AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 9
Margo
After the excitement at the community centre died down, I was left feeling drained. At least I wasn’t full of ice-cold chills the way I’d been after the car crash. Maybe because nobody got hurt, or perhaps my body was getting used to the whole thing.
When I got home, I made a point to talk up how well I was feeling.
“I called Dr Rivers,” Mam admitted. “Just in case.”
Even better. I wasn’t worried.
“Pity about the community centre though,” Dad said. “It’s the heart of a neighbourhood, really.”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen now,” I said. “It sounds like there wasn’t enough money for repairs even before the fire happened.”
“The school should let your drama club practice there,” Mam said.
We talked about the fire until Dr Rivers arrived. He seemed surprised when he saw me.
“You look well,” he remarked as he checked me over. “No dizziness or anything?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I must be stronger.”
He seemed happy with my temperature and agreed that the incident hadn’t negatively affected me. My parents looked so relieved that a pressure released from inside my chest that I hadn’t noticed before.
Still, I couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about how I had seen Dorian twice now since our fight, but we hadn’t spoken once. I needed to be the one to fix things.
I was thinking about sending him some kind of light, breezy message when something hit my window hard.
Beaming, I hurried to the window. Opening it wide, I looked out. Dorian was in my garden, looking up, waiting for permission. Relief surged through me. I missed him, I realised. A lot more than I expected.
Beckoning him up, I moved back and waited, suddenly nervous. He climbed up and inside without making a sound, his eyes bright and shiny, a vibrant aura of pure excitement surrounding him. My lovebirds sang their disapproval at his sudden appearance.
I stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say, or how to begin. He closed the space between us, laid his hands on either side of my face, and leaned in for a kiss. I eagerly responded in kind, wrapping my arms around him to pull him closer. I could have stayed like that all night, but I knew we had to talk.
I pulled away, just an inch. “I’m sorry,” I said under my breath. “I shouldn’t have acted that way before. I said stupid things I didn’t mean, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to explain myself. I saw you earlier, at the community centre. You left without saying hi.” And that had hurt.
“I didn’t want to get in the way,” he explained. “You seemed to be getting along well with the rest of the group. I didn’t want to interrupt. I meant to give you some space.” He shot me a sheepish grin. “Kind of forgot that on the way here.”
“I don’t want space,” I assured him. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” He kissed my forehead. “And I’m sorry I made you feel pressured. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I didn’t mean to sound like I was insulting Perdita. I didn’t mean to be angry with you either. I know I took stuff out on you when I shouldn’t have.” I looked down, unable to meet his gaze. “I got overwhelmed and insecure, and I suppose I’m not dealing with stuff very well right now.”
“It’s a lot,” he said. “We’re a lot. Me, the pack, everything that’s going on with you. I know it’s tough to deal with, but we’ll handle it better together, so let’s not turn on each other, okay? No matter what happens between us, we can still be there for each other, so don’t push me away. Tell me how to help when things get tough.”
I hugged him. “I’ll try, so don’t leave me out of pack stuff when it concerns me. Or help me understand it better. And like, let me figure things out and make up my own mind. Between you and Amelia and my parents, I’m being pulled in every direction. I need to process some stuff on my own.”
“I get it. I was worried about the meeting, and I tried to fast forward instead of properly explaining what was happening. I’m overwhelmed, too.”
“I’m glad you're here though.”
“Me, too.”
“We’re good at this,” I said, smothering a laugh. “How very mature of us.”
“So mature,” he agreed, pressing another light kiss against my lips. “I have news. Good, no, great news. I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to tell you.”
