Chapter 19 #2
I stopped in Zephaniah when I saw the passages in chapter three highlighted. For years, I had made notes in the margins and highlighted verses that spoke to me. Verse seventeen brought tears to my eyes.
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love.”
More tears tracked down my face as I read it over and over again. Wiping my face, I saw that the date next to the verse was the day I took my finals in my junior year at UCSD. The memories came back of how stressed I was after the plagiarism incident and of facing those final grades that semester.
Finding this verse back then had brought the same peace I now felt. God was near, and I sighed as I released some of the pain that had kept me from Him for two long years.
And then a memory, one I had completely forgotten, slipped in quietly, as if waiting for me to bring it back to life.
The morning of that final, Niko was already seated when I arrived for class.
Our eyes met. His were soft and pleading, mine, I’m sure, were hard and unforgiving.
Once I settled into a seat as far from him as possible, he stood up.
I turned away, the anger roaring to life as he headed in my direction.
Every student was frantically reviewing their notes, some quizzing each other, some talking out loud to themselves. It was going to be the most difficult exam of the year. Even though the project we had worked on was 40% of our grade, this last exam would determine my GPA for that class.
By that point, the plagiarism insinuation had been refuted, and Logan had allowed Niko and me to finish the project separately, his TA aiding us both when necessary.
He stood over me, nervously rocking back and forth on his feet, and handed me a folded piece of paper. I looked up at him with fire in my eyes. How dare he upset me right before I took this important exam?
When I wouldn’t take the paper from his outstretched hand, he laid it on my desk and said one word. “Please.”
Looking him right in the eye, I crumpled the piece of paper and tossed it on the ground. I’ll never forget the hurt and disappointment in his eyes as he nodded and walked back to his seat.
Knowing now what it took for him to come to me that day, my heart ached, desperate to know what that stupid note said.
“Father, I need You to sing over me and quiet me with Your love.”
Instantly, His peace surrounded me. My tears slowed, as did my racing heart. It was like coming home after years away and seeing an old friend who acted like no time had passed. There was more I needed to entrust to Him, but I had taken the first breath of surrender, and it felt amazing.
The rest of the day was spent in quiet reflection until it was time to head to Sofia and Luke’s.
I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of excitement knowing I’d see Niko there, yet the thought of my friends armed with teasing smiles and zero restraint gave me pause.
At least Jaz and her husband had bowed out at the last minute.
I wouldn’t have been able to handle all of them at one time.
When I got out of my car in front of the house, Niko and Mike were just pulling up. I dipped my head down to conceal my grin at seeing him.
“Hey, you made it,” I said as I locked my car.
“We did. Thanks again for the invitation,” he said, walking toward me. “Leyla, you remember Mike Walker?”
“So good to see you again, Mike. Glad to have you tonight,” I said, shaking his hand. His face was sharper than I remembered, but his smile was unforgettable. I’d never seen him without one.
“You, too. I’m so ready to beat this guy at whatever we’re playing tonight,” he said, tapping Niko’s back.
Niko looked slightly irritated, his hands shoved in his pockets as he looked between his friend and me.
“Let’s head in. Oh, shoot, forgot the tray I brought. You guys go on and knock. I’ll be right there.”
“I’ll come with you,” Niko said, stumbling a bit toward me. It almost looked like Mike had pushed him.
“Great, let me open the door again. It’s on the passenger seat.”
He walked over, pulled the door open once it was unlocked, and reached in for the tray.
We walked awkwardly, shoulder to shoulder, toward the front door.
“How was your weekend so far?” I asked, adjusting my purse on my shoulder.
His gaze shifted to me, then back. “Good, thanks.”
The moment reminded me of so many others during that time we spent together in school, when making conversation with him was like pulling teeth. Now that I knew how hard this was for him, I saw him in a whole different way.
Knowing what he had to overcome to be in these social settings, I just let the silence sit between us.
“Um, this smells good,” he said, lifting the tray a bit.
Pressing my lips together, I answered, “It’s mostly cheese.”
When we got to the front porch, Mike was waiting for us. He must’ve heard our exchange and said, “Yeah, Niko really likes cheese.”
Niko glared at him, but I had the distinct feeling his friend was only trying to help him. It was interesting to see their silent language. Mike seemed like he would fit right in with my crazy group, and I was grateful to have an ally to make sure Niko felt welcome as well.
