Spoiler! :
The sound of Cassie singing down the phone made me chuckle; if I had a dog, it would have probably started sympathy howling.
“Okay,” I said, sinking down onto my bed. “I get it.”
Cassie laughed. “And that,” she said. “Is what it would sound like if I entered one of those talent shows.”
I couldn’t even remember what had gotten us onto the topic of singing, I was just glad Cassie was being her usual self. I’d been worried that there might have been an awkward spell between us, because of what had happened at Retro Shack yesterday. My heart jolted at the memory of how sad she’d been. Thankfully, everything seemed to be okay now.
I glanced up at my bedroom clock to see the big hand just landing on the twelve, signalling that it was one’ o clock; I’d phoned Cassie over an hour ago.
“So what was it you rang to tell me?” she asked. I could hear her chewing and the thought of food made my stomach rumble.
“I wanted to ask your advice.”
I heard a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. “Shoot!”
I smiled to myself. “Sonny’s downstairs.”
“Then why are you in your room?”
“The rest of the band are here too.”
“So? Get Sonny on his own. Get to know him.”
The thought of getting Sonny on his own made my spine tingle and I picked at a thread on my duvet to distract myself from dreaming about being alone with Sonny any further. “And how am I supposed to do that?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at my poster of ‘Haunted Vegas.’ The lead singer started back at me with a moody rock face.
“I don’t know,” she replied and I heard her huff. “Ask him to help carry drinks from the kitchen to the lounge.”
“What drinks?”
Cassie sighed. “The ones you so kindly made for the band. He’ll think you’re kind and thoughtful. It should score a few points.”
“I want him to think I’m fun, not thoughtful.”
There was silence for a moment and I guessed Cassie was thinking. I could imagine the cogs in her head turning to the sound of the music from Countdown, the program my parents watched most evenings. I laughed.
“Well, he’s not going to think you’re very fun if you stay up in your room all afternoon. You need to socialise!” She sounded like she was eating again and my thoughts flickered back to food for a second. I swore I could smell bacon wafting up from the kitchen. “I take it your parents are out?”
“Yep. Gone to help my nan pick out sofa covers.”
“Fun,” Cassie replied.
“That’s why I stayed home,” I replied.
“I bet you’re having the time of your life in your room. Alone.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m talking to you, aren’t I? So I’m not alone.”
“Basically. Seeing as there’s people in your house and you’re practically hiding from them.”
“I’m not hiding from anyone,” I insisted. “I’m just trying to decide the best way to get involved with them all.” I bit my lip, feeling a little anxious. “I mean, I don’t want to go down there and invite myself into the conversation.”
“Why shouldn’t you?” Cassie asked. She sounded all high and mighty. “You live there too. And Aiden’s your friend.” I’d forgotten Aiden would be over too; I was still getting used to the idea that he hung out with my older sister on a frequent basis. “You could talk to him.”
“I thought the whole idea of me going down there was to talk to Sonny?”
I heard Cassie crunch something loud and mutter something about crisps. My stomach pinched with hunger; I’d only had a banana for breakfast. “Yeah, but. You feel comfortable talking to Aiden, right? So if Sonny sees how confident you are when you’re talking to Aiden, he’ll want to talk to you.”
I laughed. “What phase is this?”
“It’s not a phase,” she replied. “It’s common knowledge that guys like a confident girl. Confidence is sexy apparently.”
I snorted. Yeah, and then the minute I try to talk to Sonny, I’ll start stammering and muttering all over the place and he’ll think I’m some kind of weird kid.
“Don’t be negative,” Cassie said. “You need to be optimistic.”
“Sure,” I replied, getting up from my bed to look out of the window. Sonny’s car was parked at the end of the driveway and the sight of it made my stomach squeeze, and not from hunger. “I’ll snare him with confidence.”
“That’s the way to talk,” Cassie agreed. “Now, are you going to go downstairs?”
I perched on my desk and felt nerves shake my resolve to be confident. “Uh, no?”
“Harriet!” Cassie exclaimed. “Go downstairs now!”
“I can’t do it, Cass,” I said, verging on being whiny. “I’ll just make a fool out of myself.”
“You’ll be fine,” Cassie assured me. She sounded like she meant it too. My confidence rose a touch.
“Really?”
“Yeah. And if you do well, like, get some information on him, then I’ll get you a brownie from Keke’s.”
My mouth watered at the thought of chocolate. “Done!”
“Wow, H,” Cassie said. “If I’d have known how easy it was to manipulate you, I’d have done it a long time ago.”
I laughed dryly before saying my goodbyes. If I didn’t go down straight away, I had a feeling I’d be in my room all afternoon with only the smell of bacon and the thoughts of chocolate for company.
***
It turned out Aiden was the one responsible for the alluring smell of bacon. I spotted him near the grill in the kitchen, with his back to me, as I reached the bottom of the stairs. The sound of sizzling fat was loud in my ears and I found myself being drawn to the kitchen, even though I’d promised Cassie I’d socialise.
