Chapter 3 The Greenhouse Secret

Kyra Suarez POV

A sunny day was just starting to spread across the UP campus, bringing buds to the trees, birds to the skies, and fear of exams to all the students. Kyra couldn't bring herself to be worried, though. She was very happy.

Ever since their kiss a few weeks ago, Kyra and AJ had been spending almost every spare minute together. Alongside about a million kisses, each more thrilling than the last, they'd meet up after class for studying and dinner, take afternoon walks, and even have breakfast together some mornings at the dining hall. Kyra kept offering to pay, but AJ always had a thousand reasons why he should be the one to get the bill: his mother would be mad if he didn't, he had a gift certificate, he needed to make change out of a twenty. For the first time in her life, Kyra let someone else take care of her instead of trying to do everything herself. The feeling was new, strange, and somehow exhilarating.

The only problem was that AJ seemed to be hiding… something. Kyra wasn't quite sure what. Something about his family, she guessed. He rarely mentioned them, and when he did, he never said their names or jobs or hobbies or anything. Not even when Kyra asked.

Kyra wasn't quite sure what was going on. She'd told him all about her family problems. It didn't make sense that he wouldn't feel comfortable opening up to her, too. But Kyra was used to this kind of thing and wasn't about to push, not when things were going so well. She liked kissing him way too much to give it up. And she liked Ali so much that she was fairly sure she was falling in love.

One Saturday, when the rain that had been drumming on the roof of AJ's dorm all day finally let up, AJ suggested a walk.

"We can go over to the garden," he suggested, nudging Kyra's shoulder with his own.

Kyra sighed, glancing down at her pile of homework and things she wanted to review before midterms. She had way too much to do. Still, she loved UP's garden, especially now that the flowers were starting to bloom. Even more, she loved walking hand-in-hand with AJ and the way that he would sometimes stop to kiss her cheek.

"Okay, okay, but just for twenty minutes," she said.

AJ grinned his goofy grin and jumped to his feet, holding out a hand to help her up. Even though he had a comfortable desk, they still always sat on the floor to study. It had become their tradition, along with hot chocolate, walks, and the occasional silly movie when they got tired of studying.

"Are you going to be warm enough?" AJ asked as Kyra slipped her shoes on at the door. Kyra glanced down. She was wearing purple leggings and a long-sleeved white T-shirt, but no jacket.

"I'll be okay," she said, but AJ was already shaking his head. He grabbed his UP hoodie and handed it to her.

"I don't want you to be cold," he said when she started to protest, and, with a little sigh and a secret smile, Kyra slid the sweater on. It smelled like AJ, a masculine smell that reminded her of shaving cream and ginger. Kyra didn't want to admit it, but it was nice that AJ wanted to take care of her.

Careful, she chided herself. Relying on people never ended well, no matter how handsome and smart and funny they were. People always let her down. Foster family after foster family had promised that things would be different, but nothing ever had been. Friends, classmates, and romantic interests were no different. Even though AJ was amazing, that didn't mean that he wouldn't let her down someday.

"Thanks," she said simply.

AJ took her hand in his, squeezing it, and they headed out into the brisk spring day.

"The cherry tree is starting to bloom," Kyra pointed out, gesturing with her free hand to the tree outside AJ's dorm. Indeed, little pink blossoms have started to unfurl along the branches.

"Time for my daily bud report," AJ joked and Kyra knocked him with her shoulder, laughing a little.

"What do you mean, bud report?"

"You know, when we walk around campus and you point out which trees and flowers and bushes are growing buds or blossoms or leaves. It's adorable."

"Hey, when you grow up someplace with long, cold winters, you really appreciate spring coming," Kyra said, pretending to be stern. "Not all of us grew up someplace where it's always warm."

"Dubai isn't always warm," AJ protested. "At night it can be a little chilly."

They walked on, laughing and teasing each other until they reached UP's garden. It was a large section of campus that was used by the biology students for their projects and generally enjoyed by the students for walks and, in warmer months, a nice study spot. There was a small greenhouse in the center with a few more exotic plants that stayed warm year-round. Without any need for discussion, they headed for the greenhouse.

