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“Yeah.”
“I don’t care about the mess, and I want you to know I’m grateful for you giving me a place to stay, even if it’s for the night.” I pause. “I’ll take the couch.”
He faces me. “I can’t have you sleep on the couch. I’ll take the couch. You take the bed.”
When I look up, his dark-brown eyes framed with dark lashes soften, and something passes between us. A weird feeling, butit’s more like friendship than anything. At least for me. For him, I’m not so sure. Lane is hard to read like a closed book. Exie says he is an introvert. He keeps to himself and only has a close group of friends. She says he doesn’t get along with his parents and does his own thing. He doesn’t agree with their way of life or decisions.
“Stay with me. You don’t have to go, and if you want to leave, all you have to do is tell me, and I’ll understand.”
My forehead rests against his chest over his gray long-sleeve T-shirt. He smells like fresh-ocean cologne mixed with gasoline and burnt rubber. I’m torn and feel like my heart has been stabbed into a million pieces. I have nothing and nowhere to go.
What choice do I have? If I asked my only friend, who is his sister, she would tell me to stay here with him. Whatever happened with Kalum is over. I don’t think he meant to hurt me, but in the end, his family would never accept me. He would choose them. The way he chose not to tell me he was with Sarah that day.
I left him a letter before I left, wishing him well. I’m grateful his family offered me an opportunity at Spencer and a place to stay. My situation could have been worse.
I meet Lane’s gaze. “I’ll stay, and if you go, I’ll go with you.”
21
KALUM
When I make it home, it feels empty. It’s late, and I don’t want to bother Aura in her sleep. I have a big day tomorrow planned for Aura’s birthday. I want it to be her day and all about her.
Camila is baking her a cake and a big breakfast when she wakes up so everyone can celebrate before I take her to a cabin I rented in the mountains. Just the two of us. It’s the first time I have ever done something like this for a girl, but Aura is different.
I awake at first light and smile to myself, excited. After taking a shower, I knock on Aura’s door, but I don’t hear her moving around. I knock again, and after a minute, I turn the doorknob, and it opens. My eyes scan the room, and my stomach fills with dread. All the bears I gifted her are neatly placed on the edge of the bed, facing each other. I frown when I notice a piece of paper and an envelope.
Looking around the room, I notice all her things are missing. I open the closet door forcefully to find that her bag and all of her things are gone. I panic.
I grab the envelope and paper folded on the bed so forcefully that I almost crush it in my hand. I take a calming breath, open, and read it.
Kalum,
I’m sorry for leaving without saying goodbye. Your parents informed me they wouldn’t need me after I turned eighteen. I’m not sure if you knew when that day was, but if you are reading this, then that day is the date on this letter. Your parents have been generous and kind to offer me a place to stay when I had no place to go. They offered me a generous amount of money to start my life, but I couldn’t take it. It didn’t feel right. They heard the rumors of me being your housekeeper from school, so they thought it best for me to start my life on my own terms.
In my heart, I always knew this was where I was meant to be. I can count on one hand the times I smiled while staying here, and they were all with you. I’ll never forget the small moments we had and the small words of wisdom you shared with me that night when I was in my darkest moment, so I thought I would share mine with you. My father once told me when you meet that special someone, don’t let them go even for a moment, because you never know if you’ll ever get anotherchance. I hope you find that someone, Kalum. When you meet her, don’t ever let her go. I wish you the best, and I hope you find love one day.
Love,
Aura Rayne
I drop the letter on the floor as a blinding rage clouds my vision. I blame myself and my parents. I open the envelope and see the check for one hundred thousand she didn’t take. Under the papers, there is a thick black, white, and gray bracelet she made, and it has my name woven with red letters with a little charm that readsMade by Aura. My fingers run over the letters wishing her name was with mine.
Emptiness washes over me, an emptiness that will always be there if she is not with me. I lost her.
A knock comes from the bedroom door. When I look up, Camila stands in the doorway with a tray.
“What’s wrong?”
Her hands shake when she looks around. She notices that all of Aura’s things are gone. Her eyes catch the bracelet and letter in my hand. She places the tray on the nightstand and kneels in front of me, where tears begin to fall, forming a puddle on the floor. She takes my hands in hers. Her eyes lift, and fresh tears slide down her cheeks. I blink back my tears.
“Oh, Kalum. What have they done?”
She means my parents and their meddling. They knew I fell in love with her, and what I had planned for her today proved it. When I first laid eyes on her, I didn’t recognize it. I tried to fight it. Then I tried to hide it. My mother must have never thought I would consider a girl like Aura, but they were wrong. They never thought I could fall in love with her.
They lied to her. They made it seem it was because of a rumor and that they took advantage of her situation. But it’s all lies.
My parents didn’t want their son to be seen with a girl who came from no privilege or a wealthy family. It is all about the St. Claire name and how they stand in the community. Deep down, I knew if I gave in to my feelings for her that she would be attacked somehow, but I never thought my parents would be the ones to do it.
