Chapter 20

I knew enough about Sandy to figure out what to get her and I knew Sunny pretty well, though I didn't have anything in mind yet. I didn't know Louis at all.

"Tell me about your Dad."

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, I've met everyone else and gotten to know them a bit, but other than seeing him when we left, I have no clue about your Dad."

"He's a really sweet guy, and very smart. He has all kinds of interests. He knows things about almost everything. Of course, he does wander off into space every once in a while."

"Does he know he's a nerd?"

It was his turn to laugh.

"Yeah. He'd have to be pretty obtuse not to notice. But he doesn't care. He's happy being him."

"Do you know you're a nerd?"

He smiled, put his arms around me and pulled me in.

"Yeah. And I'm happy being me."

He squeezed me as he said this. I don't know who had the bigger smile, Jeff or I.

"Tell me more." I snuggled against him. "Does he have a sense of humor?"

"He has a great sense of humor. Sometimes he can get a little cheesy, but he can see the humor in almost anything."

I knew what I was getting Louis.

"What about his parents?" I asked. "I haven't heard a word about either of them."

"Car accident." He didn't sound upset.

"Sorry."

"It was a while ago. The thing that makes me sad is that I don't remember much about them. Sandy has almost no memory of them at all."

"That's a shame."

I kissed his cheek. I kissed his neck. I kissed behind his ear. This had nothing to do with sex. I just wanted to be as close to him as I possibly could.

He ran his hand lightly through my hair. I didn't ever want this to end.

Finals were over and I loaded the car to head home. I had never felt so positive about how I had done. I had also never been so well prepared.

I turned on the radio before heading to Jeff's dorm. Counting Crows was reminding me of Sam and I couldn't help but smile.

"Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone? They paved paradise, put up a parking lot."

Was this an omen?

Was paradise the girl I had been, always in control, getting whatever I set my mind to? Or was it the girl I had always been inside according to Jeff, the girl I was meant to become, the girl who had captivated him?

Or was this just a song that happened to turn up on the radio when I got into the car?

Jeff piled his stuff in and we were off. So was the radio. I would rather talk with Jeff than listen to anything the radio could provide.

Before I got a chance to steer the conversation, Jeff had something he wanted to talk about.

"I don't know anything about your parents. You've barely said a word, except that you don't want me to meet them."

I took the statement for the question it was.

"I don't like to talk about them."