New Romantics

Chapter 18

My night was plagued with another string of awful dreams.

Nightmares filled with the walls closing in, of water, failure, and loss, sprinkled in with hazy memories of Leo's kiss, of Paperbound, of Howl and Sophie and Calficer, and then, back beneath the waves in a vicious cycle. I was moments away from the cold depths of the deep, dark ocean when the soft sound of silvery bells broke through the currents and dragged me out of sleep.

"It was a dream," I murmured, struggling to catch my breath. And then, sitting up in the quiet darkness, "Who is calling me right now?"

Dread pooled in my stomach at the thought of it being my mom again. After I stormed out of the diner, she relentlessly called until I finally answered, fearful they would show up at my apartment and cause a scene, and told her I needed some time to myself.

The name on the phone was a pleasant surprise.

"Leo?" I answered. "It's midnight."

"I know," Leo said from the other end of the line, his voice a whisper in the quiet night. "What are you doing?" In the distant background, I heard the sound of groaning metal, and then Leo's ragged breath when something snapped, and laughter followed.

"What are you doing?" I asked, sitting up.

"Pledging shit. I need to get the fuck out of here."

My brows furrowed. "And you'd like to use me as an excuse to leave?"

The background chatter grew more and more distant. "I need to get the fuck out of here because I want to see you, Aria."

Now, I was wide awake. "Oh?"

"I mean, if you're up for it. I know it's late..."

"I can't sleep very well," I confessed. Even if I had an exam tomorrow... Throwing the blankets aside, I opened my bedroom door and peered into the hallway to make sure my roommates were asleep. "How long will you be?"

"I'm outside—"

"Well, I know you're outside—"

"—of your window—"

"What?" I breathed. "You're outside my window?"

Leo muttered a string of curses and a heavy thump that sounded like it was coming from the courtyard. "Yeah. I was at an apartment in Building A." A pause, and then, with a smile in his voice, "What if I threw rocks at Dani's window instead of yours?"

"You don't have to throw any rocks at any window," I countered.

"Do you want me to stand outside with a boom box instead?"

A light patter at my window made me look back when another pebble bounced off the window pane, and I clamored to the window. Standing in the middle of the dark grass, in gray sweats, phone pressed to his ear, Leo grinned like a fool, and waved. I reluctantly waved back. "You could just take the stairs like a normal person."

"I don't want to disturb anyone."

I flinched at how his voice echoed over the empty courtyard. The dog in the next apartment's muffled barking followed and I pushed the window open, pressing my finger to my lips. "Come on," I whispered into my phone. "Before you wake up the rest of the building."

Still grinning, Leo pocketed his phone in his sweats and disappeared beneath the overhang. The sound of the metal groaning under his weight sounded like a fog horn in the middle of the quiet night, and I held my breath as he climbed onto the balcony. He emerged a few months later, winded, and flushed, his hair sticking out in odd directions from where he hastily ran his fingers through it.