by Ivy Rose
“You think they’ll be back soon? Lexi, has something happened?” I asked, trying not to sound too worried.
Lexi glanced at me, and I noticed how tired she looked.
“Lex, are you all right? Did something happen? What’s going on?”
The way she was acting made me worry. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Why hadn’t I noticed this earlier? I’d been so caught up Luca that I hadn’t paid close enough attention to Lexi.
“This is what I was trying to tell you. It’s like something has happened, but I don’t know what. Like I don’t remember, but the feeling is still there…” she whispered. “I don’t know what’s real and what’s not. I get glimpses of different events, and they’re so real, except it doesn’t add up with reality.”
“Okay…”
She shook her head. “I know it doesn’t make any sense, but I promise you, Aurora, I’m not crazy.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. I know you’re not crazy, Lex,” I said and put my arm around her shoulder.
“I’m not even sure my parents are actually away. I don’t know when I last spoke to them. Maybe I’m losing my mind…”
“Lexi, listen to me, you are definitely NOT losing your mind, do you hear me? If you are, I’m going crazy too. I know exactly what you’re saying; this has happened to me too.”
Lexi looked at me. “Really? Please tell me.”
I decided to tell her everything. The only thing I left out were my mixed feelings about Luca. I didn’t want to upset her any more right now. When I was finished, she didn’t say anything at first, just stared at me. Then she finally spoke. “Aurora, what do you think is going on?”
“I honestly don’t know Lex.”
“I mean, it doesn’t sound—”
“Real? Yeah, I know. Nothing adds up.” I sighed.
“Exactly. So, what should we do?” Lexi asked.
“First of all, I think you should call your parents while I’m here. That way, at least we can rely on each other for any information that might otherwise get lost.”
Lexi nodded and picked up her phone to dial their number. After a few seconds, she shook her head. “I’m just getting their voicemail.”
“Well, we’ll try again a bit later. When do you know you last saw them for sure?”
“The night of the party. We were having an early dinner before I came to your house. And I’m sure they didn’t mention anything about going away…”
“Then why do you think they are away?”
“I don’t know. It’s like there’s a picture in my head where they told me they were going away for a few nights on a business trip. Except, I feel like it’s not real… Then I have images of me talking to them, but I don’t feel like I have.” She sighed. “Sorry, it’s hard to explain.”
“Don’t be sorry. We will sort this out. At least we have each other, okay? I can’t explain anything that has happened to me either in the last couple of days.”
“You don’t think Adrian has anything to do with all of this?”
“I honestly don’t know, but I don’t think so. Not really. I mean, why would he? How? Then again, what do I know about him? He also has this girlfriend who no one has ever seen or heard of. It’s just really weird…”
“I think he likes you, girlfriend or not.”
A part of me wished for it to be true, but I’d met Evangeline. She was pure beauty. He would choose her over me any day.
After a little while, we tried to call Lexi’s parents again, but still couldn’t get hold of them. “Do you want to stay at my place tonight?” I asked.
“Is that okay?”
“Of course, it is.”
“What about your mum?”
“She won’t mind. She’s at work anyway, and she hates when I’m home alone.”
Lexi packed a bag and we were about to get in my car, when a different car pulled up in the driveway, blocking mine in.
“It’s Luca. I didn’t know he was coming.” Lexi smiled, throwing her bag into the back seat and waving towards his car.
“Hi, girls, going somewhere?” he asked as he jumped out to embrace Lexi and give her a passionate kiss.
“I’m staying with Aurora tonight, just until we can get hold of my parents.”
“What about them?” Luca asked and looked at us.
“Well, I’m not sure they’ll be home tonight…” Lexi started.
“But I saw them at the supermarket, like ten minutes ago,” Luca chimed in.
“You did?”
“Yep. I didn’t talk to them, but I definitely saw them.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, of course I’m sure.”
Lexi looked at me. “Oh. Okay. I might as well stay here then?”
