Page 20 of Autumn Secrets

The rest of the week turned out to be a little bit of a study marathon. I quickly learned that it definitely didn’t matter if you went to school in Paris or in a little country town. The expectations were high, and I really wanted to do well. Lucky for me, my newfound friends were on the same page and we all met up at the library most afternoons to study together. We settled into a routine where someone had to walk up to the café on the main street to get us hot chocolates or coffees before every study session, and we stayed for hours at the library so that Mum could pick me up in the evenings.

At school I actually managed to go the whole week without any awkward meetings with handsome guys or mysterious girls. When Saturday afternoon finally arrived, my anticipation for the evening’s party was surprisingly high. I tried to tell myself that it had nothing to do withhim, and everything to do with the fact that I had moved on from whatever that was. This was my night with my friends; that was all that mattered. I wasn’t even going to put too much effort into my clothes and make-up for the party. “It’s about having fun; I don’t care about anything else,” I mumbled to myself as I got out of the shower.

Two seconds later, I head Mum call from downstairs: “Aurora, Lexi is here.”

Already?I wrapped another towel around my head and ran downstairs.

“And what are you doing here this early?” I asked suspiciously when I came to the door. She looked gorgeous with her short, black dress and smoky eye shadow, framing her moss green eyes in a stunning way. Her blonde hair was in a loose, low bun.

“Is that any way to greet your friend?” She laughed.

“You’re up to something.”

She giggled and put her hands up in defeat. “Okay, you got me. I just wanted to have a look at what you’re wearing tonight.”

I narrowed my eyes and tried to stifle a smile. I knew it. “And why is that?”

“Come on, Aurora. You have a gorgeous guy waiting for you, well technicallytwoguys, but since one is taken already, we need you to look hot tonight. Now, are you letting me in, or what?”

After an hour in Lexi’s care, I had a totally different look to what I had originally planned. My long dark hair that I normally held in a ponytail, was hanging in loose, soft curls down my back. My green eyes looked amazing with the make-up Lexi applied. She tried to get me into a dress, but I politely declined. My black, strappy satin top and a pair of jeans was as far as I would go. Just before seven we said goodbye to Mum, jumped in Lexi’s car and drove towards the centre of town.

“Do you know where you’re going?” I asked and looked out the window. We had passed through the main part of town and were now heading south. After the incident the other night, the darkness gave me a bit of a chill.

“Yep, Julian throws this party every year; don’t worry.”

“So, who knows Julian? I mean, you girls don’t seem to know much about him. Who does he hang out with?” I was curious that someone so good-looking, and who hosted pretty famous parties, could remain so anonymous.

“I know. He’s sooo damn good-looking, and yet no one has been able to catch his interest. In saying that, he’s had some flings here and there. Well, quite a few actually – all of them have. Anyway, he hangs out with the other three and a few of his teammates from soccer. He’s nice to everyone, but he’s still quite private. I think that’s one of the reasons why everyone comes to his party every year. The girls are hoping to catch his interest, and everyone else wants to catch a glimpse of his private life. Personally, I think he hasn’t found anyone interesting enough for him in this town. Maybe he’s just focused on the future ahead, university and all that. I know he’s doing really well at school.”

I smiled. “Sounds like someone else I know.”

Lexi grinned. “You’re right. Nothing wrong with that.”

“Didn’t say there was.”

Julian lived quite far away, on the other side of town. Just like most of the houses outside town, you had to get off the main road to access the property. After driving through the dark for a couple of minutes, a big two-storey house emerged between the trees. There were cars parked everywhere, making me a little bit nervous.

“Nice house, isn’t it?” Lexi said and killed the engine.

“It sure is. Looks like a lot of people are here too.”

Lexi grinned. “Aurora, this is the party of the year. Come on, let’s get in there.”

I nervously followed Lexi to the front door. She didn’t bother to ring or knock; she just opened the door and let herself in.

I hid behind her as I tried to take in the new environment. There were people talking and laughing everywhere, and the music was very loud, playing a mix of summer songs I recognised. I’d never been to a party this big but to my surprise, I felt a jolt of excitement. I had a good feeling about this. I smiled to myself and looked up to see where Lexi wanted to go first but found myself staring into a pair of midnight black eyes.

“Aurora.”

“Julian, hi.”

“I’m going to see where Jasmine and Mia are. Catch up soon.” Lexi winked behind Julian’s back.

I tried to give her a look that saidplease don’t leave me, but she just gave me a mischievous smile and disappeared into the crowd. My eyes darted back to the gorgeous boy in front of me.

“I’m glad you’re here. Do you want me to take your jacket?” he offered.

“Sure. Thank you.” I handed him my jacket. I wasn’t confident enough to keep eye contact, so I let my eyes wander around the large entryway instead, taking it all in.

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