“I do,” Abby says, and grins at me like we didn’t discuss anything bad. “Aura Scott is staying for good, and surprisingly, I think she fits in well.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Thanks for the lift!” I shout at Abby, and she waves her hand out the window as she speeds off down the road and out of sight. I pull my bag higher on my shoulder as I walk to the house and get my keys out of my blazer pocket. I unlock the front door, going inside and closing it behind me with a sigh. I’m glad to be home after today. Even if home is this creepy old house. I drop my bag on the floor and slide my shoes off before deciding to go upstairs and get changed into something comfier than the horrible uniform. I run up the stairs and see that my bedroom door is open, which is strange because I locked it this morning. I assume my dad must have needed something, but after today, I can’t help but feel a little worried. I carefully open the door and jump at the sight of Maxx lying on my bed, looking through my sketchbook like he lives here.
“What the effing fuck are you doing in my room, Maxx?” I demand, trying to calm down my beating heart. Maxx lazily looks up at me, lifting the sketchpad to show me an old drawing of him I did.
“This is awesome, you make me look good, Freckles,” he says, not apologizing for being in my room and going through my things as he lies on my bed. I cross my arms and glare at him, waiting for a better response than that.
“I came over to say sorry for earlier,” he eventually says, sitting up on my bed and pointing at my window seat. “I even went to the shops and got you those cupcakes you like to throw at me.”
“Are you suggesting I throw one at you now to make myself feel better?” I ask, and he laughs as he runs a hand through his soft looking hair.
“I thought you could eat them instead…” he suggests, and I sigh, walking in my room and pulling my blazer off, hanging it on the back of the door. Maxx isn’t a danger to me, even if he is weird. Part of me just knows that.
“How did you get in here?” I ask, walking to my window seat and picking up a cupcake. I push the box to the side and sit on the seat.
“The disappearing thing is useful for getting in places you don’t want to be seen,” he says, leaning back on my bed and watching me dip a finger into the icing, licking it off my finger. He clears his throat and closes my sketchpad, not looking my way.
“Why were you looking at my drawings?” I ask him.
“They were just there, and I got bored waiting for you to come home,” he admits. “Don’t worry, I didn’t look through any of your other stuff. Though I did notice the pink teddy bear I’m sitting next to,” he says, holding up my teddy before throwing it at me as I try not to be embarrassed that he now knows I sleep with my childhood teddy still. Way to be cool, Aura. I catch it and put it on the floor, hiding it from his sight.
“And you claim I am the stalker?” I muse, and he sniggers.
“Says the girl that has dozens of drawings of me in her room?” he asks, and my cheeks light up.
“If this is your way of saying sorry for being a dickhead earlier, you suck at apologies,” I say, putting the cupcake wrapper down on top of the box after I finish eating it.
“The cupcakes are to say sorry,” he says, shrugging. “You’re right, I’m not good at words and shit.”
“Can I have my sketchbook back?” I ask, and he nods, handing it to me as he stands up. Maxx stretches as I put the sketchbook down, and my eyes get drawn to his stomach that I catch a glimpse of.
“I can take my shirt off if you like,” Maxx suggests, and I glare at him.
“No thanks,” I sarcastically reply.
“Where did you learn to draw like that?” Maxx asks me as he leans against my wardrobe, and I wonder why he hasn’t left yet.
“Practice. My dad said I got it from my grandmother as she used to draw like me,” I tell him.
“Well, you shocked me. They look like a professional drew them,” he admits. “You can swim, do science, draw and you’re stunning. Is there anything you’re not good at?”
“I-I suck at math,” I stammer, a little speechless that he just gave me a compliment.
“Well, it’s good to know you aren’t completely perfect,” he says, and I tuck a bit of my hair behind my ear at his words. “Can we—”
“Aura! You home?” Dad shouts, and I hear the door shutting a few seconds later and then the sound of Dad walking up the stairs. I stare wide-eyed at Maxx who winks at me before he glows brightly and disappears. Dad opens the door a second later, and I smile at him, feeling slightly relieved.
“Did you just take a picture or something, there was this big flash,” Dad asks, searching around my room.
“Oh, it’s the light. I think it might be broken or a dodgy wire,” I say, thinking on the spot.
“Well, if it keeps doing it, let me know and I will fix it this weekend,” he says, looking at the light and then back to me. “I saw your bag downstairs and wondered if you were home or forgot it. Why did you leave school early?”
“My art teacher wasn’t in,” I reply. “Why have you left work early?”
“It’s my lunch. Do you want pasta for dinner tonight?” he asks.
“I can make it if you want…” I suggest because the last time dad made pasta, he burned it so much that it stuck to the bottom of the saucepan.
“No, I bought frozen meals, so it’s not too hard to cook it tonight,” he replies, and I sigh in relief.
“Sounds perfect then,” I reply, and he walks out the room, shutting my door as he goes to get his lunch. I sit down on the window seat and pick up my sketchbook, scrolling through it to get to an empty page. I pause when I find a drawing that I haven’t done. It is of me, sitting on the steps just outside my house, looking up at something. I read the quick note scribbled at the bottom and I can’t help but smile.
“Aura Scott, stalking me from her house from day one -Maxx.”
Chapter Eighteen
“So, the guy has to date his best friend’s girl, and make her hate him? So why is he dating this random girl now?” Landon asks, and I pause the movie for the third time in the first ten minutes to answer him. I go to reply as Maxx strolls into their living room, pauses a little when he sees me on the floor with Landon, the sofa cushions resting behind us against the coffee table as we are leaning on them. Maxx has on jeans and a tight black shirt, and he puts a baseball cap on top of the sofa that he must have been wearing.
“How many times has he made you pause it?” Maxx asks with clear amusement.
“Three in ten minutes,” I answer, and Maxx laughs, surprising me by sitting on the floor, with Landon in between us.
