Perfectly Reflected Read Online Free PDF

out partying. This is what you deserve.” He finally looked into my eyes and I could see the sorrow there.
    “Don’t you dare think like that!” I flashed back at him as loudly as I could. “I really don’t care what the others think, and all of this is just nonsense.” I gestured towards the clothes and my fancy hair. “It’s you, Callum, only you.” My voice softened. “I wouldn’t swap any of them for you. I love you.”
    He seemed to relax a little. “I know you do, truly. I guess I’m just a little … well, jealous, I suppose.”
    “Well, why don’t you come? You could get to meet – or at least see – a few of my friends, even if they don’t get to meet you. Then you can be absolutely sure that you have no competition whatsoever.”
    He gave the smallest of smiles. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not sure that would be a good idea. I’ve never minded being just an observer before, watching concerts or people at parties, but it’s much harder when you know some of the real participants, nowI know you and your friends. It makes me even more aware of what I’m missing, and it gets a bit … difficult.”
    It was my turn to look glum. “I’m so sorry. I wish things were different.” I heard the lock turn on the bathroom door. “Quick, Grace is coming back. Can I see you in St Paul’s tomorrow? I can probably find an excuse to be getting out on a Saturday.”
    “I’d love that. I’ll see you in the morning, then. Have a good night.” His hand moved to touch my hair but fell away before he reached it. The rueful smile was back.
    “I love you, Callum.”
    The smile finally reached his eyes. “I love you too. See you.” His face disappeared as the bedroom door opened and Grace walked in.
    “Hmm, you’ve not ruined anything, well done. I thought you’d have started rearranging everything the minute I turned my back.”
    I turned quickly so that she couldn’t see the tears. However much I loved Callum this life was hugely difficult, and I could see no way to make it any easier. I took a deep breath to steady myself. There was no point in getting emotional, especially not now.
    “Right, let’s go before I smudge my mascara or something.” I handed Grace her bag, scooped mine from the floor and switched off the light, glancing in the mirror as I did so. For a second I thought I saw him there, watching, but when I looked closer he was gone.
     
    Eloïse’s seventeenth birthday party was being held in a hall near her home, as too many people had been invited to make it either comfortable or sensible to have it in the house. This way she could relax too. There were a small number of adults lurkingunobtrusively early on, but they soon disappeared behind the bar to keep some control over the potent mixture of teenagers and alcohol. One of the school bands was playing, and we spent a lot of the evening dancing wildly in front of the stage, encouraging them as much as possible, and trying to ignore the terrible acoustics in the institutional-looking room. Eloïse had done what she could to liven it up with balloons and streamers, and it did look much less like an old village hall than usual.
    I had done my best to ignore Rob, who was leaning nonchalantly on the end of the bar. Grace had made sure he’d seen me as soon as we walked in, and I could feel his eyes following me around the room. His girlfriend Ashley was conspicuous by her absence.
    “Where’s Ashley?” I whispered to Grace fairly early on, when it became apparent that Rob wasn’t waiting for her.
    “Ah, well, funny you should ask… I was just in the loo with Mia and she told me that Ashley and Rob have had a bit of a row.”
    “Really? What about?”
    “Well, it seems that Ashley still thinks Rob’s got a thing about you, and she’s given him an ultimatum.” Grace dropped her voice and looked around. “She told him that she didn’t want him hanging around at parties where you’d be and refused to come, assuming he’d