I’m half asleep when Damen calls. No matter how much I’ve told myself over the last two days that I hate him, I let my guard down as soon as I hear the sound of his voice.
Hi. It is not too late ?
I check the fluorescent green numbers on my alarm, which confirm that yes, it is too late.
No, it’s okay.
You were Sleeping ?
Almost.
I sit up in my bed, my back propped up against the pillows.
I was wondering if I could pass.
Another look at the time proves to me the folly of his proposition.
I don’t think this is a good idea. There follows a
silence so long that I start to believe he hung up.
I’m sorry I failed you at lunch and drawing. In fact, I left right after literature class.
I do not know what to say. It’s not like we’re dating. He is not accountable to me.
Um…okay…I said.
It’s really too late for me to pass, are you sure? I would love to see you. I will not stay long.
His voice is deep, persuasive. This slight turnaround makes me smile. I’m delighted to take back the reins of the situation a little, for a change. And I mentally congratulate myself when I hear myself answer.
I’d rather see you tomorrow in literature, is that okay with you?
Don’t you want me to pick you up tomorrow morning? His voice would almost make me forget everything: Stacia and
Drina, her escape on Saturday evening… Everything. Blank page. Let what is in the past stay in the past, and let us start again from scratch. But I’m not going to give in so easily even though I’ve held on so far.
That is to say, I accompany Miles in the morning, you know. See you in literature, okay?
And so as not to risk changing my mind, I hang up and throw my phone to the other side of the room.
Riley materializes the next morning.
So, are we still sullen? I roll my eyes.
She laughs, jumps on my dresser and swings her legs, clicking her heels on the drawers.
I take that as a “yes”.
I stuff a stack of books into my bag and examine my sister: corset, full skirt, long brown curls.
What is this new disguise? She answers me with a smile:
Elizabeth Swann.
I frown, trying to place the name.
Pirates of the Caribbean ?
She squints, sticking her tongue out at me.
Exact. And you ? What’s with Count Fersen?
My bag on my shoulder, I prepare to go out, determined not to respond to this pique.
You come ?
She shakes her head no.
Not today. I have an appointment.
I lean against the doorframe, frowning.
What do you mean, a “date”? She jumps off the dresser, giggling.
It’s none of your business!
And she disappears while passing through the wall.
As Miles was late, by the time he got to school, there was not a single free space in the parking lot.
Well, yes, one. The best, the most coveted. At the very end, near the entrance.
And right next to Damen’s car, as luck would have it.
Miles picks up his books and gets out of my little red car, looking at Damen like he’s the sexiest conjurer in the world.
Wow ! How did you do that?
How did I do what?
How did you manage to save room for us? Usually, you have to book well before the start of the school year to get this one.
Damen laughs, his eyes searching mine. I
happy to greet him with a little nod, as if I were saying hello to the pharmacist or the postman, but not to the boy who
has obsessed me since the second I laid eyes on him.
It will ring soon.
I hurry so as not to be late for class. But Damen moves so quickly that he arrives before me, without the slightest effort.
I rush past Stacia and Honor, giving
a kick in the sack from Stacia, when she looks up at Damen.
And my rose? she questions.
Not today, sorry.
He sits down in his place and gives me an amused look.
There’s a bad mood in the air, it seems.
I shrug my shoulders and put my bag on the floor. Damen leans towards me.
There’s no fire, you know. Mr. Robins stayed at home this morning.
How do I know…?
I interrupt myself. By what miracle can Damen be at
aware of what I saw: our professor in bed with a hangover, devastated by the recent departure of his wife and daughter?
Damen smiled.
The replacement arrived while I was waiting for you. She seemed a little lost, so I accompanied her to the teachers’ room, but she seemed so confused that she was probably going to end up in the science lab.
I know it’s true. I just saw her enter another class by mistake.
Okay, then, tell me. What did I do to you to make you so angry?
Stacia and Honor exchange low words while giving me poisonous looks.
Damen places his hand on mine.
Don’t pay attention to these woodcocks. I’m sorry if I didn’t
not been very available in recent days. But I had a visitor, I couldn’t do otherwise.
By “from the visit,” do you mean Drina?
I hate being hysterically jealous. I would like to
keep my mind calm and pretend I didn’t notice that everything changed the second she appeared. But that’s all to me
simply impossible: I become paranoid, by force.
Ever…
I don’t let it finish. Now that I’m launched, I might as well say what’s on my heart.
Have you seen Haven recently? Looks like Drina’s clone. She imitates him in everything, from clothes to eye color. If you come and have lunch with us, you’ll see.
I give him an accusatory look, like it’s all his fault. But as soon as our eyes meet, I fall under the spell again, like a piece of metal irresistibly attracted to a magnet.
It’s not what you think, Ever, he sighs. I immediately move away.
You have no idea what I believe.
Let me make amends. I’d like to take you somewhere, somewhere special. Please.
I feel the warmth of his eyes on my skin, but I refuse to
lose myself there. I want him to ask questions, to doubt. I want to make this moment last as long as possible.
I shift in my seat and glance at him sideways.
We’ll see.
When I bump into Damen at the door at the end of history class, the last hour of the morning, I tell myself that he wants to have lunch with us.
Will you wait for me a minute? I’ll leave my bag in my locker.
He puts his arm around my waist.
No need. The surprise begins right away.
What a surprise ?
I look him in the face, and it seems as if the whole world is shrinking, and only us are left, enveloped in a sidereal void.
I’m taking you to a special place, to make up for my mistakes. Do you remember ?
I cross my arms over my chest, for form’s sake.
Don’t tell me you’re planning to skip class this afternoon?
He comes closer to me and touches my neck with his lips.
If.
I move away from him, but instead of saying no, I hear myself asking him how he plans to go about it.
He grabs my hand and leads me towards the exit.
Don’t worry. With me, you risk nothing.
