Page 37 of Autumn Secrets
“Yes, everything is fine. Luca is about to leave, and Mum and Dad are back.”
I immediately relaxed. I might not like Luca, but at least he hadn’t lied about Lexi’s parents. Good to know.
“That’s good Lex. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay, bye, Aurora. And, thank you for today.”
Mum still wasn’t home, so I went into the kitchen to search for some food. She had left me a curry in the fridge. I silently thanked her as I heated it up and finished the last of my homework that I hadn’t done at the library. It didn’t take long before my mind drifted elsewhere, particularly to two mysterious boys. I hadn’t seen Adrian or Julian the whole day. Maybe Adrian had taken the day off to be with his girlfriend, or whoever she was. She obviously didn’t go to our school, so that could make sense.
Lost in my own thoughts, I jumped when my phone rang next to me. I didn’t recognise the number, and I let it ring a couple of times before I decided to answer.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Aurora, it’s Julian. How are you?”
I almost fell backwards when I heard his voice. How did he get my number?
“I’m…good. How are you, are you home sick or something? I didn’t see you at school.”
“My parents got home this morning, so I was being naughty and skipped school. Why? Did you miss me?” he teased.
“No, absolutely not. It was just that…never mind. Anyway, you didn’t miss much.”
He laughed. “I wanted to call and see how you were doing. I mean, are we still okay? I feel like we left things a bit awkwardly?”
“No, we’re all good. I just…I have a lot on my mind. I hope you’re okay with everything?”
“Definitely. Like I said, I won’t give up that easy. Would you like to hang out on Friday? Just as friends of course,” he added.
I hesitated. “What do you mean by hang out?”
He chuckled. “Like friends do, Aurora. Do you want to go to the movies?”
“I don’t know…” I honestly didn’t. Julian and I had nearly kissed but had been interrupted. It was like it wasn’t meant to be, which was probably for the best right now. I was too confused as it was.
“You can go straight home after the movie, if that’s what you want. I’m not expecting anything – like I said, just as friends,” he tempted.
Well, why not? Maybe this was what I needed to get over this stupid thing I had for Adrian: give someone else a chance. All of a sudden, a movie didn’t sound that bad.
“Okay…I’ll come.”
“Don’t sound so enthusiastic,” he teased, and I instantly felt guilty. He was right. I was being rude.
“Sorry, you took me by surprise, that’s all.”
“So, it’s a date then?”
I smiled to myself. “Sure, why not?”
“Looking forward to it. I have to go, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Chapter 12
The next morning when I got to school, I spotted Adrian’s car straight away. He was back and as much as I wanted to ignore it, the butterflies awakened in my belly. Actually, they were more like fireflies, warming my insides and making my stupid heart fill with anticipation that was impossible to ignore. Despite these feelings, I still made myself a promise to do my best to avoid him as I entered the school grounds. I was moving on. I was going to the movies with Julian on Friday.
I headed straight for the stairs as soon as I got inside. The visual arts classroom was safe from Adrian and his good-looking friends, and I knew Mrs Day would have unlocked the door by now. I felt my shoulders relax when I found upstairs completely empty. There wasn’t a single soul around. Still, I swung open the classroom door, closed it behind me and exhaled. Safe. I was safe in here.
Who would have thought that school could be so emotionally draining? I’d just put my bag on the table near the computers and was about to sit down, when a strange awareness grabbed hold of me. It was the same tingling sensation I’d experienced before; I wasn’t alone in here. I knew who was in the room before I even heard his voice.