to brighten with a level of hope that was both endearing and heartbreaking.

“So,” Angela broke the silence that had started to build. “How about some breakfast?”

TWENTY-FIVE.

“CRAP-CRAP-CRAP-CRAP-CRAP!”
Angela swore as she struggled to put on her high-heeled shoes without standing still. Barely missing the doorway as she slipped the last shoe on, Angela let the momentum carry her into the bathroom, nearly taking out Jason in the process.

“Woah, there,” Jason backed out of the way and removed the razor from his throat as Angela bumped him away from the mirror.

“I’m late,” Angela muttered as she hurriedly applied makeup. “It’s my first day and I’m fucking
late
.”

“No, you’re not,” Jason soothed, “You’ve got plenty of time to get there, and you’re nearly ready.” Jason paused at this, and took in Angela’s dressed form in surprise. “Almost completely ready,” he amended. “Wow. How’d you get dressed so fast?”

“I spent some nights last year working double shifts before class,” Angela paused long enough to apply lipstick. “I learned to change clothes quickly.” Pausing for a moment, she stepped back and scrutinized herself in the mirror.

“How do I look?” she asked Jason. “Professional?”

“Beautiful,” Jason leaned in to kiss Angela but she ducked back out of his way.

“Gotta run, sorry!”

Jason shook his head good-naturedly and returned to the task of shaving.

“You’ll be fine!” He reassured her. “Don’t forget, we’re having dinner with my parents tonight.”

“That’s
tonight
?” Angela froze in the doorway, fear creeping into her expression.
We’ve only been dating a week. It’s too soon to meet them, isn’t it?

“Yeah,” Jason paused again and glanced over, missing Angela’s expression as she hurried to blank the fear from it. “They want to meet you, and we figured celebrating your first day was as good an excuse as any, remember?”

“Yes…?” Angela vaguely remembered the conversation with Jason a couple of nights ago, but not the specifics. “Are…you sure you want them to meet me? Now?”

Too soon!
Her mind wailed quietly, even as Jason finished shaving and toweled his face dry.

“Babe, they’ve wanted to meet you since they saw you at the graduation.” He smiled as he left the bathroom and went to collect his clothes from her bedroom. “Now, go on or you really will be late. I’ll lock up.”

Angela checked her watch and yelped.

“Gone! Bye!” She yelled as she escaped out the door, setting off at a fast trot in her heels for the bus stop.

Please, please, please
, Angela prayed silently as she raced for the stop. She couldn’t afford to be late, not today. The last thing she needed was to blow her chance with the internship; not while she was on her trial month.

No…
Angela’s heart sank as she turned the corner and saw her bus pulling away from the stop. She put on a burst of speed in a desperate attempt to catch it, before a warm gust of wind hit her, blowing her bag off her shoulder.

“
SHIT!
” Angela clutched desperately at the contents of her purse as they went spilling onto the sidewalk. Even as she was scrambling to collect everything she could see the bus speeding past. Dejection filled Angela as she stood and slowly finished her approach to the bus stop, her mind envisioning the worst-case scenario as all but a foregone conclusion.

Terrific. Everything you worked for, down the drain just like that. Maybe you should have just sucked it up and taken your car—city parking isn’t
that
expensive…

Angela’s brooding was cut short by the miraculously familiar rumble of another bus approaching. Not quite daring to hope, she pulled the folded timetable from her purse and checked it against the one printed on the wall of the bus stop.

Of all the…
Angela couldn’t believe her luck; an express service had been added to the circuit, pulling up now.
Yes!
Angela cheered silently as she got on the bus and paid her fair. Something about that thought rang ironic to her, and Angela let out a short bark of laughter as she found a seat.

She wasn’t laughing five minutes later when traffic slowed to a crawl and sirens began to ring in the distance.
Accident
, Angela thought, as her bus turned off the main road onto its express rout and bypassed the gridlock. Craning her head to see, Angela felt a cold chill as she saw the twisted wrecks of the vehicles involved in the accident.

The bus she’d been so desperate to catch minutes earlier now lay in pieces on the road.

TWENTY-SIX.