“Oh, sure,” I said and tried to hide my disappointment. I was hoping to have Lexi to myself tonight without any interruptions, especially from Luca. That clearly wasn’t going to happen. I should have told her how I felt about him when I had the chance.
“Well, I better go. It’s getting dark.” I pulled my car keys out of my pocket.
“Okay, I’ll see you at school tomorrow. I’ll just grab my bag,” Lexi said and walked over to my car again.
I stared at Luca, who grinned at me. “Nice to see you again, Aurora.” He winked.
I looked around to make sure that Lexi couldn’t hear me, because I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “I wish I could say the same.”
Then I turned away from him and got in my car. There, now he knew how I felt. As much as I wanted to take Lexi with me, I had to say goodnight and leave them alone. At least Lexi’s parents were on their way home. I hoped.
I was on my way back home when a scary thought entered my head: what if Luca was lying about seeing her parents? What if he was the one causing all this confusion for Lexi? But then, how on earth would he be able to do that? It’s not like he had some kind of mind control skills – that would be ridiculous. Right?!
As soon as I’d pulled in at home and turned the engine off, I picked up my phone and called Lexi. Just to make extra sure she was okay. She answered on the second ring.
“Aurora?”
“Lexi, just checking that everything is okay.”
“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.
“Good morning, Aurora.”
I slowly turned around, grasping for valuable time to calm my racing heart. This was supposed to be my safe place, goddamn it. “Good morning,” I murmured.
Adrian was leaning casually against the door, looking like a sinful supermodel. As much as I found him mysterious and infuriating at times, I couldn’t deny that he absolutely enthralled me. I couldn’t escape those pale, turquoise-blue eyes and the way I felt whenever he was near me. I felt like my body was in tune to him, without even trying to be. It was unwanted, but at the same time exhilarating. No wonder I was confused. One minute I wanted him, the next, I wanted to stay as far away as I possibly could. This roller-coaster was apparently still taking me for a ride.
He pushed himself away from the door and started walking towards me. My eyes were glued to him, watching his every move. As our eyes met, I knew there was no way I would be able to break away. A slow grin appeared at the corners of his lips.
“You seemed to be in a hurry this morning. I wanted to check in on you, you know, after what happened at the party.”
He stopped just in front of me, close enough to feel his breath caressing my face. He’d seen me this morning. Go figure.
“So, how are you?”
“I’m fine,” I answered, briefly.
“Are you sure?”
His concern seemed genuine, which made it harder for me to ignore the reason I was so determined to get away from him. I needed to focus on what had made me make the decision to stay away from him in the first place. I closed my eyes, and the reason became clear once again. Evangeline. Just the thought of her made me see red, and I put my hands to his chest to stop him from coming any further. This was simply one of his stupid games, and I didn’t want to play anymore. “Do you always make a habit of invading people’s personal space?” I spat out.
He didn’t move an inch. Instead he grabbed my hands and pulled me even closer to him. So much for putting some distance between us. “No, but with you I find it impossible to resist.” He grinned and looked down at me.
There was a playfulness in his eyes, and as much as I wanted to feel absolutely nothing, that was impossible. I was too caught up in this whirlpool of intense, but bittersweet desire. My resistance evaporated, and I felt my arms relax and my hands melt into his. He stirred so many unexplored feelings inside of me, that I didn’t even know I had. It was a dark, stormy passion that I didn’t know how to control. He let go of one of my hands, but I hardly registered the movement. I was caught up in a storm of mesmerising blue, silently begging him to kiss me. Wait, what?
My head jerked back at the realisation, and I quickly took a step backwards, smashing into the desk behind me.
Adrian let go of my other hand and tilted his head to the side, watching me with curious eyes. “Are you all right, Aurora?” His eyes were sparkling with humour and I felt myself falling harder every second that went by. This game of seduction was so delicate and precise. He played his cards well; I’d give him that.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I took a shaky breath.
I didn’t even have time to blink, before he was once again invading my personal space. I leaned backwards towards the desk, trying to create some space between us, but he just followed my move. He spread his hands on the desk, close enough to be touching my hips. It was electric. He leaned in a little closer, and our faces levelled with each other.
