Adeline
"I believe we still have some places to visit," Holly says, sitting across from me and enjoying the few rays of sunshine that this day has to offer. She is sunbathing with her face to the sky, occasionally glancing in my direction. We have been sitting on the terrace for two hours now and she has not stopped nagging me about these apartments. I wanted to enjoy some peace and warmth, but she won't give me a minute's peace, even though our third friend hasn't arrived yet.
"Why do you insist on us visiting?" I say. "I remind you that I still haven't heard from the university. For all we know, I may not even be with you in the fall. I sink back into my chair, arms crossed over my chest, grumbling, annoyed. This university business is getting on my nerves and it's not helping my morale. Jayden has been gone for four days now, and his absence is affecting me more than it should. The feeling of emptiness it creates in me is starting to hurt, and I've reached the point where I even miss our arguments.
I want him to come back.
"Don't be silly," Holly says, "Josh told me that the second round of applications has already started. I'm sure you'll get an answer in the next few days, because a lot of people will change their minds. In the meantime, since I don't have anything, we won't be visiting any apartments."
My tone is cold and does not invite discussion.
"Now you're going to tell me what's really going on," she says brusquely, her black sunglasses pushed up on her head, looking at me with interest.
"You know very well what's going on... not hearing from the university is stressing me out."
"No. None of that with me, keep your excuses for Esther if you want. Give me the real reason for your bad mood."
Surprised, I remain silent, not knowing if she knows what is troubling me. Fear begins to take over my body and I nervously tap my heel on the floor. The problem with Holly is that whenever she wants something from someone, she always gets it. But I don't know if I'm ready to admit to her the reason for my distress. With a dry throat, I pick up my glass of lemon water and take two big gulps before putting it back on the table, almost empty.
"I think I'm in love with him," I finally confess, without bothering to specify who I'm talking about. I didn't think I was capable of admitting it out loud, and I let out a long sigh as the weight on my shoulders lifted.
I'm in love with him.
"I knew it!" she exclaims, beaming with joy and applauding wildly. I don't understand her obvious joy at this announcement and instinctively furrow my brow. There's no reason to be happy, it's a disaster!
"And you swore to me that your kiss was just a mistake... What a cheeky liar," she teases.
"I know," I mutter, "but I really didn't realize it until now."
"And what made you realize it?"
I sigh and close my eyes, trying to remember the exact moment when my heart completely melted.
"Him. I can't even explain it to myself. It's just him. And since he left, the signals have gotten even worse."
"He knows, do you think?"
"Are you crazy! He would be able to tell our parents. I'm already ashamed of myself for letting such feelings arise, and I don't want to alert the whole world."
"You really see him as an idiot. Remind me again what you like about him?"
Holly starts to laugh as I lightly tap her shoulder.
What do I like? Everything.
***
This morning my father wakes me up quite early by coming into my room to kiss me before he goes to the garage. Completely groggy and with my eyes barely open, I struggle to return his kiss.
"You got a letter from the university, I left it on the kitchen counter," he says.
At these words I jump out of bed, fully awake this time, which makes him smile.
"I haven't opened it yet, but I'd like to be there when you do. Can you wait until tonight?"
"Absolutely not!" I put on a sweater and slippers and hurry downstairs to the kitchen. My father's deep laugh echoes from my room as I hear his heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. My heart begins to race as I pick up the piece of paper. I think if I get another rejection, I'll never recover.
"Like ripping off a Band-Aid! Don't think about it," my father urges me.
I rip open the envelope and take out the piece of paper to read aloud.
"Miss Adeline Lewis, we are writing to inform you that your application for the first year of Applied Biology at the University of Washington is... accepted!"
Tears of joy run down my cheeks and I scream as my father picks me up and kisses me tenderly. With my arms around his neck, I hold on to him and let him spin me around in the air.
"Congratulations darling, I'm proud of you."
He kisses my head several times before setting me down and taking the paper from my hands to read it himself, a big smile on his face.
"I'll tell Cameron."
I run up the stairs to the second floor and enter my stepbrother's room without a moment's hesitation.
- Cameron, wake up! I yelled as I jumped on his bed like a little girl.
- Let me sleep, he grumbled.
I lay under the covers with him and nestled against his back before whispering in his ear:
- I got accepted to Seattle.
He turned on the light and quickly turned around to face me. With his head in a cloud, his eyes red and his hair disheveled, he looked at me in disbelief.
- Really?
- Yes.
- Oh my God, he said as he jumped into my arms and hugged me tightly. I'm so relieved. Congratulations, little sister.
I giggled as I hugged him back before letting him finish his night. As for me, I was so excited about the news that it was impossible for me to go back to sleep. I went back to my room to get my gym clothes, which I quickly put on, grabbed my phone, and went for a run. On the way, I wrote a message to the girls to tell them the news, then put on my headphones before I started running.
I need to release my excess joy or I'll turn into a real electric battery!
When I got back, I went through the kitchen to get a glass of water and pulled out my iPhone. It had been vibrating nonstop in my pants pocket, and I noticed that the girls had gone wild in our group conversation. But one message caught my attention, causing a skipped heartbeat and thousands of butterflies in my stomach. Jayden's name appeared on my phone's screen, and I struggled to look away from those six letters. I didn't remember having his phone number, and seeing it in black and white gave me goosebumps. I pressed the message and opened it, breathless.
[Congratulations, Adeline.]
And even though I tried my best to resist, my heart melted forever.
YOU ARE READING
Despicable Desires
Romance"He is her despicable half-brother. And he drives her mad... For years, he has returned to the family home only on rare occasions, and that suits Ambre just fine. The less she sees of her obnoxious half-brother, the better off she is! So when she le...
