Page 68 of Under Your Spell

‘Oh my God, Theo!’ I gasp, pretty sure I am suffering cardiac arrest. ‘Imagine if I had to explain that to David. He’d have some Californian plastic surgeon flown in to perform emergency eyebrow transplants.’

‘Mr Eliott’s eyebrows are worth a fortune, Clemmie, and you have failed them,’ Theo says in a spot-on David impression.

‘It’s no joke. You’re not allowed anywhere near the barbecue,’ I say firmly.

Theo only laughs and pulls me down to sit on one of the blankets.

‘How did you keep all of this a secret?’ I ask.

‘Honestly, Petty and David did most of the hard work. I just had to keep you out the way. And then your family were held up in traffic, hence our impromptu coffee trip.’

‘Well, I love it,’ I say happily, fishing a piece of strawberry out of my drink and popping it in my mouth, relishing the sweetness. ‘It’s my second best birthday ever.’

‘Second best?’

‘When I was seven, I had a Power Rangers party, and the pink Power Ranger made a special appearance.’

‘Oh, well, no chance of competing with that.’ Theo tugs me against him, his arm sliding around my waist. ‘If it had been the blue or red Power Ranger, then maybe…’

‘Exactly,’ I say. ‘But I don’t know. This is pretty close.’

‘Yeah?’ His lips tug up.

‘Yeah.’ The word comes out soft, an exhalation. His fingers tighten, brushing the thin strip of bare skin between the top of my shorts and the hem of my shirt, and I have to fight so very hard to resist the urge to press my face into the place where his neck meets his shoulder.

Whatever has been simmering between us for weeks seems, to me at least, as though it has been turned up to its boiling point. My whole body feels too tight, like I’m aching – not just for him to touch me (though definitely that, too) – but aching for something more, something that I definitely have no business wanting.

Only, the way Theo is looking down at me now makes me feel like maybe he wants it too. And that’s the most confusing part of all.

‘Food’s ready,’ Ava yells, and the spell is broken. I turn away, Theo removes his arm, and I take a deep breath, steadying myself. A few more days, I chant in my brain. Just a few more days.

As everyone scrambles to fill up their plates, arguing over who gets first choice over what’s on the barbecue (somehow Lil, despite the fact it’s my birthday), I let it sink in that my family are here at Granny Mac’s together. The hum of their voices, the familiar warmth of their laughter, even the sound of Lil and Serena squabbling, it feels right that it’s happening here. I glance up at the house, and it’s as though any remaining demons have been banished. I feel nothing but pure goodness about being here, tinged with a sweet sadness at the thought of leaving. And that seems like the biggest gift of all.

After we eat, my sisters drag me off for a walk on our own. It’s not that I’ve been avoiding this situation precisely, but I have a feeling I know what’s coming and I’m having enough arguments with myself without throwing their opinions into the mix.

‘Right,’ Serena says once we’re far enough away from the others, her hands going to her hips. ‘What. The. Actual. Fuck?’

‘What?’ I ask.

Lil and Serena exchange a look and Lil says, ‘I told you so.’

‘You and Theo, Clemmie,’ Serena says with exaggerated patience. ‘I didn’t believe it when Lil told me what was going on, but here we are.’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I say unconvincingly.

‘It’s like you’re… together.’ Lil puts a hand on my arm. ‘Like, really together. Are you? Why wouldn’t you tell us?’

‘I—’ I start, then stop, avoiding their eyes and trying to collect my thoughts. ‘We’re not. We’re just comfortable together. I suppose being stuck here alone, just the two of us, we’ve become pretty close. We’ve become… friends.’

‘I do not look at my friends the way you look at him,’ Serena says.

‘Not to mention the way he looks at you,’ Lil pipes up.

‘Yeah,’ Serena exhales slowly. ‘That. I’ve known Theo a long time and I’ve never…’ She trails off, bites her lip, clearly worried.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I say again, trying to sound firmer this time.

‘He’s always looking at you, Clemmie,’ Lil exclaims. ‘All soft and twinkly, like the friggin’ heart-eye emoji come to life. I don’t think he’s even trying to hide it, from us or from you, it’s so obvious. He’s totally in l—’