Capítulo 55: Chapter 18 - That Means I Can't Let Autumn Know (3)

My mom was an only daughter and although my dad had siblings, we had barely met them. His sister, Aunt Clara was only twenty-four years old. The last time we. had met, about a year ago when I had visited her in Toronto, she was married to her job as Creator Program Manager at an online platform for both writers and readers.

In short, all my life I had never been invited to a wedding before. It sounded impossible but it was the truth. Usually, when my parents' friends were getting married, my mom and dad went alone. I supposed it would be rude to join them when the invitation clearly marked two persons and not two and a half.

"Autumn dear, are you still there?"

Audrey's voice dragged me back to reality and I blinked several times, cursing myself for letting my mind drifted away. "Yes. Sorry, I was..." I cleared my throat then continued, "surprised, I guess. I thought Shanelle would be your bridesmaid."

Shanelle was Alexander Bernucci's daughter from his first marriage. I found it funny to call him Mr. Bernucci, and not Principal Bernucci, since not until last year, he has been my high school principal at Carlton High. Long before I knew that he was Tyler's biological father.

"Yes, Shan is one of the bridesmaids too. This is my first wedding and if I can have two beautiful girls as my bridesmaids, why the hell not?" Audrey let out a breathy laugh which brought a smile to my face. I could picture her looking so radiant and happy. "So, do you mind doing me this favor?"

"Of course!" I smiled. "I will make sure I watch The Bridesmaids so I know what my job is. I want it to be perfect for you."

"Oh dear, don't worry about it. Mostly, you just need to walk in front of me down the aisle and stand behind me when I and Alex exchange vows."

She informed me that the town would be ready before the wedding and I didn't have to do anything else but to be present on the big day. Cesar, my mom's favorite designer, had my measurements and currently working on the gowns that Shanelle and I would be wearing. It seemed that, like she just said, I didn't have to do anything.

Right before she ended the call, she said, "tell Tyler I miss him. He hasn't called me since he got there. If you could guilt-trip him into calling me, I'll make sure your dress will be perfect."

I laughed. "I'll try my best, Audrey." We bid each other goodbye and ended the call. I tossed my phone beside me on the couch and leaned in to grab the remote control. I searched for The Bridesmaids and pressed play. I knew Audrey had told me that I didn't need to do anything but I felt that it would be better to know what was expected of me rather than disappoint everyone. I glanced at the front door, kinda hoping Tyler would be here with me. It would be so much fun to watch a rom-com with him and not by myself.

No more than ten seconds after I put the phone down, it buzzed again. I wondered if Audrey forgot to tell me something but when I looked at the screen, it was a text from a series of numbers that I didn't recognize.

- How is your head?

"Who the hell—" As if to answer my question, another text came in.

- Phraser.

I rolled my eyes as I typed my reply.

- How did you get my number?

I put the phone down and turned my attention to Melissa McCarthy on the screen. Before Megan, the character that Melissa played, even finished her sentence, my phone buzzed again. "For Hemmings' sake!" I put the movie on pause and grabbed my phone.

- I have my ways. We. are friends, aren't we? Yet you did not bother to give me your digits.

His answer only made me more curious about how he got my number. It was only day four in Columbia and so far, I haven't given anyone my phone number. Not a single soul. Not even Ishita, who seemed to be a really nice girl.

Only one person, besides Tyler, who knew my phone number and that person was not even alive since it was an inanimate object called SIS — Student Information System — and no one, except the school's staff, had the access code.

There was no way he hacked into the school's system right? Or did he pay someone to look up my records? How the hell did he get my phone number, seriously? I clicked my earlier message and resent it to him.

I decided to wait for his reply since I was so curious and I surely wouldn't be able to focus on watching Bridesmaids while thinking the one thousand possible ways to get my number. The phone in my hand buzzed.

- I'll tell you over a drink. Interested?

I quickly typed and sent my reply.

- Are you crazy?

I barely recovered from the last night. I was having a headache although it was not as bad as it had been this morning, yet I was still able to feel the tension pulsating against my temples and the back of my head. Since I wasn't a hypocrite, I wasn't going to make a stupid vow about not drinking alcohol anymore, but I would try my best to give my body a week's rest. His reply was almost as short as his hair.

Then it's forever a mystery.

I rested my head against the couch and groaned. If I was lucky, I'd still be able to soundly tonight. Another buzz then followed with another one. Too lazy to move my head, I lifted the phone in front of me and read.

- Jokes. I'll tell you tomorrow.

- Get some rest, temptress.

I was in the middle of typing a reply when another text came.

- I mean it. Rest. Put the phone down.

I put my phone down and did exactly as he asked with a small smile on my face. An hour nap would not hurt.

PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES
agatharoza

Creation is hard, cheer me up!

Phew! My my my, this is definitely the longest chapter yet and the most emotional one, I must say. When I was writing chapter 18, I was so emotional that I didn't finish the chapter on time since I kept wiping my tears in the middle of writing —well, typing to be exact. But this chapter took me longer than the previous one. Not only that I wasn't fond of writing a sad, heartbreaking scene, but I was not fond of having to experience all of those horrible, pain-staking feelings.

Yet again, that's the beauty of writing.

I get to feel all of these emotions and put myself in the MC's shoes. I hope you, my angels, enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoy writing it. And please, do let me know your thoughts in the comments! It's always refreshing to hear what you think about the characters, the plot, and the book in general.

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