My brow creased again as I considered his weird explanation. I understood what he was saying despite how he said it, and it made my stomach anxious. I knew Father Garrett liked me, but I couldn’t believe how fast Noah figured it out. Father Garrett’s worries about our friendship finally made more sense to me. If Noah could figure it out, anyone could. I tried not to dwell on it as Noah and I wrapped up our study session. We were scheduled to visit Father Garrett’s office before our next class to discuss Noah’s transfer acceptance.
Father Garrett was wearing his serious business face as we entered his office and sat down. I smiled at the vase of wildflowers on his desk. They smelled heavenly. I knew they came from the meadow outside the lecture hall.
“Good afternoon, Zoe, Noah,” Father Garrett began. “I’m glad to see you’re both looking well. Let’s get down to business to avoid being late for classes again. Zoe, what is your decision about Noah?”
“Well, I have forgiven him after he humbly apologized to me. Noah has spent the last two days demonstrating his ability to act like a gentleman. I finally feel like we can be friends and classmates. I approve of him transferring to Saint De Milo College.”
Father Garrett’s brow creased in disappointment for half a second, then he smiled and nodded.
“I’m glad to hear that. Noah, thanks to Zoe’s kind testimony and forgiving heart, I will officially approve your transfer request. That doesn’t mean you can go back to acting like a neanderthal. I will expel you if I think you’re a danger to any student on this campus. I’ll be watching you from here on out. Don’t disappoint Zoe or me if you know what’s good for you.”
“Of course, thank you, Father Garrett and Zoe. I won’t let either of you down,” Noah smiled in relief.
“I’m counting on it. You’re dismissed, Noah. You can head to class. Zoe, I need five more minutes of your time to finalize an incident report for Noah’s records. I want to keep everything official,” he grinned, adding a bit of anxiety to Noah’s relief.
“Sure,” I nodded.
Noah humbly thanked us again before he escaped the office. I chuckled and shook my head at Father Garrett.
“What?” he smiled. “A guy like that deserves to sweat a little.”
“That’s true. Noah needs all the help he can get, but I think he learned a valuable lesson. Do I need to sign something before I go?”
I stood and approached the desk, looking for an official incident report. Father Garrett laughed and shook his head.
“No. I was giving Noah a hard time. I actually wanted to apologize to you after our argument Wednesday.”
“Oh, right,” I nodded.
He stood and walked around his desk. I watched the handsome priest as he pulled a white daisy out of the vase and carried it over to me. He shortened the stem before he tucked the flower into my hair behind my left ear. My chest felt light as he touched me. I still wasn’t used to it, but I longed for it.
“Beautiful,” he smiled.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry I made you cry. I’ve been angry at myself for it. I was trying to make you happy by confessing my admiration, but it backfired.”
I gulped and nodded. I didn’t know what to say. I was still hurt, but I wanted to enjoy the sweet moment. I could tell by his expression that he was hoping for a better response from me.
“Zoe… I can’t stand seeing you hurt. I wanted to break Noah’s neck after he hurt you. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”
I looked at him excitedly after that question.
“A hug would be great. I love it when you touch me,” I smiled.
His brow creased at my response, and it made me regret saying it. I was stricken with grief the last time he hugged me, but it was still wonderful. I thought about it every day.
“Zoe, that’s not what I meant…”
“Sorry, I know. It was a dumb thing to say.”
“No, it wasn’t. I just… can’t be that kind of friend. I wish I could, but it’s not appropriate.”
“I know. Forget I said anything. I should get to class,” I said in a rush and turned to retrieve my backpack.
“Please wait,” Father Garrett breathed and grabbed my hand.
I looked at him in surprise as he pulled my hand to his chest and held it there. He watched my eyes as I felt his heart racing against my palm. Mine was doing the same thing. I suddenly felt incredibly warm. I loved it. He smiled at my blush.
“My heart does this every time I’m alone with you. I am not ashamed of you, Zoe. I’m attracted to you. That’s why I keep my distance. I’m sorry I can’t be what you want me to be, but I’ll always be your friend. Okay?”
“Okay,” I nodded.
“Good. I’m already looking forward to our study session next week. Now we both should get to class. Have a good weekend,” he smiled and released my hand.
“You too.”
He grabbed his leather satchel off his desk and hurried from the office, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I sat down to process what had just happened. I felt dizzy with delight. I was beginning to believe Father Garrett liked me as much as I liked him. I didn’t think that was possible. I couldn’t stop smiling after that. I grabbed my backpack and hurried to class with my stomach fluttering. It was a good kind of fluttering for a change.
Chapter 8: Stormy Day
Saturday dragged by. I was struggling to make myself study. My brain wanted to think about Father Garrett every second of the day. I went for a walk in the meadow to clear my head, but it didn’t help. I sat in the wildflowers and imagined Father Garrett and I were enjoying a picnic. Thunder in the distance chased me back to the dorm.
On Sunday, the weather turned nasty with high winds, heavy rain, and lightning, but it didn’t dampen my mood. Father Garrett directed mass and received confessions at the campus chapel that morning. Seeing him always brightened my day. I sat with Candice and Trinity as he spoke about loving thy neighbor as thyself. Once mass was over, I sneaked into the confession booth to say hello.
“Good morning, Father Garrett. Terrible weather we’re having,” I whispered through the lattice window.
“Indeed, but my day just got a little brighter.”
I smiled as I tried to see him through the lattice.
“Great lesson this morning. I enjoy hearing you speak about love.”
“Really? What a lovely sentiment, but please move along if you don’t actually have anything to confess.”
“Okay. Let’s see, forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I murdered a poor soul in the shower this morning. It was a tiny, helpless spider. I enjoyed smashing its guts out before flushing it.”
I heard muffled laughter from Father Garrett before he quickly cleared his throat.
“No, my child. That was not a sin. Have a good day, Zoe,” he whispered before closing the little door behind the lattice.
I was smiling to myself as I walked with Candice and Trinity to the library to study for midterms. The place was surprisingly empty. The exams were still a week away, but I wasn’t leaving anything to chance. College exams were ten times harder than high school exams. I was learning that the hard way. I was making more Bs than As that month. I would never forgive myself if a C made it onto my grade report. We claimed a table close to the window to watch the storm as we worked. Ten minutes later, I noticed Father Garrett walking into the library with a group of faculty. I smiled as they gathered at a table across the room and began exchanging papers.