A Kiss at Midnight (Delilah and Caelum) novel Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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I was sitting in my car at the school parking lot, staring at the building like it had personally wronged me.

Same brick walls, same stupid banner that stretched across the entrance with GO HAWKS printed in bold like school spirit was contagious. Same flood of student dragging themselves inside like prisoners reporting for the day.

Nothing had changed

Same fucking routine

Which was exactly the problem

I exhaled slowly, fingers tapping against the steering wheel, then reaching over to grab my sunglasses from the passengers seat. I slide them on, letting the world dim just enough t to feel manageable.

Better

A sharp knock hit my window, causing my attention to shift towards it, to find Kaia bent slightly, trying to peer through the tinted glass, her expression caught somewhere between amusement and concern.

She knocks again. “Are you planning to sleep here or are you coming inside?”

I rolled the window down halfway, resting my elbow against the door. “Honestly, it wouldn’t be the worst thing if I just stayed here.” I had zero energy to deal with people today, zero. Would have been more better if I just decided to dip. Doubt anyone would notice.

Well, except for Kaia bear

Groaning to show my displeasure. “I hate this school.”

Kaia shakes her head, laughing. “You will live.”

“That’s debatable.” She stepped back as I opened the door and climbed out of the car.

The early morning air was cool, the parking lot buzzing with the usual pre class chaos. Someone was blasting music from their car, with two sophomore arguing over a missing hoodie.

Life continues as normal, which was slightly rude considering I was having a terrible morning.

Kaia nudges my shoulder as we started toward the entrance. “You’re sulking.”

“I do not sulk.”

“What do you call you sitting in your car for nearly five minutes, staring at nothing.”

“That would be me mentally preparing myself for people.”

“I thought you love people.”

“I like interesting people,” I clarified.

“And the rest, less interesting people.”

“They are nothing more but noise in the background.”

We stepped inside the building just as the warning bell rang, the hallway immediately coming to live with student pouring in from every direction.

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Lockers slammed open, backpacks thudded against the metal door with voices echoing off the floor and high ceiling. Normally I thrive in chaos, it was my element.

The noise, gossip, the constant movement of people flowing through the building like waves. But for some reason, I couldn’t shake the subtle awareness that crawled under my skin.

That quiet annoying feeling that something had shifted….even if no one else noticed.

Kaia nudges my arm again. “Hey.”

“What?” she tilted her head slightly toward the other side of the hallway. I followed her gaze and there he was, Landon.

Of course

It was as if the universe had a perfect comedic timing.

He stood at the far end of the hallway, leaning casually against the wall, except he wasn’t alone. A girl stood in front of him. one hand gripping his varsity jacket.

This time it wasn’t Lindsey, but Sophie Delgado. Cheerleader, senior, very pretty, very confident. And at this moment both of them were locked lips, exchanging each others saliva. Right in the hallway, acting like they were the main character in a movie no one asked to watch.

“Oh…that’s new.” Kaia leaned closer to me. “Just yesterday he had Lindsey all over him, and today Sophie.”

I watched them for exactly one second, then smiled. Because of there was one thing I refuse to do, it was to act bothered.

Landon’s eyes opened mid kiss, and somehow they landed directly on mine. His entire body froze. Technically, his lips were still touching Sophie’s, but his attenuation was clearly somewhere else.

Me

Well, would you look at that.

Drama, drama.

I slowly twirled a strand of my hair around my finger, tilting my head a bit. My smile turned teasing, a little but enough.

Landon blinked like his brain had stopped processing things properly. His lips still moving along with her, slower this time, and his gaze unwavering from mine.

This made Sophie pull back slightly in confusions, her lips moved, not getting a response from him. He was still looking at me like he had forgotten where he was.

Sophie followed his line of sight, her eyes landed on me. I gave her a small wave, watching the friendly look on her face vanished instantly.

Kaia choked on a laugh. “Did you really have to wave at her?”

“Don’t you know, I thrive on chaos” My lips pulled to the side in a smirk.

Sophie grabbed Landon’s arm, pulling him toward a classroom and he moved with her, but right before they disappeared through the doors, he glanced back again.

Kaia let out a breath. “Well…that wasn’t at all akward.”

“Please.” I let out a quiet laugh, shaking my head. “If he is that easily distracted, then she can have him. Well, for now.” The last part was said more to myself than her.

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Chapter 4

“Mm-hm.” We started walking again, and Kaia nudged me. “Enough about London. Have you thought of a solutions with the

nerd.”

My mood shift instantly. “Still have zero idea on what to do.”

What do I need to do to get the quiet antisocial genius falling at my feet. And end this god forsaken depressing tragedy of having to talk to him longer than I need to.

The crowd thinning as people started slipping into classrooms before the late bell. My sunglasses was still perched on my nose, mostly because I hadn’t bothered taking them off yet, and partly because I like the way they made everything feel a little more distant.

