Chapter Forty-Two
Sophie
Damian and I walk hand in hand to his apartment. His mom invited us for dinner and I’m really excited. Okay, I’m also a little nervous. The same way Damian was a little nervous to meet my parents.
But it turned out great and I have a feeling tonight will turn out great, too.
Before we walk inside, we spend a few minutes making out. I wonder if his mom is watching us from the window, like my parents would do. It’s a little mortifying to kiss in front of the principal, but hey, it’s not like she’ll kick us out.
Damian brings my hand to his lips and kisses my fingers. “Ready to go in?”
“Ready.”
The guard nods and tips his hat as Damian leads me inside.
Things are so different now. Guards used to watch us carefully, and now they’re totally fine with us coming and going.
That’s all because his mom has made some changes.
We’re still not allowed to be alone in his room, though, and I’m not allowed to be here after hours.
As soon as we walk in, I’m hit with a familiar smell that I didn’t expect to smell in Beatrice Harrington’s apartment.
“Is that…pizza?” I ask Damian.
He sniffs. “Smells like it.”
We walk to the dining room and sure enough, there are three pizza boxes on the table. Principal Harrington is wearing an apron over a T-shirt and jeans. This is the first time I’m seeing her dressed in casual clothes.
Damian’s eyes are wide as he looks at her. “Who is that woman and what has she done with my mother?” he whispers, and I giggle.
“Come in, kids,” his mom says. “I hope pizza is okay? You like pizza, right?”
We glance at each other another time before joining her in the room.
“Mom, what’s going on?” Damian asks as he points at the pizza.
She laughs lightly. “I thought we’d be casual tonight. More relaxed.”
He gives me a look like he doesn’t know what’s gotten into her. But I think I get it. For most of her life, she had to act a certain way. It was expected of her. Now she’s free to let loose for a change. When I tell that to my boyfriend, he nods in understanding.
Principal Harrington tells us to sit down. She places a salad bowl on the table and we dig in. This pizza isn’t from Lottie’s because it tastes way too expensive. But I’m not complaining because it’s so yum.
The salad is delicious as well and she seems to appreciate it when I compliment her. I don’t hold a grudge against her because of the way she treated me. I understand where she was coming from—a place of love, not hate. She just went about it the wrong way.
I feel bad for all the pain she’s been through, but I’m glad she’s working on repairing her relationship with Damian. I know she can be the mom he needs.
We talk about different topics. I’m surprised and glad to learn she’s acting totally normal and casual, not like our principal. I’m seeing a side to her I’ve never seen before. Damian seems surprised and happy, too. He slides his hand in mine, giving it a squeeze.
“Damian, did you tell your mom the good news?” I ask him.
His eyebrows furrow. “Good news?”
“About the art contest.”
“Oh, no. I didn’t have a chance.”
Principal Harrington takes a bite of her pizza. “Art contest?”
Damian tells her about it and that he’s entering. Her eyes shine with pride. “Your dad used to draw as well,” she tells him.
“He did? I never knew that.”
“He wanted to be a famous artist, but he gave it up because he had to focus on his many jobs. I suppose after so many years, he just stopped. Or perhaps…perhaps he stopped drawing after we got divorced and he couldn’t anymore.
But he was very talented. One second.” She gets up and disappears into one of the rooms.
She returns shortly after with a sketchpad and places it on the table, flipping to the first page. “This was your dad’s,” she tells us.
Damian’s intrigued as we look through his sketches.
“He didn’t stick with it,” his mom says. “But I’d love for you to stick with it, Damian.”
“I feel him when I draw,” Damian admits. “I never understood why, but I think I understand it now.”
“He’s with you all the time.” She pats his arm, then mine. “As are your brother and sister,” she tells me.
“Thanks.”
We look at Damian’s dad’s drawings for a bit before we resume eating.
And talking. Principal Harrington tells us more stories about her childhood, her teen years, and her love with Damian’s dad.
Hearing their story is sad. I wish things could have ended differently for them.
But it gives me hope. Because Damian and I are in charge of our future, and as long as we stick together and love each other, nothing will ever or could ever stop us.
When dinner is over, Principal Harrington gathers me in her arms. “Thank you for changing my son’s life,” she tells me. “He’s become a completely different person since he met you.”
“You can thank tutoring for that,” I joke.
“When I assigned you to tutor him, I thought I was disciplining him. But it turns out that life had other plans. It brought two soulmates together.”
Damian and I smile at each other.
She smiles as well before patting my arm and walking away.
Damian holds me close to his chest, kissing my cheek. “So, soulmate, how about we go for a ride on my bike?”
“Do you really have to ask?”
He chuckles before bending forward and giving me a sweet kiss. I frown when he pulls back, grabbing hold of his shirt, and yanking his lips to mine, giving him a proper kiss, one full of emotion and meaning.
I’m not sure how long we kiss. It could be hours. It could be days. Maybe months. But it doesn’t matter. Because he and I have many, many, many, many years together.