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Ayden and Vicky. Of all people. I’m about to turn on my heels and walk in the opposite direction, but something makes me pause. Vicky puts her hand on Ayden’s cheek, and I hear her say, “Sorry about my parents. But you know what they’re like.”
“It’s fine,” he says, slightly turning away from her.
Vicky doesn’t fail to notice his body language, and she angrily folds her arms in front of her chest.
“It’s because of her, right? You’ve been acting strange since she showed up tonight.”
“Vicky,” Ayden sighs, “just leave it alone, okay?”
“I’ve been doing that for long enough. Do you think I don’t notice the way you look at her, the way you act when she’s around? I know you, Ayden. And I never bought those excuses about why you started to distance yourself from me.” She steps closer to him and runs her hand along his forearm, trying to catch his eye. “I mean, it’s pretty obvious – we haven’t even slept together since she started at the school.”
My heart skips a beat. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. He hasn’t been with Vicky this whole time? Why didn’t he say so?Then I find myself wondering whether it would have made any difference to my decision... and come to the sad conclusion that my reasons would have stayed the same. Still, hearing this shifts something in me.
“It’s over anyway,” says Ayden. “And I promised to stay away from her. I don’t want to make things even worse.”
“So in the end it made no difference anyway,” Vicky observes. “So? At least now you know.” Her fingers wander tenderly across his cheek, and she catches his eye. “Neither of us is the relationship type. It just goes to show how what we have is special. We make sense together.” She holds his arm with her left hand and runs her fingertips along his chin, his sensuous lips. “Try and forget about her. It’s better for you and for her.”
Ayden stares at her and says nothing, just looks into her picture-perfect face, which is so close to his. She slowly stretches up toward him, closes her eyes, and presses her lips against his. At first, the kiss looks tentative, almost measured, but then Ayden cups her head in his hand and pulls her closer, and their kiss becomes more passionate. Vicky staggers back a few steps until her back is pressed against the column. She wraps her arms around his neck and her leg around his hip. Ayden bends down and kisses her in a way that’s all too fresh in my memory. The sight of them is like a knife in my heart threatening to hack it to pieces. I quickly turn and hurry away. Tears sting my eyes, but I don’t know if they’re testament to my anger, my disappointment, or my pain. I know I can’t be upset that they’ve grown closer again, but the thing between me and Ayden was so recent, and it hurts to see him with someone else. I move listlessly through the hall without knowing where I want to go. My legs carry me on autopilot, as fast and as far as possible from Ayden and Vicky. Suddenly, someone emerges from the crowd and comes toward me.
“Teresa, there you are. Your friend’s looking everywhere foryou.” Charles looks at my face and can tell immediately that something’s wrong. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”
I run my hand nervously through my hair and try to calm down. “No... I... everything’s fine.”
I’m sure he doesn’t believe me, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Come on, let’s look for your friend. She was worried when she suddenly lost you.” He studies me out of the corner of his eye as we walk. “So you know Victoria?”
I look at him in surprise, and he shrugs.
“The way you looked at her earlier.”
I nod. “Yeah, I know her. But not well.” And what I do know of her is enough for me, I add silently.
“She didn’t seem too fond of you either. I can’t understand it. You’re such a nice young woman, and strong too. You two should actually get along well.”
“Hmm, I guess that’s not how she sees it.”
Charles nods. “Is it about the principal’s son?”
I raise my eyebrows and blink at him in astonishment. He figured all that out in those few minutes?!
He laughs when he sees my expression and says, “I’m a keen observer. But I have to say, you didn’t make it hard for me. I could tell you wanted to leave as soon as you saw him, and then when someone commented on what a great couple he and Vicky would make, you practically fled.”
“There have been times when Ayden and I were close, but there’s not much left of that now,” I admit.
“Relationships can be difficult. Especially when it comes to those two. Over the last couple of years, I’ve often seen them together, and even if they keep insisting they’re not a couple, there’s obviously something between them.” He waves his hand. “My experience shows that it’s best not to get caught in the middle of something like that. That’s my two cents, anyway.”
I study his face. “It almost sounds as if you’ve been in a similarsituation. With Frida maybe?”
Now it’s his turn to raise his eyebrows in surprise. He searches my face for some clue. But then the meditative expression disappears from his face, and he laughs. “Where did you get that idea?”
I really need to make some progress and find out more about Frida’s life. So I take a stab at revealing some information that he can’t ignore.
“My great aunt left all her worldly possessions to us. I found an old letter in a box. It was addressed to you, but she obviously never sent it. In it, she talks about a day she spent with you by the sea and photos you took of each other. I found one of them on a shelf in a frame. And she confessed her feelings for you in the letter.”
“Hmm.” Charles gazes across the room absent-mindedly. “I had a hunch now and then that she may have feelings for me. We were friends, close friends, actually. We told each other everything, fought side by side in numerous deployments, and spent a lot of our leisure time together. We had a special bond. But we were never a couple if that’s what you’re asking.” He looks at me and a melancholy smile flits across his face as he adds, “If I’d known, then maybe a few things would have turned out differently.”
I can’t be sure what he means, and I’m about to ask when we arrive at a table where Kate is sitting. She instantly jumps up when she sees me.
