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“And what do you want, Kalum? What would you like to do?”
I lie down and place my hands behind my head and look up at the sky. What do I want? She is the first person to ask me that. No one has taken the time to ask me what I want. There is only one thing IknowI want.
Her.
I want her.
I don’t tell her that.
I’m falling in love with her, but now is not the time to tell her. She just lost her parents and needs to figure out what she wants to do. I want whatever that is to involve me.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to figure that out before I graduate.”
That is the only answer I can give her right now. When the time is right, I will tell her. Soon.
18
AURA
AURA: Happy birthday.
Kalum told me last week that Thursday was his birthday. After school, I went to the grocery store with Henry and picked up some stuff, but I paid for it with my own money. I purchased balloons and everything I needed to make a surprise homemade birthday cake.
The Jeep is not there, so I assumed Lane sold it already. It was really a nice Jeep, but there was no way I could afford to buy it. I never mentioned it to Exie or asked who purchased it from her brother. The subject of her brother hasn’t come up, and the way I feel about Kalum, I’m honestly not interested in Lane, not in that way. Kalum has stolen my kisses and my heart.
I’m walking out to the parking lot, and my phone vibrates.
Kalum: Thank you. :) I want to spend it with you. I called Henry, and he will take you home so you don’t have to wait up for me. The guys want to take me out for a celebratory meal, and I will head home right after.
My heart sinks that I’m not invited, but I understand. People already have noticed we are closer than before. Kalum doesn’t allow the bitch crew or any of his teammates to call me names. No one approaches me at school except Exie. I have to say I’m grateful. My thoughts roam, wondering if Sarah and the other girls got invited to celebrate his birthday. A wave of jealousy hits my stomach, but I block it out when the black Rolls-Royce pulls up, and Henry opens the back door.
I didn’t know what to buy Kalum for his birthday, so I made a special bracelet with his name engraved on it. The guy has everything, and my budget is limited. The bracelet is thicker than anything I have ever made, so it took me more time to complete. It has been a challenge to hide it from him. Kalum watches me while I make them in class, and I didn’t want him to see what I was making, so hiding my next creation has been a challenge.
At night, he makes sure the coast is clear and slips inside my bed. We sleep together almost every night. No sex, just sleep, and we talk about everything in hushed whispers. Our favorite foods, what we are into, what movies we haven’t watched with promises to go to the movies one day.
I sigh, disappointed I didn’t get to finish the bracelet yet, but I wanted it to be perfect. I bought the best material to make it. It is a bracelet meant to last forever.
I text him back.
Aura: I can’t wait to see you. I miss you already. Have fun and stay safe.
Three bubbles pop up, and then they disappear.
“Is everything okay, Miss Aura?” Henry asks, his gray eyes looking through the rearview mirror. Is it that obvious?
I give him a fake smile. “Everything is great, Henry. I can’t wait until I get home to make Kalum his cake.”
Henry nods, but his expression tells me he is not so convinced. He drives through the gates of the St. Claire mansion. Sometimes, I feel like it is an institution, a prison, and I’m completing a sentence. In a way, I am.
The only thing good is Henry, Camila, and Kalum. Mr. and Mrs. St. Claire see me as the hired help. Not fit to be anything more than a poor girl who, under bad circumstances, needs a job. They overlook that I’m third in class. I have excellent grades, and I’m only trailing first by two points. Kalum is ahead of me academically by one point. He was surprised when he found out.
I batted my eyelashes and said I came from smart parents who attended college, even if my father was the only one with no choice but to drop out. Kalum said he admired them for not giving up on each other. My heart soared when he talked so well about them, not judging their decisions. My mother could have aborted me and moved on with their lives and could have been successful. My father wanted to major in accounting and attended Penn State with my mother.
“Hi, Aura,” Camila greets me when I make it into the kitchen. “Everything is ready.”
I smile. “Thank you.”
I get to work and once the cake is in the oven, she eyes me warily and lowers her voice to a whisper, “You like him, don’t you?”
