Sub Rosa Ties ( A High School Dark Romance)

Zera

I was jittery. Not only that, but I was also curious and puzzled.

Even though I was in a taxi right now and I was almost reaching the house Austin had described, I still couldn't understand why his mom wanted to see me.

A few minutes later, I stepped out of the taxi, and the chilly evening breeze tousled strands of my hair across my face.

The sun had begun its descent, casting a warm glow over the surroundings. I surveyed the quiet surroundings before turning my gaze forward to behold a house. It stood solitary, exuding an eerie and silent aura.

"Let's just get this done, Zera. You go in there, chat with his mom, and get out ASAP," I whispered to myself, mustering a semblance of assurance as I dreaded lingering in this neighborhood after dark.

I had barely taken a few steps when my phone buzzed in my hand, and I glanced down to see Gerard's name lighting up my screen.

"Hello?"

"Zeea, are you home? I'm on my way to your place," Gerard's voice came through, steady and composed.

"My house? Why are you coming over?" I blurted out, immediately feeling foolish for the question. Why would I question my boyfriend like that?

"What do you mean?" he responded, confusion evident in his tone.

"Um... I'm not home right now," I stammered out.

"Where are you?" he asked, and I could already picture him making a quick turn to head in my direction.

Telling Gerard I was standing in front of Austin's house would have been one of the stupidest things I'd ever done in my life.

"I... um... I'm at the shopping mall. Yeah, with my mom," I blurted out instead, the words stumbling out of my mouth. There was a brief silence on the other end before Gerard spoke.

"We need... she needs to get a few things for her baking stuff, you know, so I..." I began to ramble, attempting to fill the awkward pause.

"Turn on your location, Zera," he cut me off, his tone firm and unyielding. I knew he didn't believe me.

Why do I have to stutter so much?

"Okay," I replied quickly, ending the call.

I tucked my phone back into my handbag and let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I don't want to stir up trouble in this area, Gerard," I whispered to myself, firm in my decision not to share my location.

Anticipating his inevitable call back, I silenced my phone and headed straight for the door.

I hadn't even knocked three times when the door swung open abruptly, revealing a disheveled blonde head in the doorway.

"Hey. You're here," Austin's lips curved into a smile as he looked at me, and I realized it had been a long time since I'd seen him smile like that.

"Yeah. Um... is your mom..." I trailed off, unsure of how to broach the subject of his terminally ill mother.

His smile remained as he opened the door wider, gesturing for me to enter.

The first thing that enveloped me was his familiar strawberry scent, permeating the entire house and filling my nostrils, but I chose not to dwell on it as my eyes swept over the living room.

I turned abruptly to find Austin standing unusually close to me, a smile playing on his lips.

"Where is she?" I asked, mustering a smile in return.