Avalon (9 page)

“Well, if that’s what you call it, then it works,” she said hugging me again and pulling herself to her feet. “Get that bar away from me,” she told one of her friends standing close by.

I was still kneeling on the floor when I turned around and saw Leo leaning on the door frame to the common room, watching me. I got to my feet and smoothed my school skirt. His eyes stayed with me, intense and adoring. I walked over to him.

“Where have you been?”

“That was impressive.” He ignored my question.

“What? That?”, I said. “Oh that was nothing, just a technique I learnt.”

“Really?” he said, not sounding entirely convinced.

“Really.” I said as a matter of fact. “So where were you this morning?”

“I was having a medical check. All the new students get one.”

He was right. I had seen the school doctor on my first week.

“I assume you got the all clear.”

“I did.”

“How’s Henry?”

“He’s all right. He will get over it, but I wouldn’t.”

I gulped. “Umm... Are you.... staying in this weekend?”

He cleared a loose strand of hair from my forehead and placed it behind my ear gently. I looked into his eyes wanting to throw my arms around him but I couldn’t; we were in the common room, with too many prying eyes. He sensed my anguish and took my hand and pulled me outside.

“Come with me.”

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere where I can touch you without you worrying about what other people think.”

“Don’t be annoyed. I just don’t want to hurt my friends.”

“There will come a time in your life when you will want to stop doing what everyone tells you to do, what others want from you,” he said passionately.

I continued down the corridor with him, there was no one in sight, and all we could hear were our own footsteps as we walked.

“Listen, Holly. You make me feel alive and I have a hard time being away from you. Do you know what that’s like, being held back from someone you want to be with?”

I did know what it was like as I had been taken away from my own family, but I was not prepared to explain my background to Leo, not yet. Finally we found ourselves alone in the pitch black assembly room. All we could see was each other’s silhouette. He held my hips and pulled me towards him, into his arms again. He felt so strong, so masculine and in control of what he wanted. I ran both of my hands up each of his arms and felt his firm shape, the contours taut and ripped perfectly. He was gorgeous and he was here with me right now. He gently placed me up against the wall, tilted my head back and bent down, separating my lips with his and kissed me, just like he had last night; so tenderly. I greedily ran my fingers through his hair and kissed him passionately unable to remove my lips from his, unable to stop exploring his mouth with my tongue. I wanted him so much but I couldn’t get any closer, I didn’t know how to get any closer, certainly not now, not in my school uniform, not in the assembly hall.

I took my hair out of the ponytail and this time he felt my long hair. “Holly, you seriously drive me crazy. I never thought I would find someone like you and you have no idea how much of a contradiction you are to my life.”

What did that mean? More puzzles.

The bell went. Where had the last half an hour gone? How appropriate the cliche
how time flies when you’re having fun
was right now. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and walked out of the assembly hall with Leo.

“Remember yesterday I told you, you could have me anyway you wanted me? Even if that means we have to sneak around, so that you feel like you’re not hurting anyone’s feelings? Do you want me?”

“What do you think?” I stopped, amazed that he had to ask. “Did you just see the person who was in the assembly hall with you?”

“Yes, that was you,” he laughed “A fascinating girl who’s got me thinking about her all the time.”

He had this way with words that made me feel like I was the most important person to ever walk the earth. He made me feel like he would do anything for me. I felt strangely protected in his company, as if he would never let anyone hurt me.

“What are you thinking, Holly? “

“I’m thinking how much you rock my world. Where did you come from, Leo? You have well and truly bowled me over, I feel like a different person when I’m with you.”

“A better person?”

“Of course, you bring out fire and passion deep in my soul. I never thought I would feel like this about anyone.”

“Holly listen. If it’s any consolation, this is all new to me too.”

“I doubt it. You’re very confident.” I raised my brow.

“Don’t doubt me. When I say something I mean it.” He stopped and looked at me, as if to reinforce that he could be trusted.”

“Well I’m thinking about you and Henry, I mean you share a room with him. Isn’t it going to be awkward?”

“I don’t care. I want what you want.”

“I want you, but don’t you think I’m being a bit harsh, I just broke up with Henry and now I’m… Well I guess, I’m going out with you?”

“OK, so start hanging around me, come and sit with me, we’re in almost all the same classes anyway.” He grinned.

I grinned back at him. I released my hand from his as we entered the quadrant surrounded by classrooms and we walked straight to the science lab for a double science lesson. Leo opened the door for me and let me enter before him. Henry noticed I entered the room with Leo and looked upset, possibly cross even and glanced back down to his open book on the science table and huffed. He was disappointed and I hated that he felt that way.

Leo sat next to me undeterred by anything or anyone. I wished it could be some other way, but Henry would just have to learn that I had a new friend, and that he didn’t have any ownership rights. I would try my best not to flaunt my obvious feelings for Leo.

When our lesson finished the bell went for lunch and Leo and I walked over to the cafeteria, just like everyone else.

“Leo, can I have a word,” Henry said pulling Leo by the arm.

“Sure,” he said. “Excuse me, Holly. I’ll join you when I’m done.” I watched them as they stopped by one of the benches close to the quad and began to have a heated discussion, about me no doubt.

I found my friends gathered at one of the dining tables and walked over to join them. They stopped talking when I sat down with my plate of food.

“We heard what happened. Well done,” Jess said.

“What do you mean?” Were they talking about Leo.

“You know, Shona choking in the common room.”

