The Secrets Between You and Me by Shana Norris

Author:Shana Norris [Norris, Shana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, JUVENILE FICTION/Love &#38
ISBN: 9781681052007
Amazon: B00R7212ZG
Barnesnoble: B00R7212ZG
Goodreads: 17904730
Publisher: The Studio, a Paper Lantern Lit imprint
Published: 2015-02-10T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

“Hannah, please talk to me.”

I sat in one corner of the couch, my legs curled up under me and my hands squeezed tightly together in my lap. The light knocking on the door continued, but I didn’t move to answer it.

“Hannah,” Jude said. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

Aunt Lydia walked into the room, pulling her hair back into her messy bun. “I guess peace and quiet is impossible today,” she said.

“Sorry,” I mouthed to her. It was late afternoon and I’d been avoiding Jude’s calls all day. Now I’d been avoiding his knocks for the last fifteen minutes.

Aunt Lydia raised her eyebrows and nodded toward the door. “I think he’s covered the apologies already.”

“Were you painting?” I asked quietly.

She shook her head. “It’s my day off. Although, taking a day off when I don’t paint any other day is kind of ridiculous, isn’t it? It was Ashton’s idea that I take one day a week to free my mind.” She stopped and smiled. “You know, listen to the sounds of the neighborhood.”

Jude knocked again. “Hannah, are you in there?”

“Today, the neighborhood seems especially lovesick and whiny,” Aunt Lydia commented.

I rolled my eyes. “He’s not lovesick. We’re not in love. We’re not even dating or anything. We’re friends. Or were. Until he decided to make it complicated.”

Aunt Lydia sat down next to me and stared at the door. We both sat there for a moment, just listening to Jude’s continuous knocking.

“It doesn’t sound like he’s giving up any time soon,” Aunt Lydia said.

My phone started to buzz and ring on the coffee table.

“I hear your phone ringing, Hannah,” Jude called through the door. “I know you’re there. Just talk to me, please?”

“Talk to him,” Aunt Lydia said.

I groaned and covered my face with a throw pillow.

“I thought you hated him.” I said.

“I don’t even really know him, do I? Isn’t that what you tried to tell me before? We all have our bad moments, Hannah. What counts the most is how we make up for them.” She nodded toward the door. “You need to give people the chance to make up for it instead of cutting them off. Hear him out. I’ll be right in the next room if you need me.”

She left me alone with the knocking on the door and the ringing of my phone. I knew she wasn’t really talking about Jude. I still hadn’t returned my dad’s calls. I wasn’t ready to deal with that mess yet, so I stood and crossed the room. One problem at a time. I took a deep breath and let my face relax into a neutral expression.

Maintain the image of perfection, I thought.

I could maintain the image of perfection, no matter how bad things got.

Jude’s eyes widened when I opened the door, his fist in mid-air. He immediately let it drop to his side and looked to the floor, then ran it quickly through his hair. “I didn’t think you’d ever answer,” he said.

I leaned against the doorframe. “I didn’t think I would either.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.