“You tell me, Aurora – is there something you want from me?” he asked seductively.
I could swear then, that he could read my mind for sure. Flustered, I pursed my lips while shaking my head side to side.
“No?” he whispered close to my ear.
“N-no…” I replied with a weak voice, barely audible.
“Who’s the liar now?” he murmured, brushing his lips softly near my ear, sending a shockwave of smouldering desire through my body. I couldn’t have stopped the sigh that came from my lips, even if I wanted to. My body was on fire, and I didn’t care that we were in a classroom at our school. Suddenly the door crashed open, and Lexi’s voice filled the room.
“Oops, sorry! Am I interrupting something?”
“Not at all,” Adrian replied over his shoulder as he pushed himself off the desk, still looking at me.
“See you at lunch,” he mouthed.
My eyes were still glued to him as he passed Lexi and left the room. As soon as the door closed, Lexi rushed over to me.
“Oh my God. Did you two just kiss?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“What the hell was that then?!” Lexi shouted excitedly. “Because I could swear this room was on fire.”
“I don’t know, Lex. He’s messing with my mind; he really seems to enjoy doing that to me. I mean, what about Evangeline?”
“Aurora, honestly, you need to wake up. Evangeline is no competition, babe.”
“Lexi, you’ve never even seen Evangeline. She’s gorgeous. How could I ever compete with that? No, wait, I take that back right now. What I meant to say was: I’m not going to compete with that. End of story. I’m going to the movies with Julian on Friday anyway.”
“Oh my, you are certainly keeping yourself busy.” Lexi laughed.
“I know. I just need to, you know…”
“Get over Adrian?” Lexi filled in.
“No! I mean, I don’t know. Maybe that is what I’m doing.”
“Aurora, I get it. You don’t have to explain, but can I just say something? A little friendly advice?” I nodded. “Julian and Adrian are friends. Don’t screw anything up with Adrian by encouraging Julian. You don’t want to come between a friendship and make a mess out of everything.”
I sighed. “You’r
e right, but I do like Julian.”
“Yeah, but maybe as a friend? Because seriously, the attraction between you and Adrian is insane. Anyone could feel it by walking into a room with the two of you in it.”
“Should I cancel my movie night with Julian then?”
“No, go, if that’s what you want. Just think twice before you act on something you think you could regret further down the track. Don’t encourage him if you don’t mean it. It won’t end well.”
I nodded. “I’m really confused at the moment.”
“I get it. But I’ve seen you and Adrian. Girlfriend or not, he likes you. Like, a lot.”
“So, I should just watch him from a distance. Is that what you’re saying?” I jumped off the desk.
“If he has a girlfriend, although he said that he didn’t, he’ll break up with her. I can almost guarantee it.”
“That’s it though; you can only almost guarantee it. Besides, I don’t want to be that girl. I’m not like that. I would never put myself between two people who are together.” I sighed and straightened my ponytail. “Yet, here I am,” I added quietly.
“That’s because you and Adrian can’t seem to stay away from each other. It goes both ways. Just give it a little bit of time; see what happens.”
I nodded. “You’re right. I’ll make it clear to Julian at the movies on Friday. Just until I can get Adrian out of my head, then maybe my feelings will change. I don’t trust Adrian, to be honest. I don’t trust myself with Adrian.”
“Whatever you say.” Lexi winked.
I sighed. “Let’s talk about something else. What about you? How’s Luca?”
She smiled a secret little smile. “We’re good. Really good.”
“What’s that smile for?”
“Well, I wasn’t really looking for a boyfriend. But he’s great, I can’t complain.”
“Does that mean what I think it means?”
Lexi tipped her head back and laughed. “God no, not yet. It’s way too soon. What’s in that dirty mind of yours, babe?”
I laughed and couldn’t help but feel relieved. I still had a weird feeling about Luca, and until that feeling disappeared, I swore to keep a close eye on him.
“Good. Remember, there’s no rush. Take your own advice.” I smiled.
