A Kiss At Midnight (Delilah and Caelum) novel Chapter 63

Chapter 63

We sprang apart so quickly it was almost impressive, within seconds, there was enough space between us to fit another

person.

I grabbed my bag from the table, pretending to be far more interested in straightening my hair than I actually was, and across from me, Caelum tugged the hem of his T-shirt back into place before hurriedly gathering the worksheets and flashcards we had left scattered over the kitchen table.

The front door opened. “Caelum?” Amelia called.

“We’re in the kitchen,” he answered, sounding far calmer than I felt.

A moment later, Amelia walked in carrying several grocery bags, the bright smile on her face faltered for only a second when she spotted me.

“Oh, Delilah,” beside her stood a man who looked so much like Caelum it was almost unsettling, same dark hair, same eyes. The only difference was the touch of age that had settled into his features.

And, I had to admit..he was a very handsome older version of Caelum.

He looked at me with quiet curiosity while Amelia’s smile quickly returned. “I didn’t know you two had a tutoring session tonight.”

I bit the inside of my lip. “Um..yeah,” I replied awkwardly and before I could stumble over another word, Caelum stepped in.

“Delilah had a few things to take care of after school,” he explained, “she got here later than usual.”

“Oh, right,” Amelia nodded before turning to the man beside her, “mi amor,” she said warmly, switching back to English as she looked at me, “this is Delilah..the girl Caelum’s been tutoring.” She smiled between us, “and Delilah, this is my husband,

Matthew.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.

“You too,” Matthew replied with an easy smile as we shook hands, “I’ve heard a little about you.”

I wasn’t sure whether that was comforting or terrifying

Amelia let out a soft laugh. “Well, it’s a good thing I picked up extra pasta,” she handed one of the grocery bags to Caelum, “could you put these away for me?”

“Sure,” as he took the bag, I stepped forward.

“I-I can help, if…if you’d like.”

Matthew smiled kindly and gave a small shake of his head. “That’s alright, sweetheart,” his tone was warm, almost fatherly, 1 “you already been working hard with the tutoring, let us take care of this.”

Amelia nodded in agreement as she began unpacking the groceries onto the counter. “Exactly, you’re our guest,” there wasn’t much room to argue after that.

So I stayed where I was while Caelum carried things to the pantry and cupboards, helping where his mum asked.

“Delilah?” I looked over at Matthew who was setting a packet of mince onto the counter, “areyou a fan of meatballs? we’re making Polpette alla Napoletana tonight.”

I blinked. “I don’t actually know what that is.”

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Chapter 63

Amelia laughed. “It’s just the fancy Italian way of saying spaghetti and meatballs.”

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“Oh,” I smiled sheepishly, then it clicked, he wasn’t asking because he wanted my opinion on the menu, he was asking because..they were inviting me to stay. “Oh, no,” I said quickly, waving both hands, “that’s really kind, but you don’t have to. I should probably..”

“I’m not taking no for an answer,” Amelia interrupted with a smile, “the last time I invited you to stay, you rushed off before dinner,” she set another bag on the counter before looking back at me. “It’s nearly dark, I’m cooking anyway, and I would really love it if you joined us.”

Her smile softened. “Besides, you’re the first friend Caelum’s brought over since..”

“Mom,” Caelum cut in, his voice carrying just enough embarrassment to stop her, and she looked over at /him, amused.

“Oh. I doubt Delilah minds,” she says before reaching over and gave his shoulder a light pat before returning to unpacking the groceries.

I found myself watching her, taking how happy she looked. Like genuinely happy, there was something so bright about her expression at the thought of Caelum having someone over that guilt settled heavily in my chest. I wasn’t even sure if Caelum and I were friends but she clearly thought we were.

And somehow, I didn’t have the heart to disappoint her

After a moment, I smiled. “Okay.”

Amelia beamed. “Wonderful.”

And that brings us right to now, nearly an hour later. And dinner guys..dinner was..awkward.

Or maybe that wasn’t the right word

Awkward didn’t seem strong enough

Amelia and Matthew hadn’t let me lift a finger, every time I had offered to help, they would smiled, thanked me, and sent me right back to the living room.