THE REST OF THE DAY PASSED QUICKLY
for Angela. Her supervisor, Mr. Barton, had welcomed her with a warm smile, before introducing her to the team of which she was to become a part. They were friendly enough, and Angela was able to leave at the end of the day with the kind of exalted satisfaction one gets upon discovering that they can indeed perform the job they have been hired to do.

Unlocking the door to her home, Angela entered her bedroom to find a bouquet of flowers on her bed, with a card attached.

8pm. Lumier’s. We’ll see you there. Jase.

PS—heard about the crash on the radio. Glad you were late!!!

Repressing a groan at the thought of having to meet Jason’s parents, Angela undressed and headed for the shower, brooding over the prospect of that evening’s date. She was so lost in her thoughts that she stayed under the water until it ran cold, the sudden temperature change snapping her awake enough to wash the last of the shampoo out of her hair.

Her hands shook slightly as she got ready, the nerves of meeting Jason’s parents finally getting to her. Pinning her hair into place, Angela sat at her dresser and looked at the solemn reflection staring back.

I look like I’m going to a funeral
, she thought.
Why am I so afraid? Is it just because it’s so soon? Am I worried they won’t like me?

Maybe,
another voice muttered.
You’re worried that they
will
like you.

Shut up
, Angela frowned at the mirror, as if it were to blame for the voice.

It would be such a perfect excuse if they didn’t like you, wouldn’t it?
The voice persisted.
You’re not going to
do
anything if they like you, but if they didn’t it would make everything so much easier, wouldn’t it?

What would it make easier?
Angela wondered dejectedly, collecting her things and moving out of her room.
Keeping myself alone? I don’t want that.

But do you want
him
?
The voice followed as she closed the door and got into her car.

“At least he loves me,” Angela murmured aloud, before sighing softly as she started her car.

Jason’s parents smiled warmly when Angela entered the restaurant and found their table, insisting she call them by their first names—Jonathon and Vera.

“Or, you could call us Dad and Mom if you wanted,” Jonathon chuckled, drawing an embarrassed cough from Jason as Angela blushed.

“Jon, don’t go pressuring the children!” Vera scolded him, before patting Angela comfortingly on the forearm and getting a nervous smile in response.

Poor thing
, Vera thought.
Looks half scared to death. After the day she’s had, I’m not really surprised.

Angela couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being judged all evening; a feeling that only aggravated her nerves, making her jumpy and insecure. It didn’t go unnoticed by Jason and his parents, but they brushed it off for one reason or another. First day at her internship, the near miss of the bus accident, meeting the parents after only a week. All of them true to some degree, and all of them shadowing the stronger insecurities that ran deep in Angela’s heart.

It’s amazing how easily one can find an excuse to hide behind, so that others would not see the truth of what they felt.

By the end of the evening, Jonathon and Vera were convinced that Angela was a wonderful girl, if somewhat quiet and withdrawn. Even when Angela accidentally knocked over her glass of red wine, nearly ruining Vera’s dress as she’d lunged to try and prevent the spill, everyone just smiled and nodded knowingly to one another.

Poor thing,
Vera thought again.
Nerves
, Jonathon concluded.
She’s never this clumsy
, Jason thought
, she must really want to please Mom and Dad.

But yes,
they all concluded.
She’s wonderful
.

“You’re quiet,” Jason broke the silence as he drove her home in her car.

“Sorry,” Angela roused herself from her thoughts and turned to give Jason a tired smile. “It’s just been a long day.”

“Yeah, it sounded pretty full on,” Jason admitted, reaching over and taking Angela’s hand gently. “They like you, you know.”

Of course they do
, Angela thought.

“Yeah?” she asked, not really paying attention to the answer.

“Yeah,” Jason smiled. “They think you’re great. We all do.”

Angela had tensed then, sensing that Jason wanted to go on and say the words that she was expecting would come sooner or later, but still dreaded.

Mercifully, Jason was interrupted as he pulled into Angela’s driveway, allowing Angela to free her hand as she got out of the car and put aside her fear of hearing those words.

Until later that night, after they’d had sex, and Angela had rolled onto her side to try and sleep. Jason snuggled up to her, smelling her hair before he let out a happy sigh and murmured sleepily into her neck.

“I love you.”

Of course he did.