Angel of Mine (4 page)

It’s been a few days since Theo almost caught me healing that little boy in the park, and I have been avoiding him at all costs. My plan today is to move forward in this new journey of living independently. I’m determined to take the next step and to brave the over-crowded mall.

I will miss ogling Theo’s impressive form playing footy at the park, but I can’t risk going near him again when he came so close to finding out my secret. I wonder why this thought saddens me so much. This strong attraction to him is something I have never experienced first-hand before, and I am curious if it is like this for everyone.

Inclined to go the long way so that I might catch a glimpse of him as I walk by, I tie the laces on my shoes and head off in that direction. Winding through the neighbourhood, I admire all the different houses as I pass by. They have their own individual style, and the only thing they have in common is the beautiful manicured gardens. Different coloured flowers line the footpath and send up sweet scents of gardenia, roses, and other blossoms. Most houses have giant oak trees out front, like the ones in the park. They meet in the middle of the street, and create a make shift arch that shades the street below.

The weather is overcast and gloomy. The clouds are gathering speed as they roll by overhead, and it is getting darker by the minute. This causes shadows to fall all around me and leaves a dark, eerie feeling in the air. I hope that we will get a decent amount of rain; it’s been a while, and the surrounding landscape is getting rather dry.

Confident that I will still make it to the mall before the rain hits, I stroll past the park at a leisurely pace. Chancing a quick glance over at the area, I come up disappointed; he isn’t there. Oh well, it’s probably for the best.

Moving on at a brisk pace, I start to feel excited by the prospect of going to the mall. I haven’t been there in a long time. Mum has given me some money to shop with, and my mood brightens even further as visions of all the things I would like to buy dance before my eyes.

After a minute or two, I hear footsteps jogging behind me, and then a moment later, I hear my name. “Ally?” It’s spoken as a question. My breath catches. I’d know that gravelly voice anywhere; it’s starred in my dreams the past couple of nights since I first heard it.

Pretending I didn’t hear, or that I might not be this Ally he speaks of, I quicken my stride. After all, I am meant to be avoiding him. I don’t find myself trying too hard though. I actually do want this beautiful guy to catch me.
Stupid traitorous hormones
.

“Ally, is that you?” He calls out a little louder than before. Relinquishing any hope of getting away, I stop and pivot around. I guess he wasn’t expecting me to do that because he is still jogging right at me and has to still himself suddenly by bracing his arms on my shoulders.

Breathless, he rocks back and forth on his feet a few times and then looks up at me.
Whoa
. He is so close. I feel his warm breath fanning in short puffs across my face. His eyes meet mine, and he inhales sharply. The look he gives me is so intense that I feel like a million butterflies just went berserk in my stomach. Actually no, upgrade that to bats, big strong-winged bats flapping like crazy.

I can almost taste the sweet cinnamon smell mingling between us. I’m severely tempted to close the distance and find out if that’s what it is for sure. Scared he might be able to read my mind, I feel my cheeks warm, so I take a step back. Shyly, I fix my gaze to the ground. All of a sudden, I find something fascinating down there.
How embarrassing
. I seriously hope he doesn’t notice.

Pull it together Ally. You’re seventeen, and you shouldn’t be turning into a tomato just because a cute guy stands close
. As he drops his arms, the spell is broken, and he moves a step or two back, increasing the distance between us. I feel a momentary pang of sadness from the loss of contact.

“Sorry about that.” He laughs nervously. “So,” he hesitates and then continues. “I saw you walking by my house, and I just wanted to check and see if you were okay. You know, your hurt knee and all.” He stumbles over his words.

“Umm, it’s okay. It was nothing,” I reply with the briefest of glances. I kick the toe of my shoe against the footpath and twist a strand of my hair around my fingers. I’m so flustered. I’m torn between wanting to stay and talk to him, and wanting to run in the other direction because I have no idea what to say.

