CHAPTER THIRTY - ONE

NICK WALKER ©

I couldn't stop thinking about Enzo. He had cared enough to drop me off yesterday.

He also apologized for what he said that night. And for some reason, I felt more comforted by his apology than I wanted to admit.

My gaze drifted to his coat hanging outside to dry.

I remembered the way he had taken it off and hung it around my shoulders.

“Are you blushing?” Avery's voice made me jump and I quickly turned toward the doorway.

I hadn't even noticed when she arrived. I quickly gathered the books scattered across the table and shoved them into my bag.

“When did you get here?” I asked as I moved around the room, making sure everything was in place before we left for school.

Avery dropped onto the sofa with a grin.

“Since the moment I caught you lost in your thoughts and blushing to yourself.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “I wasn't blushing.”

Just then, Mira walked out of her room.

She was already dressed for school, and a huge smile on her face stretched from ear to ear.

Ever since she saw Enzo again yesterday, She had been in a great mood. She spent the whole night talking about him and didn't stop until she finally fell asleep.

"Mira seems to be in a good mood this morning," Avery said as she got up and walked towards her.

"Yep!" Mira replied with a bright smile. "Besides the house being peaceful for once because you came in quietly, I got to see Uncle Enzo last night."

I shook my head in disbelief.

"Since when do I bring noise into the house?" Avery asked, pretending to be confused.

Mira's eyes widened in shock.

"You didn't know?" Mira asked, as if she couldn't believe what Avery had just asked.

Before Avery could answer, she reached over, grabbed Mira's hand, and messed up her hair.

"Avery!"

Mira and I shouted at the same time. Avery fell back onto the couch and burst into laughter.

"I swear, I hate Avery," Mira complained as she stomped back into the room.

"I love you too!" Avery called after her.

I let out a sigh."Why on earth would you do that?" I asked and she flashed a wide grin, showing all her teeth.

"Wait! Is there an Uncle Enzo I don't know about?" she asked.

"Not really. It's the same Enzo you know," I replied as I picked up his coat and folded it neatly into my bag.

"Professor Grayson?" she asked and I nodded.

She shot up from the floor so fast and hurried over.

"Our Grayson?" Her eyes widened. "Wait... how does Mira know Grayson?"

The surprise in her voice made me pause and look at her.

"Well, he turned out to be the uncle Mira is always talking about," I said.

Avery looked confused for a moment. Then her eyes widened in realization.

"Wait... the same uncle who took her to the hospital?" she asked and I nodded.

"Mira! Come fix your hair! We're going to be late!" I called out.

"He came to your house yesterday?" Avery asked, I nodded again and she let out a gasp.

"He gave me a ride home because of the rain," I explained.

Avery walked back to the couch and sat down. A strange smile slowly spread across her face as she stared off into space.

"What?" I asked and she smiled wider.

Just then, Mira walked out of the room with her hair neatly done.

"Wow! You did that yourself?" I asked in surprise.

She nodded proudly, a bright smile on her face. Then she turned to Avery and shot her a glare.

Avery didn't seem to notice. She was still sitting there, smiling to herself.

The more I watched her, the more curious I became.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked.

"Nothing," she replied, sarcastic and I narrowed my eyes at her.

"So... what happened after he dropped you off?" Avery asked and my mind instantly went back to yesterday.

The hug.

The way I had fought so hard not to cry while standing there, trying to hide my tears with sniffles.

Heat rushed to my face and ear.

"Why are your ears red?" Avery asked at once.

Both she and Mira turned to stare at me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked quickly. "Come on, we're going to be late for school."

Before either of them could say another word, I grabbed my bag and headed out of the house.

Mira hurried after me, also leaving Avery behind.

Avery quickly picked up her bag, locked the door, and slipped the key under the pot flower before catching up with us.

"Are we going to see Uncle Enzo again?" Mira asked.

I sighed, already feeling Avery’s eyes on me.

"You can't see him again. You only saw him last night by chance," I said and Mira’s face fell at once.

"Well, I can help you send him a message," Avery said quickly. That instantly cheered Mira up.

"Really? How?" Mira asked.

Avery smiled. "He's my professor."

"Avery, stop," I said at once, shaking my head.

"Why not?" Mira asked again, now pouting.

I let out another sigh and adjusted my bag.

"Come on, we're going to be late for school," I said as we all started walking towards Mira's school.

An hour later, we arrived at college after dropping Mira off at her school.

"Why does Mira seem so eager to see Grayson again?" Avery asked as we walked toward the hall for our first class.

"I have no idea," I said. "She barely makes friends, let alone gets close to strangers."

As I spoke, my mind drifted back to last night.

The way Mira had so much joy when she saw Enzo.

The way she wrapped her arms around his legs.

Why was she so comfortable around him?

Then I suddenly remembered Enzo’s coat I needed to return.

"I'll be back. Go on without me," I said to Avery before she could respond.

I turned and hurried off toward Enzo’s office.

When I reached the door, I paused for a moment to catch my breath. Then I knocked softly.

Before I even waited for a reply, I pushed the door open.

Enzo was inside, packing a few papers on his desk. He looked like he was about to leave somewhere.

He looked up at me, and I noticed his nose and ears were slightly red. He must have caught a cold.

Then he sneezed.

I quickly walked over and placed one hand on his forehead and the other on mine.

"You’re running a temperature. Have you taken any pills?" I asked and he just stared at me for a moment.

"Have you?" I asked again.

Instead of answering, he gently pulled my hand away from his forehead and held it in his.

Then he ruffled my hair with a faint smile.

Before I could say anything else, he sneezed again.

"I'm fine, kid. You should head back to class," he said.

"I'm going for a professor’s conference," he added, already turning to leave.

I quickly grabbed his hand before he could go.

"But you don't look alright," I said.

In a sudden move, he pulled me closer by the waist. Our faces were very close.

"Now you're the one taking care of me?" he asked softly and I froze.

The words got stuck in my throat as I stared into his eyes, unable to respond.

He quickly let go of me and turned away, sneezing into his arm.

“Close the door when you leave,” he said, already heading out of the office.

I stood there for a moment after he left.

Then I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I had been holding, coming out shaky.

My heart started to beat so fast that it hurt.