“Oh that. I didn’t really do anything.”

“You have a habit of helping people,” Emily said lifting her eyebrows as if to remind me of the horse riding incident at her house.

“I just have a way of calming people down, that’s all.”

“Well whatever it is, you’re good at it. Maybe you have some freaky supernatural power.” Emily laughed and the others joined in.

I breathed through a fake smile and let the topic go.

“Where’s Henry and Leo?” Rach asked.

I turned around to look at the back of the room and caught Leo walking towards the food counter. He caught my eye and winked. Rach saw what happened and her eyes darted over to me.

“Oh, no way,” she said.

I said nothing at first. What could I say?

“Holly, have you and Leo got a thing going? I thought I said I liked him.”

Leo joined the table, finding a place right next to me. He came at just the right time, so I didn’t have to answer Rachael’s question. The others heard her comments and looked over, noticing that we were spending lunch together. Rachael did not look happy, in fact her face showed annoyance and I knew she would confront me as soon as she got a moment.

“Are you all right?” Leo asked me as he took a huge bite of his sandwich.

“Me?” I whispered, “What about you? What did Henry want with you?”

Leo shrugged as if it was no big deal. “He said he has asked to change rooms he doesn’t want me as his room-mate.”

“Because of me?”

“Probably. That’s his problem.”

“Did he say anything else?”

“Yes he told me I was out of order going after you.”

“What did you say?”

“I told him, you were a free agent.”

I nodded understanding his words and thinking I could probably use the same speech on Rachel.

Leo and I spent the rest of lunch bent over the table in a private huddle, talking about everything. He told me about his uncle Ryan, the guy he lives with when he goes home.

“Are you staying at school on the weekend?” I asked, knowing his decision would reflect my own to stay at school or go home.

“I was going to. Are you?”

I smiled. “Well I might if you do.”

“If you do, I might.” He laughed.

“So stay at school and I will too,” I said playfully pushing his shoulder.

“I will.”

“Well good.” I laughed.

I placed my arms by my side and Leo took the opportunity to hold my hand under the table. We grinned like two little mischievous children. Despite my best effort to mix with my friends at lunch and look inconspicuous with Leo, it hadn’t worked. My attention was on Leo and him alone.

“I want to get you alone so bad,” he said bumping my shoulder. “What about tonight if you can get out of dorm?”

“Are you serious?”

“I’ll come and get you tonight.”

“You will not,” I said thinking he was joking.

“I will. I’ll put my alarm on for midnight and I’ll come for you.”

“OK,” I said thinking about how to plan my escape. I had never broken the school rules before, and even though I knew if we got caught sneaking out from our dorms in the middle of the night, we would get into so much trouble – suspension, possibly expulsion – it all seemed worth it. I yearned to have time with Leo away from prying eyes.

*****

“Are you and Leo a ‘thing’?” Simone asked me during our Design and Technology lesson. I was surprised by her question given we had never really talked to each other.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I mean, you keep looking at each other.”

She had noticed it too. In the space of two days I couldn’t stop the pull of some mysterious force. Our attraction was too intense, like moth to a flame, and it wasn’t going to go away.

“Look at you?” she continued.

“Pardon, I don’t get what you mean.”

“You have not listened to a word I just said. You’re besotted with the new guy and he can’t keep his eyes off you either.”

“I’m just looking at what they are making, that’s all.”

“OK whatever you say,” she said dismissively.

When our class ended Leo left first, and my heart skipped a beat. How could I miss someone who had just left the space we were both occupying? I left the classroom feeling slightly deflated that he had gone, but he was waiting for me a couple of metres from the classroom door. My demeanour changed completely, as soon as I saw him.

“Did you think I would leave you?” he said perhaps sensing my anguish, brushing my cheek.

I held his hand at my cheek for a moment, closed my eyes and took in his touch. “I.... I don’t know what I thought, but I’m glad you waited.”

“Ah... but Holly, I have been waiting for you for so long.”

“You know what? I feel like I’ve been waiting for you too. Correction, I never thought I’d meet someone like you.” I said.

“Have you got anything on now?” Leo asked.

“I‘ve signed up to do horse-riding with my friends this term, so I can’t stay here long.”
Damn horse-riding...
“I’ll see you later,” I said pulling away from him, our hands still touching.

“Until tonight,” he said kissing my hand.

I giggled. Leo released me and watched me as I ran off. “Until tonight,” I shouted down the hall.

I went to my sports locker and changed into my horse riding clothes; jodhpurs, boots, hat. I hurried to the bus, thinking I was probably late. Scrambling aboard the bus, I sat next to Emily with Jess and Rach sitting in the two seats in front of us as we made our way to the equestrian centre.

“So what’s going on with you and Leo?” Jess said bumping shoulders with Rachael. Had Rach asked Jess to question me?

“Nothing juicy.” Well not if I didn’t tell them. “We like each other.”

“And I told you I liked him.” Rach turned around narrowing her eyes at me.

“Are we really going to have this conversation?” I said dismissively.

“Yes we are! You know, Holly, I didn’t think you were the type of girl to steal a guy away from one of your friends.”

This time I narrowed my eyes. “You know what Rachael? I don’t need to explain myself to you, and let’s get the facts right. I didn’t steal anyone away from you, because first they must belong to you and, as far as I can tell, you don’t hold the title deeds to Leo. You do not dibs someone, and you most certainly do not get to decide who I am allowed to like and who I am not. I like Leo, we get on really well, OK.”