Love's Destiny (Love Trilogy #2) (14 page)

“It’s good to see you.” I said grateful that my voice hadn’t cracked

“I’ve missed you.” She said quietly only to me and then turned toward her family in the kitchen. “I’ve missed all of you!”

“It’s so good to have you home!” Aunt Katherine said. “Did you get the packages I sent you?”

“Yes, Mom.” Destiny laughed. “I have the most coveted dorm room in the whole building.”

“Good.” Her mom said pleased.

“Did you get the pictures I emailed you?” Destiny asked her dad “I knew you’d love that view of the Hudson.”

“Already painted it, but I’d sure love to see it in person.” Uncle Mike said.

Quietly I slipped out of the room and left her to her family and their reunion. I went up to my room and called Sara to make sure she could still come for dinner tomorrow night. She sounded a little reluctant but I figured that had to do with her nervous shy nature and the fact that she’d never been to my house before.

I got directions to her apartment and promised to pick her up the next day. Suddenly I was very grateful that Chance had given me the idea to invite her. It felt like a shield I could hide behind, a way to show Destiny that my life could go on without her. A way to show her that I hadn’t spent the last several months pining over her while she enjoyed her new life in New York. I knew it was a lie, but hoped that Destiny wouldn’t.

I loved New York. I loved Juilliard. I loved performing. All of my dreams were coming true. I had made it into the Juilliard Orchestra and we performed regularly at Lincoln Center. I’d always dreamed of performing in Carnegie Hall, and now I was. It all seemed like a dream. A wonderful dream that I hoped would never end.

As I had suspected from the first night I’d met her Carrie had become my best friend. Our majors were different so we only shared a few of our basic liberal arts courses, but our schedules were similar enough that we had plenty of free time together. We shopped in Manhattan and saw shows on Broadway.

Mom had shipped me several of Dad’s paintings, which now hung on the walls of our room and a cappuccino maker that was the envy of everyone on our floor.

Sharing our suite were two juniors that each had their own room. Jason was a theater major and carried himself with the elegance of someone born to grace the stage. He often accompanied us on our trips to see Broadway shows and then talked all night about how one day we would be watching him perform on those very stages.

Sandra was also a violinist, but she kept to herself. She was not on the orchestra with me and often avoided me. I noticed she would get up and leave the room any time I entered and refused to discuss music with me the few times I’d broached the subject. Carrie insisted that she was just jealous because she wasn’t as good as I was. I had never heard her play so I wasn’t sure. All I knew was she definitely didn’t like me. I was glad that she was a junior and hopefully would be moving off campus and out of our suite soon.

Craig and Josh occupied one of the other double rooms. They were both dance majors who had immediately begun fighting for the affection of Carrie although they still remained good friends. She teased them with her southern charm, obviously enjoying their attention but refusing to show a preference between them.

Melody and Carmen shared the other double room. Melody was an opera singer and Carmen a theater major. Carmen didn’t hesitate to show her interest in Jason although he’d yet to return any affection her way. She hung on his every word like a lovesick teenager and he ignored her just the same.

All in all we had a diverse group that despite the differences lived well together. About mid-semester Jason asked me out to the theater and when Carmen tried to include herself he made it very clear that he wanted it to be just the two of us. That didn’t endear me to Carmen and she immediately joined with Sandra in 

avoiding me and glaring my way when I entered the communal living room.

Carrie insisted that I ignore them and pushed me to accept anytime Jason asked me out. She was so busy judiciously juggling her time and affection between Craig and Josh that I found myself spending a lot of time with Jason. We went to the theater and dinner. I realized very quickly that Jason loved to talk about himself and that his interest in me didn’t go any deeper than how nice I looked on his arm.

I spoke with my mom at least once a week and tried to write her often. I told her all about my friends, and classes and performances. I told her how Carrie tactfully managed to string along both Craig and Josh showing just enough interest in each to keep them both competing but not enough to make either feel alienated. I told her about Jason and the time I’d spent with him and my growing suspicion that he’d never love anything more than he loved himself. I told her about Sandra and Carmen and how they definitely did not fall into the category of friend.

She kept me updated on Dad’s progress with his art gallery and Chance’s growing bond with Tyler. I was relieved to know that they’d found friendship with each other. I had worried about Tyler often, wondering how he was doing. It was silly of me to think he couldn’t survive without me. I was glad to hear that he was doing well in school. It also made me happy to know that Chance had found someone to look up to.

I was excited when Thanksgiving came and it was time for me to come home. I missed everyone. I hadn’t even realized how homesick I was until I began thinking about my family on the flight home. I couldn’t wait to be home again; to see my dad’s new gallery, to sit with my mom over coffee and hear about her bakery, to get to hear all about baseball and girls from Chance, and to see Tyler. I’d missed him too, but was also nervous about seeing him again. We hadn’t left things on the best terms.

The first thing I did when I finally made it home was sit with my mom at the kitchen counter, drinking coffee just as I’d imagined, catching up on every little detail that hadn’t already been shared over the phone or through our letters.

I heard the front door open and felt my pulse quicken in response. Chance came barreling through the kitchen door first and ran straight into my arms. I hugged my little brother closely and then held him at arm’s length to get a good look at him. It had only been a few months, but he seemed to have aged so much.

His midnight hair tumbled carelessly into his chameleon eyes. We never could decide what color his eyes were, sometimes green other times blue usually both. His hair always had that carefree tussled look, despite my mother’s repeated attempts to brush it. It seemed to have a mind of its own not willing to be contained.

He had Dad’s dark brooding brows and strong features; even at eight years old I could tell he was going to be a heartbreaker someday. Then he smiled his devilish crooked smile that was his most dominant feature and I knew women everywhere were in trouble. After another hug I pulled my eyes away from my little brother to the figure I sensed in the doorway.

