Young Love in Old Chicago

by April Marcom

  * * *

  I stared at the full moon through my window as I lay in bed, rather than try to sleep, since I had already tried and failed at that for so long. It was just like the night before, lying in bed awake, unable to do anything but worry about Mason. The quiet was so heavy in the air at that hour that it almost hurt my ears. The same question just kept running through my head. What’s going to happen?

  It felt like ages since I’d seen him, and the realization of the short time I had actually known him was beginning to set in. I hoped it was the not knowing that was causing it and that he wasn’t feeling the same way, making it easier for him to choose Shilling over me.

  I slipped my hands in the pocket of Mason’s coat as I rolled over onto my side.

  Just as my eyes began to get heavy, I heard a single tiny tap against my window. Probably something being carried on the wind. A minute later, another tap came. Again, I decided to ignore it. Just a twig… or a rock… My eyes were getting heavy again. …a moth… or a bird… As they began to close, something dark flew over my head. My window shattered, falling all over me in tiny pieces.

  Fear tore me from my bed. Someone’s out there! My feet carried me instinctively over the floor and past the dark, fist-sized rock that was still rolling toward the door. I reached it first, flinging it open and running into the hallway—right into Katy. We both fell backwards, knocking the breath out of me. “Are you all right?” she asked as she stood up and held a hand out to me.

  “Someone’s outside,” I said breathlessly, picturing an ax-wielding serial killer climbing up the side of our house toward my broken window.

  “Really?” She got the same sort of eager look my mother sometimes gets. “I’ll go see who it is.”

  “I’ll go get Father.” It was a wonder neither of my parents had been woken up.

  “No, wait.”

  “Why?” How was she not even a little bit afraid?

  “Just wait.” Katy crept across my room, feeling the floor carefully with her foot before putting the weight of her body on it to prevent stepping on the razor sharp glass I had somehow managed to avoid. She stayed in the shadows as she approached my window, stretching her neck up to get a look at the front lawn a half second sooner. Her shoulders seemed to slump as she let out a breath and relaxed. “It’s just Hayden,” she said quietly, rolling her eyes and turning to make her way back to me.

  “Hayden? Why would Hayden want to break my window?”

  “Beats me. I shouldn’t be surprised, though, since I already knew that rat was no good.”

  “Katy, he dropped the charges against Mason. He honestly thought he was protecting me from a mobster.”

  She reached me just then and stared at me like she didn’t know what to say for a few seconds. Then she shook her head. “You’re so nice, Alexandra. I’m going back to bed. You can tell Father what happened after you talk to Hayden. He probably didn’t break your window on purpose and it would only get him in trouble if you wake Father up now.”

  She went back to her room as I made my way down the stairs, still at a loss for why Hayden was there in the dead of night, throwing things at my window. “What are you doing here?” I asked him as I stepped outside, pulling Mason’s coat tighter around me.

  “I’m really sorry about the window. I’ll pay to have it fixed.” He looked behind me at the door. “Where’s your father?”

  “Asleep. Did you really come here to see him?”

  “No, I came for you. I just thought I would have woken him up and he would be coming out here with you.”

  “Then why didn’t you run away?”

  He gave me an odd look. “He would have thought I was a burglar or something. I couldn’t leave him to think his house was under attack.”

  “Well, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

  “No. I just…You seemed to appreciate it when Mason came to see you in the middle of the night…so I thought I would come instead…while he’s away.” He took one of my hands in his. His hand didn’t feel right, too soft and smooth. I had grown so used to the rough hands Mason held me with.

  I shook my head as I pulled my hand away. “I’m sorry, Hayden, but I can’t.” I was already beginning to feel guilty about being outside with him during the night. I could only imagine how Mason would have felt if he saw us like that.

  My gaze was drawn to the windows lining the other side of the street, searching for any sign of light or life in them.

  “Alexandra,” He took a step closer to me and took my hand again. “He would never know. No one would.” His voice became a whisper. “It’s just us.”

  The full moon hung directly over his head as he leaned closer. I felt a strange sensation inside that confused and scared me—so I took a step back. “I, I should probably go inside. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I turned around and ran into my house, sitting down against the back of the door once I was inside. That was awful.

  Even though I couldn’t see it in the darkness of the house, I held my ring up and smiled as I sighed. Mason was the only man I loved, the only one I wanted.

  I waited awhile to get up, hoping Hayden would leave before I went to get my father.