A Kiss At Midnight (Delilah and Caelum) novel Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Pushing open the small door at the back of the library with a small smile already tugging at my lips.

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“Hey Caelum..” my smile fades when I walked into an empty room, my brow furrowing as my gaze sweeps over the familiar

space

The table were he usually sat remained untouched, his notebooks nowhere to be seen and been the chair he always claimed sat nearly rugged beneath the desk.

My brow pulled together at this. This was..weird, mainly because he was always here, at this particular time, and no matter how many times I have come here way early or late, he was always here, always.

I stood there for another second or two, half expecting him to walk in while carrying a stack of books or mumbling to himself about some chemistry equation. But there was nothing.

Letting out a quiet breath. I turned to leave, only for my step to halt when something catches my eyes, right near the corner of the room. Three canvases leaned against the wall,, each covered by a white dust sheet, and one of them was noticeably taller than the other two.

A breeze drifted in through the small open window, lifting the edge of the cloth just enough for me to catch a glimpse of what was underneath, or rather, who.

A violin

My breath catches, recognizing whose violin that was and didn’t have to pull the cover away to know whose portrait was hidden beneath it. A strange ache settled in my chest and before I realized it, my feet had taken a step toward the painting and another, just to halt in place again.

Actually this wasn’t my business

I didn’t have to go snooping on things that had no business snooping on.

Whatever Caelum had painted..if he had wanted me to see it, he wouldn’t have covered it.

Letting out a gulp, I shake the thought from my head before turning around, and a second later the door clicked shut quietly behind me.

If he wasn’t here, then where the hell was he

I decided to check round the library first, but caught not even the slightest sight of him. Then moved to the chemistry lab, still nothing. Then I decide to look in a couple of empty classrooms, wandered past the science block, figuring there was a chance he had gotten distracted helping a teacher.

Still no Caelum

Letting out a frustrating sigh. I stopped in the middle of the hallway. “Where the hell are you, Caelum,” I muttered softly to myself and was just about to walk past one of the quieter corridors when stopped, spotting a familiar figure stood at the far end, only a few feet from the windows.

Caelum

My brows knitted together wondering what he was doing over there, and my lips parted, ready to call his name when the soft sound of a violin drifted down the hallway, causing the word to die on my tongue.

Staying where I was as I watched him not move a hitch as he stood with one hand tucked into his pocket, the other resting loosely by his side, his gaze fixed beyond the glass.

11:53 Thu, Jul 23 –

Chapter 65

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He looked completely lost in whatever he was watching, almost as if he wasn’t even aware the rest of the school existed

The music carried through the slightly open window, each note quiet but clear enough to reach where I stood, and I followed his line of sight. Whatever was on the other side of that window had all of his attention.

Nothing else seemed to matter, not the students passing in nearby hallways, or the bell that had rung minutes ago, not even

A strange pull settled in my chest, the saine one I had felt in the library, small, subtle, but impossible to ignore. I couldn’t explain it, all I knew was that, for some reason..I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt him.

I remained rooted in my spot for another moment, simply watching him, as he doesn’t move either. Then after a second or two, I clearly my throat.. softly, before slowly waking over. my footsteps quiet against the polished floor until I stopped right behind him.

Leaning forward slightly, I peered through the window, taking in the sight of three students standing inside the music room. Olivia being one of them.

She had a violin rested beneath her chin as she practiced alongside two other girls, the melody drifting into the hallway through the cracked open window.

My eyes slid back to Caelum. “I never pegged you as a stalker,” I expected him to jump, maybe even flinch. Instead, he simply turned his head to look at me, completely unbothered, that earned a raised brow from me, “you’re not startled.”

“No.”

“Why.”

“Because I knew you were there.”

I folded my arms across my chest. “How.” I asked, I was being very quiet.”

His gaze lingered on mine for a second before the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly, “Maybe,” he turned back toward the window, “maybe not.”

Raising a brow. “Well, that answers absolutely nothing.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “That’s too bad,” he looked at me for a brief second, “because that’s all you get,” before I could reply, he reached over and flicked my forehead.

“Ow,” I rubbed the spot, glaring at him, “you’re getting really bold,” there wasn’t an ounce of annoyance in my voice.

He simply shrugged, completely unapologetic, and started walking down the hallway. I lingered for a second, glancing back through the window. Olivia hadn’t noticed either of us as she remained focused on the music in front of her,, her violin tucked beneath her chin as she continued to play.

I turned and quickly caught up with Caelum, falling into step beside him. “So….” I dragged out, unable to resist, “stalking Olivia now, are we?”

He rolled his eyes, “I wasn’t stalking anyone.”

“Oh, really,” I looked up at him innocently, “then what exactly were you doing peeping through the window like some lovesick puppy.”

He let out a quiet sigh, rolling his eyes. “It had been a while since I had actually seen her.”

1 pressed a hand dramatically to my chest. “Oh, my God,” he looked at me. “I know,” I said, pretending to gasp. “I’m

shocked”

17:53 Thu, Jul 23

Chapter 65

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“Yeah, right,” a small smile tugged at his lips, “shocking. I know.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, “It’s just..it had been a while since I saw her,” he shrugged, “and I just happened to walk past and noticed she was in the music room.”

“So,” I said, drawing out the word, “you decided to stop and gawk at her.”

“I wasn’t gawking,” he shot me a look. “I was just checking to make sure she was doing okay.”

“Mhm.”

“I was.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

“You sound very convincing.”

He rolls his eyes again. “I am convincing.”

I grinned. “If that’s what helps you sleep at night,” he opened his mouth but I pointed a finger at his face as I continued, “and before you go rolling your eyes again, you might want to think twice. They might get stuck at the back of your head.”

“I wasn’t going to roll my eyes,” his expression stayed perfectly neutral, the only problem was I could see the faint twitch at the corner of his mouth. He was trying not to smile.

“Sure.” I said with a nod. “sure you weren’t.”

He didn’t argue and Instead, he simply opened the library door. “Oh, right.” I stopped just outside the entrance, “I wanted to let you know.. we won’t be having our usually session next week Thursday.”

That made him pause as he turned to face me, one hand still resting on the door handle. “Why?” there was a quiet curiosity in the way his brow lifted.

I shrugged, keeping my tone casual. “I’ve just.. got some things to do.”

He watched me for a second. “If you’re going to cancel,” he said, “don’t you think I deserve a better explanation than, I’ve got some things to do””

Letting out a slow sigh, and his expression changed almost immediately, the curiosity faded, replaced by something closer to concern. “It’s not something bad, is it?” he asked quietly.

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