“I didn’t know you could cook, I said, leaning against the fridge. Aiden’s shoulders rose and I could tell I’d surprised him. He turned around to face me, holding a plate. On top the plate were two slices of bread. My stomach howled.
“It’s a bacon sandwich,” Aiden replied, one of his light eyebrows raised. “It’s not exactly cooking.”
He held the plate out to me and I took it without hesitation, my mouth watering at the thought of eating soon. It was then that I noticed more plates stacked next to a loaf of bread.
“Did Leanne make you do this?” I asked, nodding to the pile of food Aiden had been preparing before I’d interrupted him.
He smiled and shook his head. “I volunteered.” He lowered his voice a touch and his smile shrank. “They were talking about relationships.” He pulled a face; sticking his tongue out and screwing up his nose.
I had the sudden urge to shove the plate back at Aiden and run to the lounge to listen in on the conversation. The thought of finding out what Sonny had to say on the subject of relationships was very appealing. I’d even pick it over food.
I was about to follow through with my idea when I suddenly remembered the face Aiden had just pulled. “That’s a bit immature, isn’t it?” I said. “We are seventeen.”
Aiden shrugged. “I’d rather be single at the moment.” He turned around to check on the cooking bacon. Hot air burst out as he opened the grill, bringing with it the smell of lazy Sunday mornings; Dad usually cooked bacon on a Sunday and I hadn’t been expecting any, since he was out. I felt hungrier than ever now.
“Why’s that?” I asked, my eyes on the bacon as he turned it over with a fork.
Aiden seemed to hesitate as he propped the grill door back up. “My last relationship…” He trailed off and made a sour face. “It ended badly.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know what to say.
“She was too clingy,” Aiden added. He separated out the plates and divided the bread. “I had to ditch her to stop myself from suffocating.” He rolled his eyes. “If you know what I mean.”
I nodded. Brandon was starting to give me the same feeling. “Well, my last boyfriend moved to Scotland.”
“You were that annoying?” he said with a laugh.
I frowned. “Shut up! His dad got transferred up there actually.”
Aiden nodded slightly before turning back to look at me, hesitating again. “You mind?”
“It was mutual, I guess. He didn’t really have much of a choice though, with his whole family going up there.” I watched eagerly as Aiden retrieved the bacon from the grill and started sharing it between the plates. “Besides, I don’t think a long distance relationship would have worked.”
“Suppose.” Aiden was absorbed in dishing out lunch and I observed him with an amused expression as he moved his tongue to the corner of his mouth, biting it with concentration.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “I’ve got you-know-who to focus on now.”
He looked up with wide eyes. “Sonny.”
“Shut up,” I hissed. Is he really that thick? Sonny was only in the next room.
“No.” Aiden shook his head and glanced behind me quickly. “Sonny,” he whispered.
My heart jumped to my throat. God. How long has he been standing there? I shuffled on the spot until I’d turned enough to glimpse Sonny. I then smiled at him as though I’d only just noticed him. “Hey.” I could feel my pulse quickening and I gripped the counter behind me. “Lunch is almost ready.”
As if to prove my point, Aiden dropped two slices of bacon onto my plate with a smile. It was a smile that said ‘nice save.’ I nodded a thanks.
“Awesome,” Sonny said. “Warren’s stomach’s growling like a bear in there.” He stuck his thumb behind him, indicating the lounge. “I came to get a drink, actually.” He stepped towards me and I smiled at him. Aiden finished up the sandwiches before setting the plates onto two of the trays that we used at meal times; my parents were the sort that would rather watch TV while eating than have a conversation. I didn’t blame them; the last time we ate at the dinner table, Leanne told them that she was quitting college. It wasn’t pretty.
“Uh, Harriet.”
I looked up at Sonny to see him awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah?”
“Can I get to the glasses cupboard, please?”
I felt my cheeks flame red. “Yeah, sure!” I bolted out of the way, almost knocking into Aiden as he carried the trays to the door. I caught sight of him biting his lip. Yeah, I know. I wanted to hit my head against something hard but instead, I set my plate on the side and tried to casually lean back into the counter. Just look cool.
“Can I get to the sink?”
How about I just die now? I moved out of the way and watched as he filled a glass with water. My mind rested on the memory of last time we’d both been in the kitchen together. I gripped the counter again. I didn’t want a repeat of last time, when his drink had ended up all over him, courtesy of yours truly.
I turned back to face him, after pretending to be interested in the note my mum had left on the fridge about not using the bacon. Oops. My breath caught in my throat as I saw him surveying me over the rim of his cup.
“Remember the last time we were both in here?” he asked.
I’d rather not actually. I smiled shyly. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”
He grinned and set his empty cup in the sink. “It’s alright. I didn’t like the t-shirt I was wearing then, anyway.”
