Page 45 of That Summer
No.
No.
No.
Her head shook. She stepped away from the embrace and wrapped her arms around her chest.
His expression changed and with it, his smile fell to the ground. “What’s wrong?”
“Umm…” Another step back. “I… I… can’t…”
“Aurora, you’re scaring me just a bit. What’s wrong?” His face was tight with concern.
She glanced up to him. “I can’t…” Her grip tightened around her chest. “It’s wrong.” A quick breath. “Being here. Watching the sunset with you. Dancing with you in the twilight. It feels more than just a friendship.”
“Oh.” He stood there, but lowered his gaze. “I swear this is just a friendship.”
Maybe her suspicions were correct. Shoulders rounded, he slumped against his car. The confident demeanour he held a moment ago disappeared in a flash.
“I’d like to go home please.”
Nervously she opened her door, but she wasn’t getting in until he at least made a move. No way was she going to sit in there any longer than need be. Didn’t matter what was going on. Or not going on. Lucas continued to stand there, forlorn yet adorable.
“Please.”
“Okay.” He held her door and waited, patiently as always, for her to click herself into the car. “Did you want to go to the next stop?”
“No. I want to go home. Please. I need to go home.”
The ride back home, although faster with less traffic, felt longer. Infinitely longer. The air between them was thick and uncomfortable. Neither spoke, and if he glanced her way, she never knew. Her hands stayed tightly clasped together and her focus was on the underside of her eyelids, wishing herself anywhere but where she was.
Aurora knew when they arrived home. The engine stopped and the cool night air slapped across her body. She shivered from the cold as she exited, but it wasn’t just the air temperature.
An impatient huff sounded beside her. “Well…” He held up her jacket. “This is yours.”
Standing beside the car, she didn’t know what to say. Nothing seemed right. Everything would’ve been forced.
“Well, thanks for bringing me home.” She sighed and shuffled. It was impossibly hard to look at him.
“As if I’d leave you there.” He scratched his stubble-covered jaw and dropped his hands to his sides.
“Yeah,” she said, avoiding his gaze. “I know you’d never do that.”
He gestured to the front of the building and pushed his hair off his forehead. “I’ll walk you up.”
“I promise you, I’m good.” She took a step back separating them further. “I’m sorry… you’ll need to stay at your own house. I can’t…”
A few more steps, and she turned her back to him.
This is too painful.
“Aurora,” he called out as her feet touched the sidewalk leading to the main doors.
She spun around, slowly, carefully, fighting hard to stay standing on legs that wanted to collapse beneath her. She tried in earnest to hide her quivering chin.
He crossed the distance between them in a few long strides. “Please, I meant nothing romantic by tonight. Just two friends out having a good time.”
“I’m in love with your brother.”