Spellbound - Cara Lynn Shultz [121]
“Fine!” Angelique threw her hands in the air dramatically, handing over Hadrian’s Medieval Legends.
“I’ll just leave this here,” she said, tapping on the red-covered spell book.
“See you Monday,” Angelique said, throwing her bag over her shoulder as I started cramming my feet into my lace-up Converse sneakers, the only shoes that fit over my bulky ankle bandage. Angelique started for the door, then turned around to address me over her shoulder.
“I’ll want you to have read the first two chapters of that book by Monday. We’ll discuss it at lunch.”
“You’re giving me homework?” I asked incredulously.
After nodding and bowing with a flourish, Angelique let herself out of my room. I heard her saying goodbye to Aunt Christine as I dialed Brendan’s number, cradling the phone in my shoulder as I tried to find a big enough bag to hold the book.
“Hey, sweetheart,” came the sexy, deep voice on the other end.
“I need to see you right now.” The urgency was clear in my voice. “Everything’s okay—it’s better than okay—but I need to see you. I can’t wait until later.”
“Come over now,” Brendan offered. “I was actually going to call you after I jumped in the shower—my parents left early so I’m here alone now. I’ll send the car.”
“No time, I’ll grab a cab. I’m on my way,” I said, shutting the phone, deciding to just empty my bookbag completely, dumping all the contents on the floor to make room for Hadrian’s Medieval Legends.
I hobbled to the bathroom to splash some water on my face. Act natural, Emma.
“Hey, Aunt Christine?” I called, slinging the bag over my shoulder and pulling my winter coat out of the hall closet.
“Yes, dear?” she asked, looking up from the couch where she was watching a rerun of Cribs on one of her billion or so channels. “Look at this, who needs a gold toilet?” she clucked disapprovingly.
“Um, yeah. Wait, what?” I asked, momentarily distracted.
“Nothing, dear.” Aunt Christine laughed. “Are you leaving already?”
“Yeah, Angelique reminded me about some stuff that I had to get done, and Brendan’s an ace with Latin. Me, not so much.”
“Okay, Emma. I know you still have a lot to catch up on,” she said, nodding. If only she knew just how much.
I kissed her on the cheek and headed out the door, hailing the first cab I saw. A subway would have been faster—and cheaper—but aside from my still-sore ankle, I was afraid to carry this precious cargo around people. I hugged the bag to my chest, looking down at my sweatpants and sneakers with mismatched laces and realizing that I probably should have thrown on jeans or something a little more presentable.
Brendan was waiting in the street for me, paying the cab driver before I could even protest.
“What’s this all about?” Brendan asked with a bemused expression, taking the heavy bag from me and sliding it on his shoulders. His still-damp hair hung in his green eyes, which crinkled at the corners with his smile.
“I’ll tell you when we’re upstairs,” I promised as he scooped me up into his arms, insisting on carrying me up the four flights of stairs. Even though I could have made it on my ankle, I didn’t argue with him—much.
I hadn’t been to Brendan’s house since that first time—so I was at first surprised at how, well, messy his room was.
“Yeah, I was going to clean up before you got here,” Brendan admitted sheepishly while he still held me in his arms. After a short kiss, he sat me on the end of his bed and surveyed his room, kicking a pair of video game controllers under the couch. He scratched his hair, sending the damp locks in a million different directions. It looked like his hair was fighting with itself.
“It’s not bad.” I smiled, looking at the disorganized mess and realizing the first time I’d come over, he’d cleaned up to impress me.
“So what’s the emergency? Not that I mind getting extra time with you,” Brendan asked, sliding his hands around my waist and leaning into me. I started falling back on his bed, losing my senses as usual whenever he kissed me.
“Wait!” I cried, pushing him back. If we started that I’d never get to the great news.