Tyler stood leaning against the doorjamb looking back at me, and my breath caught in my throat. His dark eyes were strong and penetrating despite his casual stance. I forced myself to smile casually and move forward to hug him just as I had done everyone else in my family. Why should I act differently towards him? Why should my heart race and my skin flush at the feeling of his hard body and strong arms holding me? Regardless of the reason, it did.

I turned away from him trying to regain my composure and when I turned back I noticed that he’d gone. He didn’t come back down for dinner and I wondered if he was still avoiding me. This is exactly how he’d acted before I’d left for New York. I understood then that he was hurt over the awkward situation with Blake, but he still couldn’t possibly be harboring any resentment. Could he? I decided I would give him tonight to himself, but tomorrow he would face me.

Thanksgiving morning was full of bustling bodies and crowded rooms. Aunt Amy and Uncle Dan had come with Jaime and Kenzie. The girls were 10 now and both were as beautiful as their mother although it was finally possible to tell them apart. Jaime wore her long blonde hair in soft natural curls, but Kenzie had bobbed hers off at her shoulders and kept it straight and sleek.

Aunt Amy cornered me in the living room and peppered me with questions about my life in New York, the girls listened with rapt attention and I knew it wouldn’t be long before they’d be coming to visit, if for no other reason than the shopping alone. Their looks were not the only thing they had inherited from their mother.

I hadn’t seen Tyler all morning although I’d been watching for him closely. Mom was barricaded into her kitchen where I knew she would remain until the meal was served, and I also knew from experience that it was best to let her be. Dad, Uncle Dan and Chance were all outside playing ball, but Tyler wasn’t with them either. I was about to make my way upstairs to his room when I heard his voice coming from the kitchen.

“I’ll pick it up for you Aunt Katherine, I have to run out anyway.”

“Oh, thanks Tyler you’re a life saver!”

“No problem, I’ll be back soon.” He called over his shoulder as he walked into the foyer.

“Hey Destiny.” He said smiling as he passed by me and out the front door without a backwards glance.

I stood watching after him until I felt foolish. I’m not sure what I’d expected from him, but I knew it was definitely more than that.

Oh well, I decided, I had all day to talk to him. It didn’t have to be now. I wasn’t really sure what I needed to say to him, I just felt like we needed to have a one on one conversation. I had to know that our friendship was intact.

I wandered through the house, offering help in the kitchen, which I knew would be denied. Conversing some more with Aunt Amy and the girls. Watching the guys play ball. I felt restless. I knew I was waiting for Tyler to return. I hadn’t expected how much I’d wanted and needed to see him until I’d got here. But I felt like there was something between us that was unresolved.

When he did come back he wasn’t alone. I hadn’t expected that either. He brought with him a young girl named Sara who looked scared to death. She stayed cowered behind him as he led her around on a tour of the house.

She nodded shyly as he made introductions. He introduced me just as casually as everyone else, and I felt a twinge of something I couldn’t quite identify. I didn’t know why I felt like I deserved some sort of special recognition but I didn’t like being just another name listed off at the table.

I watched them together despite myself. She was definitely shy and very uncomfortable. He gallantly tried to include her in conversation and patted her hand reassuringly when she spoke. He was encouraging and protective and I didn’t like it one little bit. He barely looked at me during dinner, except politely when I spoke. He wasn’t avoiding or ignoring me the way he had before I’d left for school, he was just… indifferent. I didn’t like that either.

As the evening drew on I became more agitated but I wasn’t sure why. Tyler wasn’t being rude, just impassive. I couldn’t say that I didn’t like Sara, she gave me no reason to dislike her. I realized with some shock that I wanted to dislike her. It made me think of Sandra and Carmen and how they’d disliked me with no real reason. Carrie had always said they were jealous. Could I be jealous? Jealous of this timid little girl that Tyler had brought home. But why?

If Chance was older and had brought a girl home for dinner, would I have any reason to be jealous of her? Of course not. I would be happy for him. Happy that he’d met someone he liked enough to bring home. Why wasn’t I happy for Tyler? How much did Tyler like this girl? Why did it matter?

After dinner he left to take her home and I excused myself from the party using jet lag as a reason to retreat to my room. I stayed up there all night, wondering about the strange feelings I had and trying to sort them out.

When had things become so complicated with Tyler? I thought of the summer when he’d first kissed me. It seemed so long ago, but things hadn’t been the same since. Something had been started then, something that had never been finished. There were definitely some things unresolved between us. I decided it was time to finish them.

Tyler had obviously moved on from our childhood crush. I needed to also. I would do my best to show him that I could be his friend just like I used to be. There was no need for awkward avoidance. I could be casual. I could be friendly. I just needed a night to prepare. Tomorrow would be a new day.

I only had two days left at home before I returned to New York. I was determined to make the most of them. I woke up early Friday morning and insisted on helping my mom with breakfast. It felt good to work with her in the kitchen again.

When all the guys came down to breakfast I struggled to maintain my cheerful façade. I knew it shouldn’t be this hard. That simply seeing Tyler walk into the kitchen shouldn’t cause my stomach to tighten and my pulse to quicken. It shouldn’t, but it did. Tyler stumbled to the table still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Still not a morning person?” I asked laughing lightly as I set a plate in front of him.

He looked up and met my eyes. The intensity in his dark eyes startled me. We were too close, I could feel the heat emanating from him. My smile wavered. I dropped the plate and retreated.

Conversation varied through breakfast. We each spoke when appropriate but never directly to each other. When our eyes met there was an intensity that made me uncomfortable. Why couldn’t we just talk? Why couldn’t we just be friends and catch up with each other like old friends do?