Luke opened the door, ushering us all in as introductions were made. Sofia joined him, taking the tray in one hand and my arm in the other.
“Let me put this down so you can introduce me,” she said with a wink. Once in the kitchen, I said, “Sof, you know Niko. This is Mike Walker. We knew Mike back in college.”
“Niko, good to see you again. You have no idea how happy I am you were able to come,” she said to Niko, who looked like a trapped animal. When Luke cleared his throat, she added, “Oh, and you, too, Mike. Any friend of Leyla’s is a friend of ours. Welcome. Please make yourself at home.”
Miles and Vicky arrived in a flurry of conversation as more food was brought into the kitchen, where we made more introductions.
Vicky and Sofia couldn’t have been more obvious in their attention to Niko. I made a face at them with wild eyes to make them stop. Of course, they just giggled.
“So, Niko, how do you like working at Earth Organix?” Vicky asked, helping Sofia put out small plates for everyone around the large kitchen island. Miles and Luke were working on everyone’s drink orders.
“It’s great. It’s the kind of company I’ve always wanted to work for. What Luke and Leyla have created is really special,” he answered, making me smile.
Luke leaned back from the counter. “We really were lucky to get you on board. I think it’s a great match.”
They were all going to die when this was over.
Mike took a sparkling water from Miles and said, “Niko has told me the same thing multiple times, right buddy? It’s a perfect match.”
Mike smiled widely as he playfully shoved Niko’s shoulder, whose response was to take a step away from him with an annoyed expression.
Sofia looked over the group, glee pouring from her. “This is going to be so much fun.”
Thirty minutes later, we’d all gotten more acquainted, taken seats in the living room, and decided to play Heads Up.
“We can just play for fun instead of dividing into teams since we’re uneven,” Vicky said, getting the tablet ready with the game.
“No way. I came to win. Last game night, I got decimated,” Luke announced. “I don’t mind having uneven teams.”
“Fine with me. Girls against guys?” Sofia asked, pulling her plate onto her lap.
“Done,” Luke said. “A kiss before I dominate you, amore.” That seemed to give Vicky and Miles permission to start kissing and whispering, too.
“Come on, guys. Stop all that now,” I said, pretending to gag.
That made Niko laugh, and I could see him relax a bit.
“So, just to be sure we all know the game, each team has a member hold up a word on the tablet they can’t see, and the whole team gives clues to help them figure out what the word is.
” Everyone gave a thumbs-up, so we got started.
When the girls and I were together on the sofa, and the guys had spread out on the other side of the room in chairs, we got started.
“Mike, you go first,” Luke said, handing him the tablet.
“Gotta warn you, girls. I’m very competitive. I plan on dropping in on your waves with my gnarly clues,” Mike said, his eyes sparkling, his smile so wide his teeth showed.
My brows furrowed, matching everyone else’s, as we all turned to look at him in confusion. Niko groaned loudly. Luke snorted out a laugh but tried to cover it up with a cough.
“Here we go,” Mike said enthusiastically, unaffected by our reaction.
He tilted the tablet over his head after starting the timer.
The guys started yelling out clues in rapid succession, Mike getting most of them before the timer went off. That caused a ruckus as they high-fived and cheered like they’d won the Olympics.
When it was our turn, Vicky held the tablet, and Sofia and I yelled out clues. At one point, Miles accidentally yelled one out that Vicky guessed correctly, which started a war.
“You can’t give them clues, dude,” Mike said, spilling the remnants of his plate as he stood.
“It was a mistake,” Miles claimed, winking at his wife.
“So not cool,” Luke grumbled.
This went on round after round, everyone laughing and making fools of themselves as they tried to win.
I watched Niko, who seemed to be having a good time, guessing correctly every time it was his turn.
The guys dubbed him their champion of the night at one point, and his smile made my heart flip.
I wondered if it had been a while since he’d been in a group like this, since he only ever mentioned Mike.
As the evening went on, we got rowdier, and I was glad when Luke mentioned that both MJ and Dean had gone to his mom’s for the night.
“Okay,” Mike announced when it was Niko’s turn again, handing the tablet to him. “We’re tied six to six. We’ve got to make it happen, dudes.”