A Pearl and a Secret

12.

I was so relieved when Automn accepted to meet me at the park. I told her I'd be there in 20 minutes, so I took a shower and changed into some clean clothes I always kept in the guest bedroom. I grabbed my coat and told my grandma, "I'm leaving, I'll be back soon!"

"Where are you going?" she wondered aloud, eyeing me curiously.

"I'm going to see Automn." She smiled and did a little giddy-dance before returning to normal. 

"Good.  She's a pearl, Alden.  She's so good for you, and you're good for her.  And I see how you are together," she said matter-of-factly. 

I really wanted to get out of here because I was still mad at her and I was excited to see Automn, but I also wanted to know what Grandma Pearl meant.  "And how's that?"

"Happy.  Don't ever lose her, she's your Gilbert," she told me seriously.  I understood she meant Automn was my soulmate, but I already knew that. 

"I don't plan on it," I said strongly before leaving the house. 

I walked the few blocks that separated my grandma's house from the park. I could already make out Automn's silhouette on the bench in the soon-to-be darkness. I approached and said with a sheepish smile, "Hey."

"Hi," she said with a nod and a tight-lipped smile. I slumped beside her on the bench and let out a sigh. "I'm so sorry, for everything, I just, I didn't want to bring you into this mess, I didn't want to burden you with my problems, you know," I confessed.

Her shoulders relaxed and her traits softened. "You would do the same thing for me, Alden. I'm here for you, always, you can tell me anything. It's not a burden, at all, because I-" she shook her head and stopped herself before continuing, "It's not a burden, I promise."

Was she going to say...?

I shook the thought and prepared for the detailed story I was about to tell her. "So, Benji's my brother," I stated casually.

She looked at me as if I had grown two heads. She stared at me and I stared back at her, waiting for her to say something. She covered her mouth with her hand and slowly came back to reality. "What?? How??" she asked, confusion lacing her tone.

I explained everything, from the nightmare turned memory, the birth certificate, the photo album, the real story behind my scar to everything else my grandma had told me.

Automn asked a lot of questions and when she finally seemed to have no more, I said, "I want to confront my parents." Her eyebrows raised in surprise and she wondered, "Are you sure that's a good idea? They kept it a secret for a reason."

"Exactly, I want to know that reason. I think I'm going to go tomorrow," I told her with finality. I was determined to find out why they put Benji up for adoption and why they never had the decency to tell me.

"I haven't even met your parents yet, but do you want me to come?" Automn offered. It made me feel all warm inside when she offered, but I think this was something I had to do by myself. I wouldn't want her to be stuck in the middle of a fight with my parents.

"I think I need to do this alone. Thank you though, it means a lot," I murmured with a shy smile.

We talked about what I had missed at school and a bunch of other random things until we spotted the first star in the sky. The air felt crispier than earlier and I took a deep breath of the autumn air.

"Alright, it's getting late, I should get back home," Automn said, interrupting my nature moment. "I can walk you," I offered. I didn't have to be home at my grandma's for a specific time, and I felt like taking a long walk.

"Are you sure? It's 15 minutes from here then you'd have to walk all the way back," she pointed out. I shrugged. "Yeah, but I'm in the mood for a long walk. Besides, I've missed you," I answered.

Even though it was dark now, I knew when she looked away I had made her blush. "I missed you too," she said with a genuine smile.

We walked and talked about anything and everything, simply enjoying eachother's company. 15 minutes later, we were stopped in front of Automn's house.

"Okay, this is me. Thank you for walking me home and telling me everything. Update me after you go see your parents tomorrow, ok?"

I pulled her in for a kiss. I had missed this feeling so much. The feeling of her lips pressed against mine, the taste of exploring her mouth. I brought my hand to her face and caressed her cheek with my thumb. The passionate kiss ended a few seconds later and I gazed at her, memorizing every delicate feature of her face.

And in that moment of moonlight softly illuminating her, I realized I'd loved this girl since the moment I told her to shut up and she answered 'Make me.'

"Goodnight, Alden," she said quietly. "Goodnight, I lo-" I stopped myself before saying too much. She looked confused for a minute, then amused.

"What were you about to say?" she asked with a mischevious smile. "When this is over," I told her. She was about to insist but I put a finger on her mouth to stop her.

I pecked her one last time on the lips. "Goodnight, Automn. Sweet dreams."