Read Online The Exception to the Rule by Beth Rinyu - Free Book Online

said.
    “Yup, I’m going to die a lonely old man,” he joked. “What about you Kat, you don’t have a plan?” he asked, sounding more serious.
    “Not really,” I said. “I know that I want to have kids someday. For right now, I’m pretty much happy with where I am with my life.” I felt a little inadequate saying that to someone who was always striving to be more.
    “So, there you go,” he said. “You know what you want from your life someday. You have a plan too.”
    “Well, I guess you can say that. It’s certainly not as grandiose as yours, but I suppose I do,” I answered with a little doubt in my voice. The thought of me having a plan sounded a little ridiculous to myself. Half of the time I couldn’t even figure out what to wear to work in the morning. Forget planning out the rest of my life. 
    “What are you talking about? Being a mom is the most important job in the world,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have kids; it’s just not for me,” he added.
    I opened up and told him about my recent breakup with Jake and how I could relate somewhat to what he had said about not having time for relationships. 
    “Nothing justifies cheating,” he said earnestly. “If he was unhappy with the way things were going then he should have confronted you about it or just broken up with you.” 
    I was a little surprised by that statement. I just assumed that he wouldn’t have a problem with being unfaithful, given his attitude about relationships. I could tell that he was speaking from experience. I decided to come right out and ask him. He told me that he had been dating a girl all through medical school. To his surprise she was cheating on him with his best friend, while he was away doing his fellowship. 
    “Geez, that’s horrible,” I said, feeling instant anger toward the girl who broke his heart. 
    “So, I guess he’s not your best friend anymore,” I asked, already knowing the answer. If I hadn’t already, I could tell by the expression on his face.
    He went on to re-confirm that he hadn’t been in a serious relationship since. He said that it was for the best so that he could stay committed and focused on his work. Still, I wondered if his past experience had something to do with his whole attitude on relationships.
    The rain had completely stopped by the time we got back. Julian parked the Jeep in front of the medical building and we walked up the hill together. I hadn’t the slightest clue of the time as I looked down at my watch. I was shocked to see that it was almost 2 a.m. Julian seemed unfazed when I told him the time, leading me to believe that getting very little sleep was a normal occurrence to him. 
    We finally entered the quiet building. Julian’s room was down the opposite hall to mine.
    “Well, thanks for the company,” he said.
    “Anytime; it was fun,” I said.
    “Good night, Kat.” 
    “Good night,” I replied, turning the corner heading toward my room.
     
    * * * * *
     
     I forced myself out of bed. I hit the snooze button several times on my alarm but could no longer ignore it. Tricia was already up and gone. She and James had left extra early to go to one of the other villages. She must have been super quiet or I must have been in a deep sleep. I never heard her get up and get dressed. I slowly dragged myself to the bathroom. I looked in the mirror at the dark circles and puffiness under my eyes. Attractive, I said to myself. I hoped that a nice long shower would wake me up. To my dismay, it did absolutely nothing. I hurriedly dressed looking at the clock, with just enough time to head to the cafeteria and get some much needed breakfast. I was in the hallway locking the door when I heard a recognizable voice.
    “There you are,” Charles said as he exited his room.
    “Are you headed for breakfast?” I asked, happy to have a familiar face to eat with.
    “Well I was going to skip breakfast today, but since you talked me into it, what the