#Chapter 20: Observations

“I’ll leave you two to chat,” Julian said, tapping Nicholas on the shoulder. Side by side Julian and Nicholas were of comparable height, with Nicholas an inch or two taller. They looked similar too, though Julian’s features were somewhat softer than the hard angles of Nicholas’s face. Nicholas wasn’t saying anything. His expressionless gaze shifted from me to Julian and back again. Julian laughed on his way out the door and well down the hallway. I could hear echoes of it long after he was gone. I thought Nicholas might leave too. Had he only come to look for Julian? Despite Julian’s teasing, it seemed impossible that he would have been searching for me. Yet when Julian left, Nicholas stayed in my doorway, fixed and unmoving like a statue. Under his unwavering stare, I began to get nervous. Did he overhear something that Julian and I had talked about? No, we’d been speaking softly. Even from the door, he wouldn’t have been able to hear. So what did he want? I waited ou