Page 67 of Autumn Secrets
We entered through the weathered iron gate, and I couldn’t ignore the feeling of stepping back in time. The sun was still leaving a soft warmth on my face. The afternoons had been becoming colder every day. The beautiful autumn foliage surrounded us, displaying those gorgeous colours as far as the eye could see.
“I can understand why someone would choose to place an apple orchard here; it’s perfect. Look at this view.”
“Yeah, it’s quite a special place. There were more strategic reasons behind the location though.”
“Oh?”
“You see.” He pointed towards the lakes and water streams. “The lakes around here act like regulators of the air temperature. When spring first arrives, there’s still a risk of frost overnight. These lakes help the trees not to bloom too early. And during autumn, the season can be extended, and the trees can take advantage of the longer days. It makes better apples.”
“I’m impressed – you know your stuff.” I grinned. “So why isn’t anyone using this place anymore?”
Adrian shrugged. “Families moving away, family members passing away… It just happened. No one had an interest anymore.”
“What a shame.”
“Well, yes and no. We still own this land, so for selfish reasons I quite like the rustic setting. Imagine if it was still in use. We would probably have apple pickers everywhere right now, and I wouldn’t be able to come here and just breathe.”
As we walked down between the rows of apple trees, I felt that strong connection to nature again. There was this urge within me to touch the trees. I tightened my grip around Adrian’s hand. It would be disastrous if my powers started to emerge in front of Adrian. I took a deep breath and inhaled the crisp autumn scent, concentrating on letting go. Gradually, I felt that stirring subside inside me, as I shifted my focus to Adrian instead.
“You okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m just admiring the view.” I still felt like I’d been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
That afternoon, between the towering apple trees in the neglected orchard, I knew that I had lost my heart to the boy who had found me between the shelves at the library. I watched him as he gathered the apples, but he was too preoccupied to notice my frequent glances his way. I think it was the candidness of this whole afternoon that made me feel like this, unsettled in a way. It was the simple gestures and the small talk that we shared that rattled me and left me completely star struck. I diverted my gaze towards the misty sky. The afternoon breeze absorbed his scent, and I knew he was behind me before I felt a hand sneak around my waist.
“Not like that. Like this,” he whispered close to my ear, while using his other hand to guide mine around the apple. “You need to twist carefully. Don’t pull so fast and hard. Remember, patience.”
A simple touch like that made my heart feel a thousand different things, all at once. In a quick move I turned around and faced him. His lips twitched upwards, and his eyes were glistening. He knew that his touch had provoked me. My breathing was coming out hard and fast.
“Something wrong, angel?”
I shook my head, my cheeks warming. “You know.”
“Know what?” he asked softly but gave me a devious grin.
“You are such a tease.” I put my hands on his chest in an attempt to push him away. He caught them and pulled me into him instead.
“Am I really? Because…” His gaze roamed across my face. “I would like to think that you are the tease here. Tell me, what are you thinking about right now?”
He knew every single thought that I had about him, and that I was powerless to stop it as it burned through my mind. I couldn’t articulate my thoughts. I wasn’t sure if they were rational or irrational when I was around him. Instead of answering, I found myself launching at him. He moved, taking me with him, but I hardly registered until I was on top of him on the ground. His mouth found mine with ease, and as he weaved his fingers through my hair, I felt myself exploding at his seductive touch. Who would have thought that picking apples could be so romantic?
When Adrian dropped me back to my car later that afternoon, I was immediately thrown back into the reality of things. I jumped in my car and called the Peters to apologise for not being there sooner and asked if they could meet me up at the manor instead. I figured that would give us some time to talk before it got too late. When I got back home, Mr and Mrs Peters were already there waiting for me.
“Sorry I’m late. I just had to do a few things this afternoon,” I said as I walked into our kitchen. Mrs Peters was stirring a pot and Mr Peters was setting the table. They both looked up at me and smiled.
“That’s perfectly fine, love,” Mr Peters said.
“It smells so good. What are you making?” I asked as my stomach grumbled. I was starving. Picking apples had made me extremely hungry.
“A chicken casserole. Are you hungry?” Mrs Peters asked.
I nodded. “Starving, actually.”
“Good. Let’s have some dinner together before we start. Have a seat, love,” Mrs Peters said.
What I loved about Mr and Mrs Peters was that we could have a normal conversation around the dinner table, without diving into anything supernatural. It made me feel more comfortable about myself and who I was. It all felt normal, and I really craved normality around people. And they were my people. They were my family.
After dinner I helped clear the table and then made us some tea. We all sat down again with our teacups and Mrs Peters put some homemade cookies on the table that she had brought with her. I had deliberated all the way home if I should start telling them more about my experiences since I moved here. I still didn’t want to bring Lucinda or Phoebe into the conversation, but now that I knew I wasn’t officially losing my mind, there were still some unexplainable events that I had no answer for, and maybe they did.