“Nothing, nothing,” she says, plastering on a fake smile. “Belle, honey, are you okay?”
“Yes, Mom,” Belle says, and it’s too dark to see her eyes but I’ll bet she rolls them. “I feel okay. My pulse is fine and my breathing is fine. I’m okay.”
Aunt Kate squeezes her into a tight hug and then releases her to me. I stand here, holding open the gate, because I’m pretty sure it’s one of those fancy security gates that lock once you step out of them and keeps all the people on the non-campus side of the garden out.
“Be careful,” Aunt Kate says, waving at us as we retreat into the garden.
The gate clicks closed, and Belle walks quickly away. “My mom can be so annoying,” she says after we’re out of earshot. “She treats me like a baby.”
“She’s just looking out for you,” I say, leading the way through the mostly dark garden paths. “Sometimes I don’t know how your mom and my mom are sisters. They are so completely different.”
“Your mom is glamorous, and mine is plain,” Belle says.
We turn a corner and cut through a little section of daisies that I’ve recently discovered is a short cut. “Your mom is nice, and my mom is also a huge B.”
“Oh no. What happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now. This is a good night because you’re out and you don’t have anxiety and things are good. Let’s not ruin that with talk of my mother.”
“Wow, it must be really bad,” Belle says.
“You have no idea,” I mutter under my breath.
“New subject.” Belle’s voice is chirpy and I know who she’s about to mention before she says it. “Anything new with Declan?”
I draw in a breath. “Yep.”
“Ooh! Yay!” Belle skips ahead of me a few steps, then turns around, walking backward, her eyes radiant under the moonlight. “Tell me!”
“I will in a minute,” I say, feeling ten kinds of embarrassed. But I don’t know why I feel that way, because liking Declan isn’t embarrassing. It’s the greatest thing ever. I guess it just feels weird talking about a boy I like, who likes me back, who isn’t some jerk deep down. I’m not used to it.
Belle groans. “Why in a minute? Why not now?”
“Because,” I say, running my hand along the vine-covered wall. “We’re here.”
Belle stands in reverent silence as I retrieve the key from the pocket of my hoody. I put it in the lock and twist, then just before I open the door, I turn to my cousin. “I just have to warn you, this won’t be as beautiful as it is in the daytime…”
“That’s okay,” she says, bouncing on her toes. “I want to see the magic garden.”
“It’s not magic,” I say with a laugh. “It’s just beautiful and secret.”
I pull open the heavy door, and my jaw drops at the sight before us.
“Whoa,” Belle says, taking a step forward into the garden.
I follow behind her, confused and overwhelmed and on the verge of tears, because what’s in front of me is not how I left the garden earlier today. It’s been transformed. In the dark of midnight, our little private oasis has been given light. All over, little battery powered fairy lights are decorating the garden. They hang from the walls, and drape across the vines. They’re wrapped around the statues and fountains and they outline the wooden bench.
“You didn’t tell me it had lights,” Belle says, her face childlike as she gazes around at the beauty all around us.
“It didn’t,” I croak out. Okay, I might actually cry. This is stunning. It’s beyond beautiful. It’s so much better than in the daylight. “Declan must have done this. He knew I was bringing you here tonight.”
“Wow, that boy is a keeper,” she says, beaming at me. She takes off, skipping around the cobblestone pathway, her fingers trailing along the flowers and plants as she goes. She throws her arms out and turns in a circle. “This is amazing. This was worth leaving my dorm room. Hey, what’s that?”
She points to the bench, at something I haven’t noticed yet. It’s a vase filled with flowers, and a little card attached to it. I open it up.
Dear Sophia and Belle,
I thought you could bring a little bit of the garden home with you. Hope you’re both having a magical night.