Kaia opened her mouth like she was about to say something when the late bell rang. Student who were still in the hall immediately picked up the speed, rushing toward classrooms before they got marked late.

Kaia glance toward the science wing. “That’s my cue.” She said. “Biology waits for no one.”

“Tragic.”

She points a finger at me. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“I never do anything stupid.”

She just stared. “Okay…don’t do anything extra stupid.”

I gave her a mock salute. “No promises.”

She sighed. “I’ll see you at lunch.

“Sure…” with that I watched her rush down the hall to the science wing.

Just as Kaia’s footsteps faded down the stairwell, I veered in the opposite direction.

Class could wait

Well….maybe not. But I wasn’t in the mood to sit through hours of pretending I cared about something I was very clearly failing.

I take a long way up, past the second floor where the teachers still did their little patrol, all the way to the third where everything felt abandoned.

Ah. My kind of place

The music wing was quiet this period, no choir, no instruments, no off key disasters. Just silence.

I walked pass the practice room, finding a spot at a narrow alcove by a dusty window, half hidden behind stacked chairs like someone had tried to forget it existed.

Placing my bag in the floor, I stretched out along the bench, one leg dangling off the edge and a arm thrown lazily over my

eyes.

Peace at last.

I was just about to fall asleep when.

“I’m sorry. Caelum.” My eyes snapped open, but I remained rooted in my spot.

Of course something had to ruin it.

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But hold on a freaking F second, did I just hear her say Caelum.

Soutters

I mean there are probably like four to five people with the name Caelum, what are the odds of it being the school biggest nerd and currently my nemesis.

Well… mainly because, I refuse to accept that out of all the place in this building, in the freaking ass entire school. I had somehow chosen the exact spot where he decided to have whatever this was.

“Why not?” A male voice came, low and steady. “It’s a straightforward question.”

Okay. Stratch that

I knew that voice, and it most definitely belonged to one specifically, painfully irritating, socially allergic herd.

And Oh damn was it….spicy.

Shifting slightly, just enough to see through the gap in the chairs and well… that was unexpected. It was Caelum, on the floor, literally sitting on the floor like a normal, emotionally functioning human being.

I almost didn’t recognize him

In front of him stood Olivia Gonzalex. Of course it was her. Top of the class, science club, permanent “teacher’s favorite.” If academic validation was a personality, she had it.

Honestly, if anyone was going to date Caelum, it would be her. They probably had study dates for fun.

Her arms were folded, like she was holding herself together. “I care about you, Cael,” she said softly.

Caelum dragged a hand through his messy hair. A total contract of his usual perfectly pu.together look.

“Then why aren’t you saying yes. You know very well what my feelings are for you? I thought it was the same for you, that you felt the same way about me.”

Oh…I raised a brow.

So this was not just a simple confession, but a rejection as well.

Even better.

Seems like someone is getting a taste of his own bloody medicine

Where is the popcorn when you need them

I shifted, seuling in properly now, because if I was skipping class, I might as well get entertainment out of it.

Olivia looked uncomfortable. Clearly the last thing she wanted was having this conversation.

Which makes this even ten times entertaining.

“Because this is high school.”

“That doesn’t explain anything.”

“It does to me.” He frowned.

Talk about being completely clueless.

“I don’t understand.”

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Yeah, no shock there, Sherlock

Emotional conversations probably aren’t in his skill set.

She exhaled. “I want to experience things.”

“What things?”

“Different things.”

He tilted his head slightly. “Like what?”

There was a pause, then. “Like Jason Whitaker.” I almost laughed out loud.

Jason Whitaker

Walking ego, zero loyalty, maximous chaos. The kind of guy girls date when they want a story to regret later

Even Caelum looked thrown. “Jason.”

“He asked me out.”

There was a beat, then “You’re aware he dates nearly anything with a pulse, right?”

I bit my lip. Okay, that was unexpectedly funny.

Olivia shrugged. “I don’t care.”

“You should.”

“Why?”

“Because he doesn’t care about the girls he dates.”

She crossed her arms tighter. “Maybe I don’t want serious.”

Caelum’s voice dropped slightly. “Olivia. we’ve know each other all our lives.”

“I know.”

“Then why throw it away for someone like him?”

Her expression sharpened. “Because you’re safe.”

Oof. I winced under my breath.

Harsh, but loving it.

Didn’t know Miss nerdy genius wanted something a bit spicy, and nowhere safe.

He blinked. “What does that even mean?”

“It just means you are…. predictable.”

“And that is suppose to be a bad thing.”

“It is. Caelum. Not when you’re seventeen and in high school.” She lets out frustrated, “I want something different,” she continued. “Something not… planned.”

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“Jason Whitaker isn’t different, if anything he is careless.”

“Exactly.”