“I’m glad to hear it. I was hoping… I mean, I just moved to the area, and don’t know anyone yet, and I was wondering if you would want to hang out some time.”

Finding the strength to raise my head back up, I let slip, “I’m going to the mall.”
Good one Ally. He probably doesn’t mean right now, you moron. Stop talking about yourself in the third person in your head and say something. Jeez, he probably thinks you’re a loony toon.

My cheeks flood with heat again as I spout out even more drivel, “I mean, you don’t have to come. I was just saying what I was going to do.”
Oh my god! He probably thinks I’m desperate, and I already kind of am when it comes to him.
I mentally kick myself. I guess I’ve totally blown my plan of avoidance out the water.

The smirk on his face shows that he is amused, and he seems to be enjoying my stuttering. He just stands there with his hands in his pockets, looking all sexy and carefree.
Damn him
. His smirk turns into a grin. “The mall sounds fantastic. Shall we?” He motions with his hand to the path.

Afraid to speak, I just nod and continue on my way. He keeps pace beside me while I try to think of something non-idiotic to say. As we walk, our arms accidentally brush against each other and that small contact sends tingles through me. Goosebumps appear on my sensitized skin, and the wispy hairs stand on end. I love this new feeling. I fight the enormous goofy grin that I know is filling my face.

“Did the sun suddenly come out, or did you just smile?” The grin breaks out in full force now
. Is he flirting with me?
I start to giggle, then clamp my hand over my mouth to hold it in. Looking abashed, he rectifies, “Sorry that was pretty cheesy. I don’t really do this.” He swallows hard, waves a hand between us, and then shakes his head. “I guess I don’t actually know what I’m doing. Your smile is gorgeous though.”

“Thank you.” He reaches out, takes my hand, and we forge ahead. Occasionally we sneak sideways glances at each other, and I smile like a fool every time he catches me checking him out.

“So who exactly is Ally? Other than a breathtakingly beautiful girl, of course.” He grins at me, and I almost snort at his cheesiness. I can’t help but think that it’s somewhat cute though. “What do you do for fun?”

“Umm.” I chew on my lip, trying to buy some time. I’m pretty much a hermit. I’ve only recently started going out into the world, but that isn’t something I can tell him. My endless supply of trashy romance novels comes to mind, but I don’t want him to know about the smut I read in those.
How embarrassing
.

He nudges my hip with his. “Come on, you can tell me. It can’t be that bad,” he teases. “What is it? Let me guess. Do you hide dead bodies? Dance around the house in your underwear?” He wiggles his eyebrows at me as he jokes around.

My eyes bulge out of my head at his suggestions, and I cough and sputter as a sense of shyness comes over me. “No,” I scoff.

“Relax Ally. I was just kidding,” he says with a chuckle.

Feeling slightly self-conscious, I take my hand back and cross my arms. “I knew that.” I can feel my pout. “I like to read and watch movies.” Surely, there’s no need to mention what type.

“Let me guess. Romance.”
Busted
. He doesn’t look as if he is making fun of me. It seems he’s just curious. I give him a playful shove anyway. “Sue me. I’m a girl who likes romance. It wasn’t a hard guess. I bet you like action. Am I right?” I quirk my eyebrow with a satisfied look on my face. I so have him here.
Point made
.

His face goes deadly serious as he answers, “No, romance is my favourite genre too.” He keeps up the charade for about ten seconds before he bursts out laughing.

“You arse.” I can’t help but to laugh too. He’s actually quite funny.

A single fat raindrop lands on my nose. It rolls down to my lips, and I lick it away. Theo stops mid step and he focuses his stare on my mouth, devouring my lips with his eyes.
Oh my, I might be in over my head here. Is he going to kiss me?
I’ve never kissed a boy before.

The rain starts to fall faster, and before he has the chance to make a move, I break the moment by stammering, “It’s raining. Quick, let’s go.” Motioning towards the mall with my head, I turn and run at full speed for the last few hundred meters there.

