Page 18 of Verses Of Us

He bobbed his head, pursing his lips. “Come to the hotel after work, then.” Quickly, he sank down and whispered, “Ask for Paul David Hewson at the desk.”

With a quick peck on the cheek, he was gone. He jumped into the backseat of the car and waved one last time through the window.

A smile stretched across her face. She cupped her cheek, walking up the path to the house. The heat under her palm was scorching, but she wouldn’t let go. Julie jumped giddily next to Louise, who was still glaring, anger and disappointment in her dark eyes. She ushered the two inside, slamming the door behind them and remained silent, but her frustration rolled off of her in waves.

“Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? Not to mention showing up with that guy.”

“But—”

“No,” Louise snapped. “Nobuts. There are no words, Alexis. I know you think this is alright, but if you ever do something that stupid again, it’ll be the last thing you do.”

“Mom, he’s not like that.” They followed Louise into the kitchen. “He didn’t even try to kiss me,” Alexis tacked on, glaring at Julie, who sealed her lips shut.

Her mother wasn’t having it, only shaking her head, busying herself with filling a kettle with water.

Alexis was a responsible child and knew her mother trusted her. Eventually, she would understand. Maybe not at that moment, standing in their kitchen at three in the morning, but once she’d calmed down and had a good night’s sleep, for sure.

With a huff, Louise set the kettle on the stove and turned to face her daughter, her arms crossed, the dim light darkening her eyes even more.

“I had to lie to Julie’s mom.”

Julie blushed and tucked her red hair behind her ears. “Sorry about that, Mrs. S.”

“I’m sure you are.” Louise’s tongue poked into the side of her mouth and she rolled her eyes. “It’s late. You’ve got work tomorrow—”

“But Mom—”

One arched eyebrow cut Alexis’ complaint short. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow. Get to bed.”

With her head hung low, Julie made her way upstairs, but Alexis stayed back.

“I’m really sorry, Mom.” She kissed her mother on the cheek, the scent of toothpaste and night cream floating up her nose. “But for what it’s worth, it was a lot of fun and it’s not like I’ll ever see him again,” she lied, guilt striking her in the chest. “So, thank you for letting me stay out. Even though you’re kind of mad now, I appreciate it. It was the chance of a lifetime and I’ll never forget it.”

Louise’s serious expression cracked with a small smile. “I know what you’re doing and you’re still not off the hook.” She pulled her daughter into a warm hug. “But I’m glad you had a good time. And that you’re home safe.”

Upstairs in the bedroom, Alexis found Julie stretched out on the bed, her eyes closed and her clothes in a pile on the floor.

After brushing her teeth, Alexis joined her.

“Can you believe it?” Julie mumbled, half asleep.

Alexis released a long, airy sigh. They giggled. “He asked me out for tomorrow.”

“He did?” Julie perked up. “Are you going?”

“I know I shouldn’t, but…”

“You’re going. Hell yes, you are.” Julie bumped her with her shoulder. “What are you going to tell your mom? Aren’t you grounded?”

“What she doesn’t know won’t kill her. Besides, I’m hanging out at your place, remember?”

Julie dropped her head onto the pillow with a laugh. “You think she’ll buy that?”

“I hope so.”

Deep down, Alexis knew she could talk her mother into letting her off with a warning. In the morning, she would remind her of how trustworthy she was. After all, she had graduated on the honour roll. She’d never gone out besides the occasional concert or movie, and only with friends. She’d been a member of the yearbook club and editor of the school newspaper. Alexis was a model teenager, without a boyfriend, with a love of extra-curricular activities. There was no way Louise would object to Alexis spending a Sunday night at her best friend’s house. And as long as that’s what Louise believed Alexis was doing, she’d be fine.

When push came to shove, Julie was a terrific liar. And tomorrow, Julie’s talent for deception would come in very handy.

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