Page 28 of Boy Friends
‘Is it a new thing, some sort of fitness craze where people go swimming fully clothed? Because it looks silly.’ Mairi shuts the book, and I recognise the cover of a Bernardine Evaristo novel.
I plonk myself next to her, not minding that I’ll be caked in sand and will get told off by Mum later.
‘Not a trend. Just a good way to cool off after a run.’
‘Good, cos I was worried. You ran past me with this look on your face, like you planned to drown yourself. You didn’t, did you?’
‘Nothing of the sort.’
‘Phew. Honestly, I can barely keep myself above water, so I wouldn’t have been able to save you.’
‘Noted,’ I say. Mairi and I don’t tend to speak much outside of school, but I’m enjoying the banter. I do wonder what’s happened to my shoes though.
‘I saved these from a dog who thought it was a funny-looking ball,’ Mairi says, and produces them from behind her back.
‘Might have something to do with the smell,’ I say, taking them from her. ‘Sorry you had to guard them. And thanks.’
‘Any time.’ She gets up. ‘I have brothers, so I’ve smelt far worse.’ She brushes the sand from her long legs and a braid falls into her eyes.
I want to tell her about my brother, and the impulse is so new that I almost give in to it, but I bite my tongue. Idon’t know where it came from. I don’t even talk to Luca about him. In the beginning I didn’t bring him up because I missed him too much to speak his name, and now I’m not sure how to break that habit. But something about Mairi makes me want to open up. She understands what it’s like to grow up with brothers, so she might understand missing them.
‘Hey, you coming to the festival tomorrow?’ she asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
‘Not sure. I know Luca isn’t,’ I reply.
‘I wasn’t asking about him,’ she says, and twists the stray braid back into the knot. ‘You should come. It might even be fun hanging out with us.’
‘OK, thanks, I will,’ I say, without overthinking it. I squash the little seed of guilt – it’s not like I’m doing something behind Luca’s back. If I’m worried about getting lost in someone else, I need to learn to stand on my own feet. And maybe that will finally put the rumours about us to rest.
‘See you there, Simo,’ Mairi says. She sends me this look, and for a second it feels like she’s checking me out. I realise that my T-shirt is still in my hand and I’m only wearing a pair of wet shorts. But then she turns and stalks up the beach. I shake my head, certain that I was imagining things.
I recognise that look because Luca wears it too. It’s not like it means anything. I think I would know.
AUTUMN
CHAPTER 13 – LUCA
‘We’re going to be late.’
My dad is a punctual man. He does things correctly and enjoys a certain order. But today he’s in no rush at all. He collects stray crumbs, polishes glasses that are entirely spotless and tinkers with the cash register, which occasionally opens on a whim and causes bruises and dropped plates. It has been acting up for months, but apparently Dad has decided that now is the time to fix it.
‘It’s just a ten-minute drive,’ he says, inspecting the depths of the till.
‘Which means we’re running a good five minutes behind.’
That gets his attention. He gives the till a nudge and it shuts with a renewed ease.
‘Perfect,’ he announces, and shoots me a grin. I’m not sure if he means the cash desk or the fact that we’re late.
The streets are still wet from this morning’s shower, and it takes us a while to get out of town, with the ongoing festival. People are clogging the sidewalks and horse-drawn carriages block the roads. Dad smiles and occasionally waves to townsfolk like a princess in a parade. It’s only when wereach the country road that he spots the bouquet by my feet and drops the smile.
‘What are they for?’ he asks.
‘I don’t know, Dad. When I walked into Betsy’s flower shop this morning, I thought to myself, why not feed the sheep some expensive chrysanthemums?’
‘You got my parents a gift? That’s very thoughtful, but don’t expect any thanks. She finds flowers garish. Common, is the word she uses, if I remember correctly. At least the sheep would appreciate them.’
‘You’re making that up,’ I say, apprehension making my voice hitch.