Not knowing how to react to his words, or if they were supposed to be sarcastic or not, I found myself giggling. Oh God. I dived forwards and grabbed my plate. “I’m going to go sit in the lounge.”
“I’ll come with,” he said. I almost walked into the dustbin as I noted the face he was regarding me with. It was the same strange look that he’d given me at The Rooster. My heart swelled and I strode towards the living room.
The lounge was silent. Everyone was chewing on their sandwiches and the thought of eating enticed me into the only other empty seat besides the one Sonny had vacated. I still felt nervous about socialising, because I didn’t want to say anything un-cool, but the image of Sonny smiling at me forced me down into the wicker chair that Cassie always preferred to sit in when she was over.
The food tasted wonderful and I could feel my insides welcoming my lunch gratefully. Everyone else looked to have almost finished though and soon the sound of intent chewing was replaced by chatter. I ate slowly, wanting to buy as much time as I could before I had no choice but to either sit in silence, or have a go at joining in with a conversation. Sonny was chatting on the sofa with Leanne and Roz and I was trying to pick out what was being said. He was getting a lot of laughs from my sister and I tried even hard to listen to what he was saying, tuning into words like gig and lyrics, but I couldn’t hear much else over the noise of Aiden and Warren arguing loudly to my left. I turned to face them both as I popped the last of my sandwich into my mouth. I savoured the salty flavour of the bacon before swallowing.
Aiden was gesturing wildly with his arms. “You’re being delusional. Geoffrey Gold is twice the age of Titus Steele.”
I leaned closer with interest.
“No, man.” Warren waved a finger in Aiden’s face and Aiden recoiled, rolling his blue-green eyes. “Titus Steele is like, thirty something. Gold’s forty. That makes them practically the same age.”
I had no idea who this Titus Steele bloke was, but Warren’s logic made me laugh.
Aiden laughed too. “You dude, are weird. Everyone knows that Titus Steele is only in his twenties.”
I don’t.
Warren sank back into his seat and shook his head. His eyes looked strangely big through his thick rimmed glasses and I realised he had a new piercing, though he didn’t look anywhere near as hot as Sonny did with his lip pierced. “Whatever,” he said with a sigh. “You obviously ain’t gonna listen.”
“That’s because Aiden’s right, Warren,” Sonny said, dropping down into the seat opposite me. My heart skipped a beat as I saw him glance at me quickly before he looked back to see Warren’s reaction.
I turned to see Leanne and Roz heading upstairs.
“I’m not sure,” Warren said, and I turned back around to see him stroking the black stubble on his chin. He’d had a goatee a few months ago, but he’d lost a bet with Sonny and had to shave it off. I was glad that it was gone; it had reminded me of my old science teacher. “I always thought he was older,” Warren continued. “You know, it could just be that weird beard thing he has going.”
I tried not to choke on the breath I’d just taken.
“Could be,” Sonny said.
Aiden shrugged. “I guess a beard can make a guy look older.”
“What do you think, Harriet?”
I froze at Sonny’s words. I didn’t want to have a conversation about beards.
He must have seen my expression as he spoke again, almost to correct himself. “I mean about the age thing. Who’s older?”
It felt like my heart had stopped beating as I realised the spotlight was now well and truly on me. “Uh.” I felt a panic setting in. “I.” I was stuck. I didn’t want to admit that I didn’t know who Titus Steele was and look like an idiot. But I knew that the minute I lied, I’d probably end up digging myself a hole if they asked me my opinions on him. I took a deep breath and squeezed my palms together. “I… I have no idea who you’re on about.”
I drew in another deep breath, waiting for the laughter to start, but it never came. Warren was gaping at me, Aiden didn’t look at all surprised, and Sonny’s expression made my heart soar. He was beaming so wide, his eyes were crinkling in the corners. I caught his gaze and shrugged.
“Of course you wouldn’t,” Sonny replied. “You have good taste in music.”
I fought to keep my mouth from falling open in shock. I’d been expecting disappointment from him, not praise. Not knowing how to reply properly, I smiled slightly and fidgeted in my seat.
“So you think Geoffrey Gold is better than Titus Steele?” Warren asked Sonny in an incredulous tone. “You’re idiotic.”
Sonny’s eyes brightened and he rubbed his hands together as if he was readying himself to fight back.
I relished in the way he was passionate about expressing his opinions; the way he wouldn’t back down or agree with Warren. I felt like I was getting to know him better and the thought made me smile. I looked over at Aiden to see him wearing a matching grin. Maybe he could see the progress I was making, too.
It reminds me of one time...I won't go into it. Lol. There were a few typo errors which you'll find when you read back over it, nothing major. This was great, yet again. Can't wait for the next part!
You find out that the characters are deep, and thoughtful. And there is so much behind this characters.
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