Page 31 of The Blairville Legacies

Shit, shit, shit!

In shock, I yanked the curtain closed, tearing off at least one of the hooks and toppling the vase without flowers next to the window. Instantly, I felt the blush rise in my face.

Why did something so embarrassing always have to happen to me,of all people?

Hopefully, he was having the same difficulty recognizing me.

If I wasn’t mistaken, this was his room. The bad thing was that it was directly across from mine. When I had the curtain open, he could look over at me without difficulty.

I stared at the curtain in shock.

He could have watched me from over there yesterday…

At the thought, goosebumps came over me, slowly spreading over my whole body.

Julian could prepare himself for something.

I pulled open the door to the hallway and made my way to the bathroom. In the process, I passed the room where I had dropped the picture yesterday. The mere memory made the unpleasant feelings come up again. I still wished I had never entered that room. If there were any way it could be undone, I would do it.

Once in the bathroom, I drew all the curtains. Even though the windows only faced our other neighbors and our own backyard, I couldn’t deny that I felt discreetly watched since just now.

After showering, I returned to my room and put on some fresh clothes. In the background, I could still hear the soft melody, but I ignored it skillfully.

Just piano music,nothing special.

I went to the dresser where I had put my jeans last night and reached for them. Immediately, I felt something sharp.

What was in my jeans pocket?

Carefully, I pulled the item out.

It was the corner of the envelope.

My pulse rate quickened noticeably.

After my mother’s reaction last night, my curiosity had faded, and now I felt like a traitor.

Yesterday, I hadn’t had a chance to bring it back because the door had still been locked. Besides, I didn’t want to risk being caught by Mum. I didn’t want her to think that I was betraying her trust.

But I didn’t want to read it anymore, either. I was even ashamed that I had taken someone else’s belongings.What had gotten into me?

I decided to fight my curiosity and return it as soon as an opportunity arose.

Until then, I would have to hide the envelope somewhere. Somewhere in my room...

My eyes fell on the pile of books next to the window. I grabbed the first book I could find and put the letter inside. No one would find it here because who, except me, was interested in French philosophy?

More nervous than last night, I headed downstairs, where my Mum had already made breakfast. Radio music and a sweet scent came toward me and displaced the unpleasant feeling from just now.

When I saw what was waiting for me on the kitchen counter, my mouth watered. Pancakes with blueberries.

Mum always made me some when she wanted to apologize for something. It could only be about yesterday.

And there they were again, the feeling of guilt. Whatever line I had crossed, I felt bad. But I wasn’t going to let on, so I sat down and put three pancakes on my plate.

“Good morning, darling.” Mum smiled at me.

I didn’t know where she got her cheerfulness, but I didn’t want to ask either. She was in a good mood, and I didn’t want to ruin that. Not again.