I went on to stardom without her. Finally she spoke.
“Wow,” Aria finally said, “I can’t believe you guys are engaged. It’s so odd.” She picked up her glass and took a long drink.
“Odd? How?” we asked in unison. Jensen and I sat down and looked to her for an explanation. The reactions from both of them were deflating the mood fast. The other four didn’t say a word.
“Well,” Aria started out, looking at Jensen, “I guess I mean, or I wonder, if you asked Mia only because you’ll be going off to school and being engaged means you’ll be less likely to sow your oats while you’re gone?”
My mouth dropped open in shock at what Aria said. Jesus, did her filter know no bounds?
“Aria!” Nate said with nervous laughter. He tried to recover, but I could tell he was thinking the same thing. “We’re just a little surprised. I mean, Mia, you're still in high school, and Jensen, you're going off to college soon. Don't they say one major life change at a time is all a person should handle?”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, we’re not getting married tomorrow or anything. We’re planning on a long engagement.” It was hard to remain calm after Aria's rude question.
“Well, then why get engaged in the first place?” Aria asked pointedly.
“They’re showing their commitment to each other,” Krissa said just as pointedly. “They both know they found the one and want to be together.”
Aria only scowled. “Well, it’s just a strange thing to do before you go off to college.”
Jensen squeezed my hand underneath the table and I glanced at him briefly. Before he or I could come up with a retort, our food arrived and eating was the excuse we desperately needed to end the topic of our engagement. The conversation quickly moved to where the guys were going to college and when they would be leaving. Pretending to listen, I really couldn’t stop myself from dwelling on Aria’s reaction. Nate kept looking at me every now and then, but I didn’t dare look in either one’s direction. Hmm, is Jensen seeing this? I guess I'll know soon enough.
Finally, after an awkward thirty minutes of eating nachos and talking about college, lunch with our friends came to a close and I could not have gotten out of there fast enough. We all said goodbye and went our separate ways.
Jensen got behind the wheel once we were at the truck like he usually did, while I remained quiet. He, too, seemed lost for words. A few minutes into the drive, he let it all out. “Jesus, what the hell was up with your friend Aria? I didn’t think she’d react so badly.”
“I probably should have known she would,” I commented, taking note that she was now my friend. I stared ahead at the road.
“And Nate was upset. If that wasn’t obvious before, it sure was obvious today.” Jensen paused and I turned to see him looking at me intently.
“What?” I knew what he was about to say.
“Nate is still in love with you, isn’t he?” It wasn’t a question. “I could see it in his eyes when we told everybody the news. He didn't really do much to hide it with the way he kept looking at you. I think he thought maybe he was being sly about it, but I saw it.” Jensen turned toward the road and his jaw tightened as he stared ahead with one hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and the other wound tightly around the shifter. His knuckles were turning white. Reaching over, I put my hand over his to calm him down. Sometimes his jealous streak was flattering. Today, it put me a little on edge.
“Babe, I love you and you have nothing to worry about.” I put my hand on his leg. “Nate can be in love with me all he wants; nothing will ever come of it.” Squeezing Jensen’s knee gently, he looked over at me briefly and gave a slight smile. His eyes gave him away, though, and I knew he was still upset about what happened at lunch. Telling our friends and family hadn't actually worked out like we'd planned. First Jessica and Jensen's parents, then my dad, and now Aria and Nate. Were we making a mistake? I quickly shook the thought out of my head and turned to stare out the window, watching the landscape rush by.
After making it to the Meyers’ house, Jensen parked my truck in the driveway and I followed him into the house through the front door. Alicia was in the kitchen sitting at the island reading some gossip magazine.
“How did it go?” she asked, with her face falling the minute she saw ours. “That well, huh?”
I couldn’t see Jensen’s face, but I was sure he wasn’t smiling either. He coldly told Alicia that everything ‘was fine’ before he went over to the refrigerator and hid behind the door, pretending to poke around. I sat on the vacant stool next to Alicia and she tossed the magazine aside and threw up her hands to ask what had happened. I shook my head to indicate now wasn’t the time to go into it and I’d tell her later.
“When does James leave?” I asked abruptly, hoping to change subject.
“About a week after Jensen does.”
“You’re so lucky you have more time with him,” I commented as Jensen emerged from the refrigerator with two cans of Dr. Pepper for both of us. He came over behind me and set them on the island and wrapped his arms around me, letting his chin rest on my shoulder. I pulled my can over and fidgeted with the tab, not really wanting to open it.
“We’ll be registering for school soon, too,” Alicia commented, picking absently at the counter.
“Don’t remind me.”
My comment wasn’t about being unhappy with returning to school, but about the fact that Jensen's departure was imminent and his time remaining there with me would go quickly. Jensen stood up straighter and rubbed my arms with his hands; he must have been thinking the same thing. Reaching over my shoulder, he grabbed his Dr. Pepper and opened it while Alicia and I talked about senior pictures and registering for school.
“So, am I taking you both to get your pictures?” Jensen asked, coming around to position himself between us and putting his arms around our shoulders. “I’m so proud of you both, all grown up,” he smirked.
Alicia made a face and punched her brother in the ribs. He pretended she had hurt him terribly, which led to a sparring match around the kitchen. Curious to how his mood could oddly change so quickly, I opened my can of pop and took a sip, watching them play-fight. Jensen had Alicia in a headlock while she was trying to stomp on his feet to get him to loosen his hold.
“Alright, alright, I give up!” she sputtered. Jensen let her go and she stood up, pulling her hair back out of her face. “Jensen, you suck.” She came over and sat back down on her stool.
“To answer your question,” I began as Jensen came over and stood next to me, “yes, you’ll be taking us to get our pictures taken.”
“And registration,” Alicia added. She picked up her magazine and leafed through it.
I turned to see if Jensen’s new mood was still there. He seemed to have forgotten about lunch and only smiled at me, pulling the hair away from my ear so he could whisper into it. “I was thinking I need to do some more packing. Do you want to help me?” He kissed my neck lightly
