I Knew You Before You Noticed Me

Chapter 5

I looked down at my phone one last time, in case I'd misread the address three times in a row. As unlikely as it seemed, I wouldn't put it past me to do something like that.

Which is why I checked again.

Once I was positive the house number matched the one in the text, I unlocked the gate and headed up the gravel path. Their lawn was huge, and the front of their porch was lined with roses and flowering vines, climbing the wooden columns holding up the porch ceiling. The front door was painted white, with an old-fashioned doorknob.

I rang the doorbell and took a step back, resisting the urge to reach up and tug on my bangs. I'd checked the address five times--I knew it was right.

She could've texted it wrong, my brain said.

My stomach dropped. Great. With my luck, that probably happened.

There was shouting from behind the door and it opened to reveal Biana, who gave me a smile that lit up her face. "Tam! So glad you're here, Fitz's been driving me crazy." She turned back towards the hall behind her and shouted, "DON'T YOU DARE EAT ALL THE ICE CREAM OR I'LL CREAM YOU!" She faced me again and smiled. "Sorry about that. Come on in!"

"Biana, who is that?" a voice from down the hall called.

"None of your business!" she yelled back, and gestured for me to follow her. "Come on. We can work in my room.

In her room?

Biana led me up a flight of stairs and down another hall, opening a door decorated with colorful, eye-catching designs. The first thing that popped out at me was a giant, glitter-covered banner that read "SPARKLES MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER!"

"Wow," I said before I could stop myself. "I think I've gone blind."

To my surprise, Biana laughed. "That's what my brother said, too. But maybe that's a good thing. If he was blind, maybe he wouldn't look in the mirror so much."

She pushed the door open and I whistled. It was a nice room. White drapes covered a large circular window on the back wall, complete with a window seat and a built-in bookshelf beside it. Her four-poster bed was on the left, and a vanity sat on the right, along with a closed door that I guessed led to the bathroom. 

"You can come in, you know," she teased. I flushed and moved from the doorway, setting my bag down on the floor. "Mind if I put this here?"

Biana shrugged. "Sure, go ahead. Make yourself at home."

Easier said than done.

"So," she started, taking a seat on her bed and swinging her legs back and forth. "Do you want to get right ahead and work, or do you wanna do something else first?"

I shrugged. "I don't really care. I mean, it's your house."

"In that case, we should probably start working." Biana hopped off her bed and went to her vanity, where her backpack sat in the chair. I noticed a bunch of makeup in front of the mirror, and found myself wondering why she wore any of it. She was way too beautiful for that.

"Got it," she said, withdrawing the rubric. "Okay, you have the poster board?"

I pointed to the giant board sticking out of the top of my bag. "Yup."

Biana grinned. "Perfect. Let me run and get some art supplies real fast." She made it hallway through the door before pausing. "Oh, and can you draw?"

"Uh, depends," I said. "How symmetrical do you want your stick figures?"

She laughed and said, "Fair enough," before disappearing down the hall.

I tried to tone down my grin. I'd made her laugh. Settling cross-legged on the floor, I decided maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.