Mine until Midnight

Mine Until Midnight - The Door

Chapter Ten

"Aurora?"

She didn't move.

Jason's voice came again from the other side of the door.

"Aurora, are you there?"

She looked at the journal on her desk.

The last sentence was still there.

"Don't tell him you're alone."

Her heart was beating so loudly that she was almost certain Jason could hear it through the door.

Mia wasn't there.

Ethan wasn't there.

It was just her.

And Jason.

Aurora slowly stepped away from the door.

"Why are you here?"

There was a short silence.

"I wanted to give you something."

She frowned.

"What?"

"I'll explain when you open the door."

Aurora didn't answer.

Jason knocked softly.

"Aurora, it's not anything weird. I promise."

She glanced at the journal again.

She didn't know who the stranger was.

She didn't know why she should trust him.

But somehow, every time he warned her, something happened.

Aurora picked up her phone.

She opened Ethan's chat.

She typed:

"Are you awake?"

His reply came almost immediately.

"Yeah. Why?"

Aurora stared at the door.

"Can you come to my room?"

A few seconds passed.

"Now?"

"Please."

Ethan replied:

"On my way."

Aurora put the phone down.

Another knock came.

"Aurora?"

"I'm coming."

She didn't open the door.

Instead, she stood a few steps away from it.

"What did you want to give me?"

Jason laughed softly.

"Your notebook."

Aurora's eyes narrowed.

"My notebook?"

"Yeah. You left it with me earlier."

"I already got it."

There was silence.

Aurora's stomach tightened.

Then Jason said,

"Oh."

His voice sounded different for a second.

Then he laughed.

"I must have gotten confused."

Aurora didn't respond.

She could hear him shifting outside.

Then:

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You sound nervous."

"I'm tired."

"Maybe you should sleep."

Aurora didn't answer.

Footsteps suddenly approached from the hallway.

"Hey."

Ethan's voice.

Aurora's shoulders relaxed.

"Ethan."

Jason turned.

"Oh."

Ethan looked between Jason and the door.

"What are you doing here?"

Jason smiled.

"I came to see Aurora."

Ethan's expression remained serious.

"At this time?"

Jason shrugged.

"I didn't realize it was that late."

Ethan glanced at Aurora through the doorway.

"You okay?"

Aurora nodded.

"Yeah."

Jason smiled.

"See? She's fine."

Ethan looked at him.

Then back at Aurora.

"Come on. I need to talk to you."

Aurora opened the door slightly.

Jason stepped aside.

She walked out.

Ethan waited until she was beside him before speaking.

"You called me because something was wrong."

Aurora hesitated.

"I heard someone outside earlier."

Ethan's expression changed.

"Someone?"

"I don't know who."

Jason stood a few feet away.

"Maybe she was just imagining things."

Aurora looked at him.

"Maybe."

Ethan didn't look convinced.

"Let's go inside."

Jason smiled.

"I'll leave you two."

He turned and walked away.

Aurora watched him.

Something about the way he left bothered her.

Ethan noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You're doing that again."

"What?"

"Saying nothing when something is clearly bothering you."

Aurora sighed.

"I'll tell you later."

Ethan nodded.

"Okay."

He didn't pressure her.

That was one of the things Aurora liked about him.

He was always there without demanding explanations.

They stood quietly for a moment.

Then Ethan said,

"Just promise me you'll call me if anything happens."

Aurora smiled.

"I promise."

He nodded.

"Good."

Then he left.

Aurora returned to her room.

She closed the door.

Locked it.

Then she looked at the journal.

She sat down.

Her fingers tightened around the pen.

"How did you know Jason was coming?"

Nothing.

Aurora waited.

"Answer me."

Still nothing.

She wrote again.

"You knew."

The ink slowly appeared.

"I told you to pay attention."

Aurora stared at the words.

"That's not an answer."

Silence.

She continued.

"Were you watching me?"

Nothing.

"Are you watching me right now?"

The page remained blank.

Aurora waited.

Finally:

"Always."

Her breath caught.

She stared at the single word.

Always.

She didn't know whether it should frighten her.

Part of her was unsettled.

Another part felt strangely safe.

She hated that contradiction.

Aurora wrote:

"That's creepy."

The response appeared.

"I know."

She almost laughed.

"You admit it?"

"Yes."

Aurora smiled despite herself.

Then her expression became serious.

"If I wanted to meet you..."

She stopped.

Her heart beat faster.

She finished the sentence.

"Would you let me?"

The journal remained blank.

Aurora waited.

A minute passed.

Then another.

Nothing.

She was beginning to think he wouldn't answer.

Then the ink appeared.

"Not yet."

Aurora frowned.

"Why?"

No response.

She wrote again.

"You're always saying not yet."

Nothing.

"Why can't I meet you?"

Still nothing.

Then, slowly:

"When you meet me, Aurora, nothing will be the same."

Aurora stared at the sentence.

She didn't know what that meant.

She wanted to ask.

But before she could, her phone vibrated.

She looked down.

Unknown number.

There was a photograph.

Aurora opened it.

Her eyes widened.

It wasn't a picture of her.

It wasn't Jason.

It wasn't Ethan.

It was a photograph of a man standing beneath a streetlight.

Only his silhouette could be seen.

His face was hidden in darkness.

Aurora's fingers tightened around the phone.

She didn't know who had taken it.

She didn't even know whether the man in the photograph was the stranger.

Then another message appeared.

"You keep asking who he is."

Aurora's heart began racing.

A second message followed.

"Maybe you should ask why someone else knows."

Aurora stared at the screen.

Someone else knew about the stranger.

Someone else knew about the journal.

Someone else knew she had been trying to find him.

She looked toward the black journal.

For the first time, she wondered if the stranger was actually the only person she needed to be afraid of.

Or if someone else had been watching the two of them all along.

Aurora slowly placed the phone beside the journal.

Neither one of them gave her an answer.

And somewhere outside her window, a shadow moved.

Then disappeared.