Technicalities
Chapter twenty-six
Hayes Rosewood
I never gave Aurora the jewelry box. I hid it away in my console, planning to give it to her when we got back to campus.
But after all the emotions of the night, it felt like too much.
Plus, I didn’t know how to explain why I bought it, because I still don’t fully know myself.
So it got moved from my console to a drawer in my nightstand.
Where it’ll stay until I’m more certain of either my feelings or hers.
Both, preferably, but I don’t know if I’ll get that lucky.
Leaves crunch beneath my feet with each step toward the library.
I fake a smile and nod to people I vaguely recognize as I wind the concrete path; meanwhile, my mind is replaying the events of Sunday night on a near-constant loop.
There are no complaints on my part, save the fact that I can’t concentrate on anything that doesn’t involve Aurora.
Hopefully that translates over to our tutoring session today, or else she might throw something harder than a pillow at my head.
A real smile stretches my lips as I think of how beautiful she looked, laughing in the moonlight.
Her long, dark hair was almost free from the loose ponytail she’d put it in.
The urge to tug the hair tie down the rest of the way had been strong, but I’d indulged myself enough without that.
She let her guard down a little on Sunday, and I almost went too far.
I almost kissed her. The desperation that took hold of my heart when she stared up at me was almost too much to fight against.
But something made me pause. I remembered that she said she didn’t bring guys home.
And how her mom said she didn’t think Aurora had ever dated before.
That implies Aurora might have never been kissed before.
So even though I’ve joked about breaking rules since the day we made them, I won’t break rule number one. Aurora deserves better.
I enter the library. Warmth washes over my skin, chasing away the briskness of the fall weather outside. I’m earlier than usual today, since last time I was late, Aurora had to face down Mckinleigh alone. Still, when I get up to our spot by the window, Aurora’s already there.
She’s scrunched up in the chair, her knees to her chest and her chin on her knees as she flips through a notebook.
She looks like a pink marshmallow in her puffer jacket and baggy sweats.
Her earbuds are in as per usual, but she removes one when she spots me heading her way.
The faintest of smiles plays on her glossy pink lips, and the sight sends the air out of my lungs like I just took a hit to the sternum.
“What are you always listening to?” I ask as I take the seat across from her. It’s the only question I can think of that doesn’t involve a diamond ring and getting on one knee.
She holds out the earbud in reply. I take it and lean forward a little so the wires aren’t stretched too far between us.
“You know, they make wireless earbuds,” I tease before putting it in my ear.
Instrumental classical music fills my ear. Somehow, it’s more her than anything else I could have guessed.
“People don’t see those, and they try to talk to you,” she replies, making me snort. “I’d use those big headphones if they didn’t mess up my hair.”
She gestures to the sleek bun atop her head. Not a strand is out of place, and I can’t imagine how much work that takes.
“So they’re a shield,” I comment, and she shrugs. “Why classical music?”
“It’s soothing. And, it helps me think of whatever show I’m working on at the time. I picture the moves in my head.”
“So is this music for the recital this weekend or your show at the end of the semester?”
Her smile widens a fraction, and I feel like I just knocked out Floyd Mayweather in round one.
“Both, actually. I’m performing a snippet of Swan Lake at the recital this weekend, which is also the production for the end of this year.
” Her eyes drop down and she toys with a pink pen.
“It’s one of my favorite ballets. Which is probably cliché, since it’s so popular, but it’s true.
There’s something so timeless about it. When I was a little girl—” She cuts off and shakes her head a little. “Sorry, I’m probably boring you.”
“You’re not. I love learning more about you,” I say, and reach across the table to grasp her hand that’s fidgeting with the pen. “You were saying?”
Her deep blue eyes flick up to my face, and she studies me for a moment, like she’s searching to make certain I’m sincere.
After a moment, she continues, “When I was a little girl, I watched the ballet over and over again. Barbie of Swan Lake was one of my favorite movies.”
Pink streaks across her cheekbones like the sky at sunrise. I smile at the sight and her words.
“I’m looking forward to seeing you perform even more now, since it’s so special to you.”
She tugs her hand out of mine and sits back, dropping her legs to the ground to sit in the chair properly.
“You should watch a true ballet company perform it. I don’t think I’ll be able to do it justice by myself this weekend.” I watch as her walls begin to go up once more. “Anyway, we should start our session. There’s a lot to cover.”
I take out the earbud, sad the moment is over, but glad she shared with me.
I file the information away with the other bits and pieces I’ve learned about her, hoping that one day I’ll get to count myself as one of the few that truly knows her.
My heart sinks a little as I wonder if I’ll get that chance, and if I do, if I even deserve it.
To distract from the storm of emotions crawling across the horizon of my mind, I decide to poke at Aurora just a little.
“Before we start, we should set a time for our date,” I say with a smirk. “You know, since you lost the bet.”
Her mouth turns down, and the expression makes her no less kissable. In fact, it only makes me want to kiss her more. Which is unfortunate for me, since I agreed to rule number one.
“I’m thinking right after this we head to Haymakers. There won’t be as many people there this time of day, so it can be just us,” I continue.
Aurora’s frown holds. Then, her eyes light up, shifting her expression into something a touch mischievous. The kind of expression that gets my blood pumping in anticipation.
“If you can get every question right on a mock quiz at the end of this, I’ll leave from here to go to the gym,” she says.
“You know, you already agreed to the date. Technically, I don’t have to do anything else.”
Aurora smiles, but it’s more sassy than sweet.
“And technically, that deal was just words spoken at a party. I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to.”
I chuckle. “So that’s how we’re playing things, huh?”
She shrugs. “Those are my terms. Take them or leave them, Rosewood.”
I shake my head at her using my last name again, knowing that she’s doing it just to goad me.
“All right, Princess, you’ve got a deal. But no backing out once I win, again.”
“Hope you’ve picked up some study skills during our last two sessions, because I’m not going easy on you,” she retorts before opening up her textbook.
Despite her words, however, I find the quiz at the end of our session a little easier than I expected.
It could be that I’m getting better at Digital Logic, but I’m not so sure about that.
And when Aurora “grades” my quiz with a perfect score, she doesn’t seem nearly as annoyed as she should be with the loss.
All of those clues gather together to form a theory in my mind. One that leads me to believe my fake girlfriend might like me, just a little.