Unorthodox Beginnings

Chapter 2

I got out of the shower quickly, drying and dressing myself in a minute flat. I left my hair to drip dry as I ventured out to find the intruder. My heart beat against my chest in a frantic drum roll.

Breathing deeply to calm myself down, I tiptoed around all the rooms on the first floor. They were all completely devoid of human life. I crept downstairs to look down there but there was nobody in the office or the sitting room. I locked the front door before going to make a cup of tea to calm down

I entered the kitchen and headed straight to the tea press, but a movement in the corner caught my eye.

I turned around slowly to see a handsome teenager stood in the corner with a shocked look on his face.

I started screaming then, frozen to the spot in terror. He could rape me or murder me or beat me or anything! How did he get in here? Was he the same person who walked in on my shower?

"no I'm not here to hurt you, I'm- shush, please!" I stopped screaming but my limbs shook with fear. Despite the boy's obvious good looks - his straight black hair partly covered two eyes the size and colour of twin black holes, and his features were soft and kind - he still scared me. He had to be at least six feet tall, towering over me as he drew closer with raised hands.

"I'm not robbing the house! I'm just here with my uncle Pat, he's working in the garden. Please, don't be scared!" he held up his hands in surrender. His voice sounded distinctly British - maybe from London? It was certainly too deep for him to be anywhere near my age

"why are you in my house?" I stepped back from him but my back hit the counter. My voice went pathetically high pitched and shaky with fear.

"I was helping my uncle Pat, I kind of work for him. I'm Julian, didn't Vincent say I'd be helping?" Vincent was my father.

"no? I wasn't even told Pat would be here"

"I swear I'm not lying, call your dad if you need to but please, don't start screaming again!" he looked a bit scared himself.

I took out my phone and called my dad, warily eyeing Julian.

"hey dad, is Pat's nephew working with him today? Are they working on the garden?"

"yeah, didn't I mention that?" my dad sounded confused

"no, you didn't. See you later" I hung up and looked back at Julian

"sorry, you just scared me shitless" I breathed a sigh of relief

"no worries, I'd do the same. Sorry as well, by the way. For scaring you and... walking in on your shower" a blush rose on his deathly pale cheeks

"oh, was that you?" I laughed "as long as you didn't see any of my fiddly bits, it's ok. Want some tea?"

"no fear, I was trying not to look at anything. Yeah actually a cuppa would be great" Julian smiled and I caught a glimpse of perfectly straight white teeth, with a chip out of one.

I turned to make the tea before I said something stupid - my speciality.

"how did you not hear my music?" I wondered as I filled up the kettle "It was on full volume"

"I had headphones in, sorry. I wasn't told there'd be anyone home so I didn't bother to knock"

"ah, I know that feeling, like you know you probably should take out the headphones but you just love the song too much, yeah?" music was the one topic I could talk about for years.

"exactly! And it seems that the exact moment your favourite part plays, something distracts you and you just-" Julian then pulled a face that made me burst out laughing. Julian laughed with me after a few seconds. His laugh was deep and infectious and made my stomach tingle.

Stop it Adia, you barely know this boy!

"it had better have been a great song to make up for you interrupting my shower - what was it?"

"um..." Julian's cheeks flushed again "I'm afraid you might be disappointed, it was Macklemore..." his nose wrinkled embarrassedly yet adorably as he awaited my verdict

"what song?" I pursed my lips, trying not to laugh

"i think it was And We Danced?"

"oh, I love that song! Not his best, though," I turned and poured the water for tea "milk or sugar?" I asked as I squeezed out the teabag and handed the steaming mug to him

"neither, thanks" he smiled slightly at me as he took the cup awkwardly. His Drop Dead shirt was short-sleeved but he wore a long sleeved tshirt under it, covering his long arms.

"Loving the shirt, by the way," I smiled "are you a fan of Bring Me The Horizon?"

"uh- yeah, but only recently. This shirt was my brother's and he gave me his old iPod to get me interested in loads of different bands"

"oh cool! What kind of stuff is on it?" music was something I could talk about forever.

"pretty much everything," Julian sipped his tea "You Me At Six, The Smiths, Thirty Seconds To Mars, even some Skrillex and stuff like that"

"that sounds like one awesome iPod" I nodded in approval "your brother has great taste in music. Do you have any Pierce The Veil?" they were my favourite band

"I'm sorry, who... Who are they?"

"you don't know them? Deprived child! Here, have a listen," I gave him my headphones, plugged them into my phone and started playing Hold On Til May. Four and a half minutes later, Julian took out the earphones and handed them back

"they're... amazing," he spoke quietly, his eyes wide.

"I know, right? Want to hear some more?" Julian nodded enthusiastically and I handed him my phone

"their songs are on a playlist, just press play" Julian handed me one earphone and put the other in his ear. He shuffled closer to me so that the wire would stretch, but he never even brushed off me. We stood in silence as the music washed over us both, eradicating all sense of awkwardness.

Suddenly the back door banged open and Pat Gregan lumbered in. He was a large man, wearing a muddy shirt and even muddier jeans. His ruddy face glistened with beads of sweat.

"'lo, lass! Found the scallywag, 'ave ye?" he boomed, a grin on his face. I could barely understand his thick Cork accent

"um... Yes?" I took the earphone out of my ear and handed it to Julian.

"he was s'posed to help, but apparently he got distracted! Not surprising, a lad of his age and a lass of your... Type... Anyroad, we'd best get this one home," he clapped a mighty hand onto Julian's shoulder. The boy flinched and clenched his fists, obviously discomforted by the contact.

"are you finished already?" I asked timidly, eyeing Julian carefully.

"oh yes, lass. Woulda been done quicker if I'd had the help o' this one! Come on, Julian, I'll drop you home," Pat's voice echoed around the kitchen as Julian stood awkwardly and handed back my phone

"thanks for the tea," he muttered, the ghost of a smile on his lips. Pat led him out the front door before I had a chance to reply, and I was left alone.

Again.