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Kalum’s mother and father sit at the dining table, and my stomach turns in a knot. I sit on my hands to stop fidgeting.
“Tomorrow is your birthday, and that means you are officially an adult. I have the papers that officially end our guardianship agreement.” She slides a manila folder to me. “I want you to enjoy your day. Henry will take you anywhere you wish to go. Kalum has plans to go on a trip with some friends.”
He knows it’s my birthday, and he is leaving? My throat squeezes because I thought he cared. A part of me thought he did. I avoided him because I needed space to lick my wounds in peace. To dissect my feelings for Kalum.
Kalum’s father smiles at me warmly. He looks like Kalum but with graying hair. He has the same authoritative air. His mother is poised, and you can tell she has wit and an airy disposition.
“We also wanted to let you know that we don’t need you to be employed as our housekeeper. Camila found someone,” Mr. St. Claire says.
It feels like all the air has escaped my lungs. Kalum’s mother gives me a wan smile and pulls out a white envelope.
“I understand,” I croak.
“We heard about the rumors Kalum started, and he apologizes for divulging information around school and was in poor taste. As a family, we are incredibly sorry.”
In other words, you look bad in front of the charity events you frequent with the other rich families. She finally slides the envelope. I place it on top of the folder.
“That is a check for a hundred thousand. It should give you a fresh start, money for school, and enough to cover your expenses. You can still have a great life, Aura. I’m sorry we can’t stay to celebrate your birthday, but we have an emergency with one of our projects in New York.”
Basically, it means get out. A huge knot forms in the back of my throat. I have nowhere to go. I wished they would have waited until I graduated or given me more time.
I raise my chin and look at both the St. Claires. “Thank you for everything, and I appreciate your generosity. You have been kind and have done more than I could have asked for. I wish you all the best.”
Taking the folder in my hand, I walk as fast as I can to my room, close the door, and slide down the door and let the tears I’ve been holding back slide down my cheeks.
I watch the clock on my phone until it strikes midnight. I pack all my clothes in one suitcase. I have five thousand dollars to my name. There is no way I could take their money. Richpeople have a way of throwing money at problems when they make mistakes, thinking it’s the right thing to do.
Kalum won’t be back. His parents said he had plans with his friends. It was a mistake to let him get too close. Not because I regret his kiss or his touch because I don’t. I shut him out after his birthday, but I had my reasons.
When my father met my mother, he would never do the things Kalum has done. My father knew how special my mother was and wouldn’t risk losing her for a second.
Men like my father simply don’t exist anymore. A love like theirs is the kind written in poems. The kind you learn from. The kind you wish for. A rare connection. I thought I found it, but I was wrong.
Maybe their death clouded my reasoning. I wanted to feel loved so badly that I didn’t realize I was the only one with stars in my eyes. I thought he felt the same way, but maybe all I saw was what I wanted to see, a reflection of how I felt. I thought I felt safe in his arms, but I was just his secret.
The dirty looks and smirks Sarah gave me in the hallway gave away what I assumed. What I heard in the bathroom after lunch the following day.
Sarah was with him on his birthday when he said he wanted to spend it with me. Her friends, his friends, were all there with his parents. They were talking about college. Their plans after graduation and how Kalum and Sarah looked good together. How his parents loved the idea of them together. I felt like I was being ripped piece by piece.
The Uber drops me off at the shopping center glad it stopped drizzling. I remember Henry passing a hotel on the way to the grocery store but couldn’t get the app to calculate a ride. The closest destination was the shopping center. The sound of an engine roars in the empty parking lot, causing me to cover my ears.
I look up, and it’s coming from Lane’s shop. There is a sports car with the tail end sticking out one of the bays with flames shooting out of the exhaust. I pull my suitcase down the sidewalk toward the hotel two miles down the road. I can see the sign in the distance.
A car drives past me. The headlights are blueish white, blinding me as it drives on the empty wet road. The taillights brighten when the car brakes hard, coming to a complete stop. The car waits as I walk down the sidewalk with my rolling suitcase containing everything I own. I’m nervous, and tears spill down my cheeks.
When I pass the car, the passenger window rolls down. “Aura?”
I sniff. “Lane?”
He pulls the brake and gets out.
I point at the hotel. “Could you take me to that hotel over there, please?” I ask.
He opens the passenger door of the car. He takes my suitcase and places it in the back seat. He slides in the driver seat, reaches over, and buckles me in.
“Thank you,” I say just above a sob.
I’m seated at the all-night diner with a cup of coffee. Lane is seated across from me, and I tell him what happened, leaving out what happened between me and Kalum.
