Free Away From the Spotlight by Tamara Carlisle

to pick up the necessary ingredients .  Will offered to accompany me, but I wanted to do this myself.  At the store , I located the items needed for the salad and spaghetti, selected two bottles of wine, and decided on sorbet and fancy cookies for dessert.  I also purchased a light lunch to ensure that everyone’s appetite was intact th at evening.
    As I waited in line at the checkout counter , uncharacteristically, I succumbed to the temptation to pick up a tabloid m agazine to read during m y brief break between classes the following day .  I was getting sick of reading only textbooks.  I threw the grocery bags in the trunk of my car and pulled out the magazine to leave it in the car so I would remember to throw it in my book bag.
    After a few hours of studying in Will’s room while he read , it was time t o start dinner.
    As I got up, Will asked, “Can I help?”
    “No.  This is something I want to do myself for you .”
    When I entered the kitchen, I realized that I didn’t know whether the boys had any pots and pans.  As it turned out, I needn’t have worried.  I was able to assemble enough pots, pans and utensils to get the job done.  Despite the fact that the boys had these things, they did not appear to have been used much, if at all.
    I would take breaks with Will in his room every so often while I waited for something to boil or cook, and we would kiss for a little while .  I could tell that Will wasn’t happy when I would have to return to the kitchen, but he didn’t say anything.  When it was time for everything to simmer for a while , I returned to Will’s room and let him know that I had a little time to spend with him .  I had underestimated how much he had n’t wanted me to leave earlier as he practically attacked me.  I laughed, thinking t hat I didn’t care at that moment if dinner burned to a crisp.
    We all ate dinner out on the patio around sunset . Everyone looked at my meal strangely at first for some reason I couldn’t understand, but then it seemed that everyone like d it.  There wasn’t much, if any , left when we were finished.  I smiled in delight as I could tell that my dinner was a success.
    After everyone helped clean up , Will and I returned to his room to be alone since we would be apart for the next few days.   I had an early class the next morning and Will had an early flight .  We wouldn’t see each other until Will got home on Tuesday night.  Hopefully, school, work and the fear of my impending finals would distract me enough to get through it.
    As we la y in bed curled up in each other, Will said, “I promise I’ll ring you when I’m finished with my business tomorrow night.  Then, I should be home around ten on Tuesday night.  I know it’s late and a school night for you, but could you meet me here then?  We would at least have a little time to spend together.”
    I was sad that he would be gone, but knowing that there was a plan in place for me to talk to him on Monday and see him on Tuesday made me feel better.  I agreed happily.
    Neither of us slept much that night as we stay ed up late holding each other.
    Will had to get up even earlier than me to make an eight a.m. flight.  I got u p for class just as Will was leaving and he kiss ed me goodbye.  My eyes started to tear up a little and I looked down, hoping that he wouldn’t notice.  After he left, I let the tears fall down my face.  Even though he w ould only be gone a short time, I would miss him terribly.

Chapter Eight
    Between classes, I s a t on the couches at the back of the first floor of the law school to close my eyes for a few minutes.  I checked my phone that I had turned off for class.  Once on, i t beeped t elling me I had a text message.
    “Call u 2 ni te .  Miss u.”
    I responded in kind, “I’ll b w 8 ing.  Miss u 2.”
    I really wasn’t in the mood to socialize or study , and still had about forty -five minutes to go before my next class so I pulled out the