Wow, I almost kissed a girl that I just met in the middle of a downpour.
What a way to go to scare her away, you weirdo
. Silently berating myself for my lack of common sense, I catch up to her at the automatic glass doors in front of the mall.

The rain is pouring down now, and as we walk inside, the sound only increases as the drops pelt hard against the metal roof of the building. Crowds of people gaining shelter from the storm clog the space around us and I notice Ally shrink into herself as though she is uncomfortable.

Leaning into her ear I ask, “Is everything okay?”

She shakes her head, and little drops of water sprinkle down around us. “I’m just not used to crowds, but I’ll be fine.” I slide my arm around her petite waist, pulling her close, and loving the way she fits against me and the warmth that blankets the side of my body where we touch.

Guiding her carefully through the crowds, I find a coffee shop. As I pull a chair out for her at a corner table by the window I ask, “Is this okay?”

“Perfect.” She smiles reassuringly up at me, which makes me feel as though I am a knight in shining armour who just saved the damsel in distress. Pride swells in my chest; it feels terrific to be able to look after someone else for a change.

As I take a seat, I pause for a moment, appreciating the sight the rain makes as it moves across the window, shimmering like little crystals. The drops sparkle around the edges from the glow of the lamp beside our table.

My gaze roams over the rest of my surroundings. A large floor-to-ceiling bookshelf covers the far wall. Oversized velvet cushions border around low-level mahogany coffee tables where people lounge, quietly reading and sipping from giant mugs.

A few tables dot this side of the room, but they are mostly empty. Strains of soft bluesy music tease my ears and the smell of roasted coffee beans fills my nose. I soak up the entire atmosphere that this cozy little café has to offer.

My gaze rests on Ally again as I pass her a menu. “Are you a coffee or tea kind of girl?” She peruses the menu while chewing on her bottom lip. I fixate on the motion, thinking I would like to drink her instead.

“I’m a sweet tooth kind of girl, a hot chocolate with marshmallows and cake kind of girl.”

My mind instantly conjures sinister thoughts around this ravishing beauty, and before I can stop myself, the words just seem to fall out of my mouth. “I can be really sweet.” Then I wink. I actually fucking wink.
Why does she inspire such corny thoughts to rush from my brain and escape via my big, stupid mouth?

“I’ll just go place our order. Be right back.” I dash off towards the counter before I can see her reaction to my verbal diarrhoea. In the queue, I give myself a pep talk.
Be smooth Theo; be smooth
. By the time I place our order, I feel as if I have my act together and I head back to her.

When I return to my seat, Ally places her hands on top of mine and relieves the tension in the air by getting rid of the elephant in the room. “That was really
sweet
of you to take care of our orders.” She emphasizes the word sweet and winks back at me.
Wow, that was seriously hot.

I feel instantly relieved that she isn’t offended and a little turned on by her cheeky retort. I grin and shrug my shoulders as if to say ‘hey, can you blame me? You are smoking hot, and I’m unable to think clearly when you’re around.’

Moving back to safer topics I ask Ally what she does for a living. “Well, I’m finishing my high school education this year and would love to go off to university next year and study to be a doctor.”

Images of her in a schoolgirl’s uniform fill my head, and I decide that no topic with her is a safe one. I feel like a pervert. I should be picturing her in a doctor’s coat, not dressed as a schoolgirl.
What am I saying? Should I be picturing her at all?
“How old are you Ally?”

“I’ll be eighteen next month. How old are you?” Okay, so the age difference isn’t bad, I’m only two years older. That makes me feel less like a perv.

“I just turned twenty not long back.” Suddenly, a thought occurs to me that she might be attending the same school Alex just enrolled in. “So, do you go to the local high school here?”

“I’m actually home schooled. We used to move a lot when I was younger, and Mum thought it would be easier that way than constantly changing my schools. We’ve been all over Australia, but we’ve lived here going on five years now. Home schooling works for me, so we’ve just kept it that way.”