Chapter 39 On Edge
Chapter 39 On Edge
Corran
Dinner was enjoyable, but April appears tense. She cannot remain still for long, constantly glancing around as if searching for someone, even though no one is present. Something is wrong.
“April, are you alright? Do you feel uncomfortable here? You look anxious," I ask gently.
April sighs and shakes her head. “No, I’m not uncomfortable being here. I’m just a little agitated, and I don’t know why.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“I understand it's late, dark, and likely cold, but would you like to go for a walk?”
It will be cold outside, but I believe it will be okay. “Sure, we can go for a walk. Do you want to get a drink or something while we’re out?”
“No, I just need to go for a walk, and hopefully the cold air will help calm me down. I am sorry. I am sure you would rather not be going for a walk in the freezing cold.”
I shrug. “I don’t mind the cold. I am used to it. We just need to be careful where we walk because the city can be dangerous at night.”
I don’t mean there's crime constantly, but like any large city, you should stay alert for potential troublemakers.
We don’t need to travel far; we can stay in a well-lit area with other people around.
It’s only nine o’clock, and there will still be people around.
“We can go to Princes Street.”
She nods in agreement. It will take roughly twenty minutes to reach there from our building. Since the bars and restaurants are still open, if it gets too cold, we can enter one for a drink or something.
“I need to get a coat from my place,” she says.
“I can give you one. It will be much too big for you, but it will keep you warm.”
“Even better. As long as you have a warm one for yourself too?”
“I do. I will go grab them from my room.”
I head to my bedroom, but suddenly, it feels like something strange occurs for a moment. I shudder unexpectedly, as if I walked through an invisible barrier. If I believed in the afterlife, I would think my place is haunted — and I wouldn’t mind if Edin was haunting me. I could handle that, but anything more would totally freak me out.
I shake it off and enter my bedroom, grabbing two winter coats from my wardrobe. I grab a hat and some gloves for April too. She isn’t quite used to the Scottish weather yet. I stroll back through but stop when I hear April whispering. I can only hear because I am close and there is an echo in my flat.
“You need to leave. This isn’t funny anymore.”
Is she on a call, or just talking to herself again? Who can say. I cough intentionally to let her know I'm returning. The flat goes quiet once more. She gives me an awkward smile as I appear. I choose not to question it.
"Here," I say with a smile as I hand her one of the coats.
“Thank you,” April says, taking it from me.
She pulls it on, and I laugh because it is so big on her. She looks lost in it, which is adorable. “Um, do you want me to find something smaller?”
April laughs loudly, shaking her head. “No, I like this.”
She is shorter than I am, but I didn’t fully realise it until now. The jacket almost reaches her ankles, and you could fit another person inside it with her. I pull on my jacket and stand in front of her.
“Do you want a hat?”
“Yes, please, I hate having cold ears."
I move closer and place the hat on her, ensuring her ears are covered. April looks up at me, and our eyes meet, creating a familiar tension. No words are exchanged as our breathing intensifies. I swallow nervously, feeling the closeness and her gaze. My eyes briefly drift to her lips, catching her tongue flick along them.
"We should go now before it gets any later," she whispers, her voice barely audible.
April quickly distances herself, rushing to the front door to wait for me. I sigh, compose myself, and join her, hoping to avoid awkwardness. We leave my flat, and I lock up behind us.
April remains silent and avoids eye contact as we walk down the hallway. I need to distract her from our brief moment.
“Are you sure you don’t want to get a drink?”
“No, thank you. I have work tomorrow," she responds, finally meeting my gaze again.
I bump my hip to hers. “Okay, then just a walk it is.”
April snickers and does it back to me, making me laugh as well. This is far better than the awkward tension that was building between us.
The moment we step outside, we shudder. We're bundled up, but it's still cold. If it begins to rain, I won't go for a walk since I dislike it. I offer my arm to her because I want to keep her close. She smiles and links her arm with mine.
“Thank you for coming for a walk with me, Corran.”
“You are welcome. Are you sure there isn’t anything you want to talk about? Why you are so anxious?”
April sighs loudly and shakes her head, signalling she doesn’t want to discuss whatever’s bothering her. I decide not to push her. She leans her head on my shoulder as we walk toward Princes Street. I close my eyes briefly, trying to stay composed with her gesture.
“Is that okay?” I can hear the nervousness in her voice.
“Yes, it’s fine," I lie, attempting to suppress the emotions flowing through me.
I wonder what she's thinking. Is she contemplating the same things as me? Feeling the tension again? I really don’t know and probably never will. I'll focus on enjoying our walk. At least April is spending time with me and isn't avoiding me. I want to keep things that way and avoid doing or saying anything that might ruin it.