take a seat on the coach next to her. I need to speak but I’m not sure what to say.
“Thank you,” she smiles at me, “it’s nice here; very grey.”
“I like it,” I tell her with a smirk.
“It’s a bit clinical...”
“Let me guess, your place has photos of you and your family everywhere, lots of colour on the walls...”
“Maybe,” she’s smiling at me, not really answering my question.
I know we should be talking. She wants to talk about us but I haven’t got a clue how to get that conversation started. It turns out that I don’t have to, “do you really like me?” she asks me, looking more vulnerable and unsure than I’ve ever seen.
“Yes,” I consider saying more to try and convince her but I don’t think it will help.
“Okay,” she nods her head gently and an auburn lock of hair falls into her face. I lean forward and place it behind her ear before running my finger down her neck. She shivers at my touch, leaning into it gently before pulling away and standing up. She walks away from me, “we need to talk.”
She takes a seat at my dining table. She’s still close. Close enough that we can still talk quietly, almost intimately, but far enough away that I can’t touch her. She’s too far away. I follow her to the table and sit opposite her, directly across from her at the round table. I lean forward and take her hand in mine, “let’s talk.”
“Okay,” she seems unsure again. I don’t think I’m the only person who doesn’t know what to say.
“What do you want to talk about?” I ask her.
“Why did you tease me when we were kids?” I’ve answered this question already and the idea of answering it again irritates me.
I consider my answer, “I liked you Clara.” The look on her face tells me she needs more.
CHAPTER seven: Clara
“I liked you Clara,” his words resonate in my ears. I know that he expects me to reply. He wants a response but I have no idea what to say to him. “We were children and I liked you.”
I wait for him to continue. He doesn’t keep me waiting, “I didn’t know how to tell you. I told my brother about you but he just started teasing me... he wasn’t really very helpful.”
“Maya said that Jacob used to tease you about me,” I acknowledge.
He smirks at me, “he wasn’t quite as much of an arse as I was to you.”
“That’s a relief,” I laugh gently, almost flirtatiously.
“But the more he teased me the more I teased you,” he says, “truth is I didn’t know the first thing about how to tell you I liked you and then we got into a routine. I teased you, you gave me attention... I couldn’t give that up, even once I was old enough to work out how to talk to you.”
“Couldn’t give it up?” I question him.
“The rush... it was heady,” he squeezes my fingers, “it’s not dissimilar to the way I feel when I touch you now.”
“And do you feel, Andrew?” I ask even though I’m scared of his answer.
“Just the touch of your hand makes my whole body burn,” his words are confident and I can’t help but trust them. I tilt my chin as I try to read the look on his face. His eyes look sincere and for once he isn’t smirking. “Truth is Clara; I liked you more than apples, more than my mother’s apple pie. I liked you a heck of a lot and I still do. I always have.”
“But you haven’t seen me in years,” he has my heart racing and my skin is prickling with the electricity that is always between us. I pull my hand away. I need distance so that I can focus.
“Doesn’t mean I wasn’t aware of you,” he looks almost embarrassed. “We have a lot of mutual friends and I could never forget you, Clara Delos. Not for one second.”
He probably expects me to say something but truth is I’d been delighted when I finished secondary school to finally be able to get away from him. “My dad died fourteen years ago,” he tells me.
“I know,” I frown.
He gets to his feet
“Thank you,” she smiles at me, “it’s nice here; very grey.”
“I like it,” I tell her with a smirk.
“It’s a bit clinical...”
“Let me guess, your place has photos of you and your family everywhere, lots of colour on the walls...”
“Maybe,” she’s smiling at me, not really answering my question.
I know we should be talking. She wants to talk about us but I haven’t got a clue how to get that conversation started. It turns out that I don’t have to, “do you really like me?” she asks me, looking more vulnerable and unsure than I’ve ever seen.
“Yes,” I consider saying more to try and convince her but I don’t think it will help.
“Okay,” she nods her head gently and an auburn lock of hair falls into her face. I lean forward and place it behind her ear before running my finger down her neck. She shivers at my touch, leaning into it gently before pulling away and standing up. She walks away from me, “we need to talk.”
She takes a seat at my dining table. She’s still close. Close enough that we can still talk quietly, almost intimately, but far enough away that I can’t touch her. She’s too far away. I follow her to the table and sit opposite her, directly across from her at the round table. I lean forward and take her hand in mine, “let’s talk.”
“Okay,” she seems unsure again. I don’t think I’m the only person who doesn’t know what to say.
“What do you want to talk about?” I ask her.
“Why did you tease me when we were kids?” I’ve answered this question already and the idea of answering it again irritates me.
I consider my answer, “I liked you Clara.” The look on her face tells me she needs more.
CHAPTER seven: Clara
“I liked you Clara,” his words resonate in my ears. I know that he expects me to reply. He wants a response but I have no idea what to say to him. “We were children and I liked you.”
I wait for him to continue. He doesn’t keep me waiting, “I didn’t know how to tell you. I told my brother about you but he just started teasing me... he wasn’t really very helpful.”
“Maya said that Jacob used to tease you about me,” I acknowledge.
He smirks at me, “he wasn’t quite as much of an arse as I was to you.”
“That’s a relief,” I laugh gently, almost flirtatiously.
“But the more he teased me the more I teased you,” he says, “truth is I didn’t know the first thing about how to tell you I liked you and then we got into a routine. I teased you, you gave me attention... I couldn’t give that up, even once I was old enough to work out how to talk to you.”
“Couldn’t give it up?” I question him.
“The rush... it was heady,” he squeezes my fingers, “it’s not dissimilar to the way I feel when I touch you now.”
“And do you feel, Andrew?” I ask even though I’m scared of his answer.
“Just the touch of your hand makes my whole body burn,” his words are confident and I can’t help but trust them. I tilt my chin as I try to read the look on his face. His eyes look sincere and for once he isn’t smirking. “Truth is Clara; I liked you more than apples, more than my mother’s apple pie. I liked you a heck of a lot and I still do. I always have.”
“But you haven’t seen me in years,” he has my heart racing and my skin is prickling with the electricity that is always between us. I pull my hand away. I need distance so that I can focus.
“Doesn’t mean I wasn’t aware of you,” he looks almost embarrassed. “We have a lot of mutual friends and I could never forget you, Clara Delos. Not for one second.”
He probably expects me to say something but truth is I’d been delighted when I finished secondary school to finally be able to get away from him. “My dad died fourteen years ago,” he tells me.
“I know,” I frown.
He gets to his feet
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