"Do you think we'll see the turtle today?" Kyra asked as they stepped through the doors into the warm building. There was a small green turtle that lived in a pond in the middle of the greenhouse. Kyra loved to see him. AJ's feelings were, well, more complicated.

"We'll see what mood he's in," AJ said solemnly. After one visit to the greenhouse, when the turtle had apparently 'looked at him strangely,' AJ had grown suspicious of the creature. Just as Kyra was about to reply that she was pretty sure that turtles didn't have moods, AJ's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen.

"Oh no, I forgot that I'm supposed to talk to my parents now," he said. He glanced at Kyra sheepishly. "Do you mind if I answer and just tell them to call back later?"

Kyra waved her hand. "Of course, talk as long as you want. I'll just be around in the greenhouse."

"Thanks." AJ flipped the phone open with one fluid motion and pressed a button to answer the call. "Hi Ummah, Babu." Kyra was pleased that she recognized the Arabic words for 'Mom' and 'Dad.' Hopefully, that would be a good sign for her Arabic midterm next week. She was also surprised when the conversation continued in English, but maybe it was too hard for AJ to switch back and forth. She certainly struggled with switching languages.

Kyra gave AJ a thumbs-up and slowly strolled away towards the turtle pond. AJ followed a little behind her. Kyra was doing her best not to listen in, she was, but she still caught a few words.

"Yes, school is going well. Don't worry, I'm studying hard." She heard AJ laugh and grinned to herself. They were studying a lot. Only after they'd finished everything did they share a kiss or two.

"Could we talk a bit later today?" AJ was asking. Kyra considered turning back to remind him with gestures that he could talk as long as he wanted but decided against it. It was probably best not to show that she was eavesdropping.

"Yes, yes," AJ continued. "I'm just out with some friends right now."

Some friends? Kyra felt her heart constrict and quickly walked out of earshot. She shouldn't have been eavesdropping anyway. She hadn't meant to. But she had. And now she'd heard AJ lying to his parents over the phone. Why would he say that he was with friends instead of with her? Kyra knew that Dubai could be a little more traditional than the Philippines when it came to relationships, but dating was still allowed. Was AJ ashamed of her?

Kyra felt her cheeks flush as her mind filled with memories of all the times foster families had introduced her as their foster daughter, instead of just their daughter. Or, worse, as a friend of one of their children or just someone they were 'looking after.' No matter how hard she tried, those foster families had never wanted to claim her as their own.

Now, neither did AJ. This relationship meant a lot to Kyra, though that was hard to admit. She'd never been in love before, but she thought she might be now. Of course, she also understood that AJ was an exchange student. They hadn't talked about it, but she knew that he'd go back to Al Jumeirah, Dubai at the end of the semester. If he wasn't even telling his parents about her, that probably meant that when he left, everything would be over.

"Em?" Kyra turned to see AJ standing behind her, his phone now in his hand. "Sorry about that, I'm done now. Did you find the turtle? Was he looking for me?"

Kyra thought about confronting AJ and asking him why he'd lied to his parents about her. But it wasn't that big of a deal, and she shouldn't have heard it anyway. She thought about asking whether they could continue their relationship once AJ went back home, but decided against that, too. She didn't want to be clingy. That was the fastest route to losing the people she cared about. And she had her dreams for the future, dreams that didn't rely on a guy. No matter how great he was.

"I haven't spotted him yet," she said, instead of any of the questions her heart wanted to ask. "Maybe he's in a tree, spying on you." She made a spooky hand gesture and AJ glanced around with dramatic fear, then chuckled.

"Even I agree that turtles can't climb trees," he said, holding out his hand. Kyra took it, feeling his strong, warm fingers encircled hers. This was good now. No matter what AJ was hiding or why he was lying to his parents, this was good now. Kyra would enjoy it. She didn't want to risk the time they had left together by accusing AJ of anything.

She cared about him too much for that.

XXX