Ivy Lane: Autumn: by Cathy Bramley Page B

in my surroundings: it was cold and silent, the only sound being the echo of my boots, clip-clopping eerily along the tarmac and the occasional rustle of the trees. I shivered and walked faster. What this outfit lacked, I realized, was a swirling purple cape to keep me warm. The sooner I could light those candles and wrap myself in my picnic blanket the better. I glanced behind me for any sign of Aidan, but the road was empty.
    Still chatting, no doubt. I smiled to myself. It was a pity he hadn’t noticed me leave really, then he could have made his excuses and escaped immediately. Oh well, he would join me soon, I was sure.
    I’d waited so long for this moment and I couldn’t wait to feel his arms around me again away from the well-meaning but curious eyes of the Ivy Lane community. I was thrilled with myself for taking the lead and concocting this plan. There was something exciting about a secret rendezvous and no better way to show Aidan that he was special to me. My heart was already fluttering in anticipation.
    I stepped off the road and onto the grass path that lead along plot sixteen to my shed. The sound of a stick cracking in the trees beyond my plot made me yelp with shock and I pressed a hand to my mouth.
    For goodness sake, Tilly, it was probably just a fox.
    I forced myself to breathe calmly but then instantly stopped in my tracks and stared ahead. There was an orange glow shining through my shed window. I had definitely not left a candle burning; I distinctly remember being in the dark. Which meant that someone else must have done it.
    Oh my God. This was so spooky. My entire body was trembling and bristling with goose pimples. I had the urge to run. But which direction, towards the shed or away?
    A nervous laugh bubbled up through me and I shook my head. All this Hallowe’en nonsense was making me overreact. It must be Aidan in the shed! He must have followed me immediately after all and arrived while I was at the toilets.
    ‘Phew,’ I said aloud and darted to the shed. The key on its string banged against my chest as I ran. Oh, how had he opened the door? I tutted at myself. I had obviously forgotten to lock it.
    I paused at the door to compose myself, dabbed under my eyes to remove any smudged make-up and ran my fingers through the ends of my hair to smooth it over my shoulders. A smile spread across my face as my fingers wrapped around the door handle.
    This is it. A new chapter. Go for it, Tilly Parker.
    The smile, which was probably more accurately a radiant beam, was still going strong as I pushed my way into the shed with a triumphant, ‘Ta dah!’
    The shed was empty. My face crumpled in confusion as I turned towards the source of the light. At the far end of the shed three pumpkin lanterns adorned my little table, but the sides facing outwards weren’t carved. With a pounding heart I twisted each one round. The first had simply the letter ‘I’ carved out of it, the second a loveheart and the third the word ‘you’.
    I love you.
    I stared at the message, my brain whirring and my heart thumping. Aidan loved me? This was all moving very fast, surely we weren’t at the stage for this sort of declaration? It was an incredibly romantic thing to do, not to mention complicated to organize. And regardless of whether the timing was right or not, I was truly touched by the effort he had gone to.
    Maybe I was reading too much into it. Perhaps I wasn’t supposed to take it too literally. Perhaps that had just been easier than carving ‘would you like to go for dinner?’ Of course, that would be it, I chuckled to myself with relief. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed a piece of folded paper. A note. I picked it up. It was the note I’d left for Aidan. But where was he?
    I was still holding it between my fingers when the door behind me opened softly.
    I whirled round, my pulse racing to see Aidan with a warm smile, his eyes crinkling with humour.
    ‘My hat’s too tall to get under the