So that left me pretending to watch whatever sitcom was playing on the television while the sounds of pots clinking and quiet conversation drifted from the kitchen.

Caelum had disappeared in there too, helping his mum finish dinner and I found myself glancing towards the hallway. His younger brother still wasn’t home.

It struck me as odd, I had been coming here for weeks now, yet I had never actually met him, not once. His parents didn’t seem worried, though, so clearly they knew where he was.

I decided not to ask. It wasn’t really my place.

Thankfully, dinner gave me something else to focus on, the spaghetti and meatballs were amazing. It had been ages since I’d had a proper home cooked meal like this. It completely destroyed the diet I had promised myself I would stick to, but there was no way I was turning down Amelia’s cooking.

Across the table, Caelum seemed just as uncomfortable as I felt, he kept his attention fixed on his plate, taking one bite after another like eating was somehow easier than talking.

I couldn’t really blame him, he wasn’t exactly the social type, and this had to be new for him. Not only was 1 the girl he has been tutoring for the past couple of months…I was also the girl he had kissed less than fifteen minutes ago.

The silence stretched unl Amelia finally broke it. “So, Delilah,” she said with a smile, “are you and Caelum in the same classes?”

Chapter 63

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“Oh.” I swallowed my mouthful before answering, “N..No,” I gave a small laugh. “We’re not even in the same level.” glancing at him before looking back at her, “he.. a thousand times smarter than I am.”

“Nonsense,” Amelia replied gently, though she let it

Matthew looked over at me. “So, how long has he been tutoring you now?”

“I think..” I thought for a moment, “roughly two months.”

“Two months and three weeks,” Caelum corrected without looking up from his plate.

Of course he knew, he probably knew the exact number of days too

Genius

Amelia smiled to herself as she took a sip of water. “So…” her eyes moved between us, “would you say you’re friends?” Caelum looked up at the same time I did, our eyes met across the table.

Friend

We had never actually called each other that, we have never hung out outside tutoring.

Well..not intentionally, but we weren’t strangers either.

Not anymore

I knew he loved science, that he boxed every Friday after school, that peppermint gum was permanently stocked in his backpack and he had an embarrassing sweet tooth despite pretending otherwise, also the fact that his first crush had been Olivia

For some reason, that last thought left an unpleasant feeling sitting in my stomach

And he knew things about me no one else did, about my struggles and my family and the parts of myself I tried so hard to hide.

No

We definitely weren’t strangers

A small smile found its way onto my face. “Yeah,” I answered, “we’re friends.”

For a second, Caelum just stared at me, there was clear surprise in his expression, then I caught it, the smallest spark in his

eyes.

I smiled back as he lowered his gaze, trying to hide the corner of his mouth tugging upward as he reached for his glass.

Friends

Somehow that felt right.

Amelia’s smile grew even wider. “I like the sound of that,” she looked at me warmly, “you should come over for dinner more often, any friend of Caelum’s is always welcome here.”

Something eased inside my chest, seeing both of his parents smile like that made me feel..accepted.

Matthew nodded in agreement. “You know,” he said, “you’re welcome to stop by on Fridays as well.”

flooked at him. “Fridays?

Chapter 63

“Caelum spends most Friday afternoons at the garage.”

“Dad…” Caelum groaned quietly.

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Matthew ignored him. “It might be nice to have a friend there to keep him company,” he smiled across the table, “not many people know about his boxing, so I think he would appreciate having someone cheering him on.”

“Dad,” Caelum said again, this time sounding genuinely embarrassed, “you really don’t have to do that, Delilah.”

“I would love to.” the words left my mouth before I had time to think about them.

Caelum turned to me. “What?”

I raised an eyebrow. “What?” he opened his mouth, then closed it again, and I shrugged, “It just means you get more time to tutor me.”

It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was enough, for now

We carried on with our dinner and having nice less complicated conversations. And by the time dinner was over, I managed to convince Amelia to let me help with the dishes.

“At least let me do this,” I said, already rolling up my sleeves.

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