A Pearl and a Secret

8.

"Alright guys, the homework is for Wednesday, so tomorrow, please do it, I will be checking," Miss Delaney said and the class collectively groaned.  Stupid homework. 

The final bell rang and the students practically ran out the door.  Automn and I walked out side by side and headed to the bus stop.  It had been almost a week since my visit to Sunset Special Ed and it had become sort of a habit of us for Automn to come to my grandma's with me when I went.  The two were now the best of friends and I found it really cute.

During the bus ride, we talked about Grace, complained about our teachers and laughed about how our english teacher had had an enormous voice crack in class today.  Soon enough, we were knocking on Grandma Pearl's door and coming in. 

"Oh Automn, hi!" my grandma squealed as soon as we came in.  "Ouch, what about me," I asked her in a fake hurt tone.  She rolled her eyes and told me dismissively, "Oh hush, Alden baby.  Hi to you too." I burst out laughing as she made sure to be obvious when she envelopped Automn in a tight hug. 

I heard Automn ask my grandma, "So I wanted to bring something for my special needs class tomorrow, I was wondering, could you help me make some apple pie for them?" My grandma's eyes lit up and she beamed at her. 

"Of course! Alden, you should help too! Alright, I'm just going to get the recipe from my trusty filing cabinet, I'll be right back," she told us before scurrying to her bedroom. She came back seconds later with a smile on her face and her famous old, worn out and yellowed recipe book in her hand.

She rummaged through a kitchen drawer and pulled out three very pink and flowery aprons. She quickly slid one on and started taking the ingredients out. Automn grabbed one of the aprons and tied it to her back. "Can you...uh," she said, visibly struggling to hold her hair and tie the apron to her neck at the same time.  I didn't miss the way goosebumps rose on her neck when my fingers grazed her skin as I took my sweet time to make a knot. 

She turned around after I finished tying it, and I had to say, she looked adorable.  An amused smirk spread on her face and she handed me the last apron. "No, no, no, I'm not wearing that," I affirmed.

She frowned and pressed, "Come on, you don't want to get your shirt dirty!"

"Uh, yeah, no thanks," I almost gave in when she gave me a pouty look but I stood my ground. Her pout transformed into a determined look and she declared, "Fine, I guess you won't get to taste the pie then."

That was all it took for me to slip on the awful pink apron. I sincerely hoped Automn missed the way my cheeks flushed and matched the color of the apron for a second. She chewed her cheek to stop herself from laughing and tried to say seriously, "You look handsome!"

I rolled my eyes. "Kay, is this pie for today or tomorrow?" I joked.

The necessary ingredients were already set on the kitchen counter, thanks to my grandma.  Automn and I started on the dry and wet ingredients while Grandma Pearl worked on the homemade pie crust. 

Automn poured some flour in the bowl and some of it accidentally went on her hand.  Instead of wiping it on her apron like a normal person, she decided to "accidentally" wipe it on my apron.

"Oops!" she exclaimed sarcastically, "I'm so sorry! Oh look at that, thank god you were wearing an apron!" I looked at her, shocked, but then I got an idea and smiled mischeviously.  "Oh game on," I declared and caught her off guard when I dipped my finger in the flour and booped her nose. 

My grandma, having already finished the crust, slipped out of the kitchen after saying with a knowing smile, "Alright, I'll let you guys to it. Don't forget to actually bake the pie and stick in the oven when you're done."

Automn was back to diligently mixing the dry ingredients when my grandma left. I stared at her with an amused smile, she had forgotten the flour that was still on her nose. "What?" she looked up at me, aware of my staring.

"You're cute," I said plainly. She tucked a rust-colored strand behind her ear and smiled shyly. I brought my hand up to her face and gently wiped the flour off her nose.  Then I slowly leaned in and brought my lips to hers.  I loved the little flutters in my stomach when I kissed her. 

I turned her slightly and pressed her against the counter.  Her intoxicating smell invaded my senses and I could only focus on how soft she felt against my mouth.  I suddenly broke the kiss when I heard my grandma's footsteps coming to the kitchen. 

We quickly went back to baking and put our casual faces on.  I wanted to pretend my grandma wasn't going to notice my dazed expression and Automn's slightly disheveled hair, but I knew she would.

Her amused smile confirmed my suspicion.  "Sorry, I forgot something in here," she explained simply.  Sure, Grandma Pearl, sure. 

She left the kitchen again and Automn let out a sigh of relief.  "She's right though, we should probably be making this pie instead of making out," she said seriously. I knew she was scared of my grandma walking in on us again, so I reluctantly agreed and we finished mixing all the ingredients before sticking the pie in the oven. 

"The pie's done, do you want to watch a movie or something?" I asked Automn as we strolled out of the kitchen and into the living room.  My grandma was busily reading on one of the couches and something caught my attention. 

I walked closer and realized it was a book, but not just any book.  Automn noticed exactly when I did and we stared at eachother in shock; it was an old, worn out copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. 

"Whose is this," I asked, holding up the book.  My grandma suddenly looked up from her book and her mouth open and closed.  "It's...mine," she said unconvincingly and averted eye contact.  She's lying.  "I'll go put it back in my room," she told me with a tight-lipped smile. 

She took the book and hurried to her room.  I looked at Automn, who was probably as confused as I was.  "This could just be a coincidence," she offered hesitantly. 

"My grandma's lying.  She doesn't like classics and I know for a fact she doesn't own any."