The next morning Graham said goodbye to his aunt and loaded up his rental car. He headed back to Madison. He was glad he'd made it home to visit but also glad he hadn't planned to stay longer. He'd accomplished all he wanted to do and knew he'd have been bored if he'd stayed longer. He arrived about lunchtime so he stopped to get something to eat before going home to unload the car.
After Graham had returned from taking the car back, he unpacked his suitcase but left the boxes of things from his home packed up. He would worry about them when he got his own place in the future. No use unpacking it for a couple of months.
The rest of Spring Break passed with Graham working on job applications and getting ahead on his coursework. Monday morning he was back in class and the only part about it that made him happy was knowing that Aubrey was back in town. They'd texted back and forth during the past week but he couldn't wait to see her again. They'd already arranged to have dinner again that night.
Graham met Aubrey at the Library before they'd heading to a new place to eat. When he got close enough he pulled her into a hug that he didn't want to end. Then he looked down and kissed her.
"I missed you." He whispered into her ear.
"I missed you too." Aubrey said.
"How was your trip?" He asked her as they started walking.
"Good. It was nice to get away from the cold for a week, but now it seems colder here. I'm freezing." Aubrey said.
Graham laughed, "No wonder you seem more bundled up now than you were before you left." He instinctively put his arm around her shoulders to help her stay warm. He smiled as she snuggled deeper into him.
"I'll adjust but luckily it's warming up so it won't be as hard." Aubrey said. "It's worse in the middle of winter."
"I can only imagine. It must be hard to want to come back to freezing weather from a tropical paradise."
"Definitely." Aubrey agreed. "This time was easier though."
"Really, why?" Graham asked just before he caught the meaning.
"More to come back to and knowing spring is coming." Aubrey answered.
They arrived and Graham removed his arm from around her and held the door open for Aubrey to walk through. He missed their closeness as he did so. He did take hold of her hand while they waited in line to order and wait for their food. Then he carried their food a table.
"So before you met me did you always eat out?" Aubrey asked.
Graham laughed, "Only when I wanted to eat decently. I'm a horrible cook, my housemates don't even let me make coffee. They've actually joked that when I graduate and get a job I should hire a cooking and cleaning service, so I can eat something besides ramen, Mac and cheese, frozen dinners or take out."
"Or maybe you can take cooking classes." Aubrey suggested.
Graham paused, "That's an interesting idea. Never would have thought of it myself."
"I just watched a Rom-Com that had cooking classes in it while on vacation." Aubrey replied. "Probably why I thought if it. My grandma taught me to cook and I find it therapeutic."
"What is your favorite thing to make?" Graham asked.
"I really love to just try new things, it was easier when I am home and my parents pay for the groceries. Not that my parents don't give me financial support, there's just a lot more things to pay for than I'd realized."
"It's crazy how it all adds up." Graham agreed.
"I know I my lucky because my parents pay for my tuition, fees, books, rent and give me a monthly allowance. But they also make sure that it's tight for me so I can learn how to budget and be grateful for what I have." Aubrey said.
"My lucky break was becoming friends with Noah. Not many people know that his parents bought the house for him while he's in school here. Part of the reason was to help some of the friends he made that first year, like me, who needed a bit more help to pay for college. So we live rent free and just have to pay utilities and all that."
"Oh wow! That's amazing." Aubrey said.
"It really is. Noah's a great guy and his parents are too. But you can't tell anyone that I told you because he doesn't want anyone to know."
"No worries, I won't tell a soul!" Aubrey said.
"Thanks, but not having to pay rent makes it so I can not worry as much about how much I spend on food." Graham explained. "I was able to get a fellowship for grad school so I actually get a decent stipend each month and could have moved out and been fine but Noah didn't want me to. Which I'm grateful for since it's nice having housemates that get along and are like brothers. I'd have hated to move."
"They're a fun group of guys." Aubrey said. "And now I don't feel as guilty that you buy me food so much. But maybe tomorrow I can make you dinner." Aubrey said.
"I'd love it, if you want to. I can help with groceries if you need me to" Graham said.
"Since you've bought me dinner most nights I've been in town this month I'll be okay." Aubrey said. "But I need to know if there's any foods you can't eat or do not like."
"No allergies, but I don't like mushrooms - unless they're fresh or puréed. It's the texture that bugs me, same with summer squash, but I don't eat those uncooked." Graham added, smiling.
"I don't know of many people who do." Aubrey laughed. "But I'd love to make you dinner, do you want to come over at 6 tomorrow?"
"Sounds great." Graham said.