‘I didn’t say I agreed.’
‘Look, if you don’t behave I won’t take you to Legoland.’
Charlie stared at me and then his face crumpled. He put his hands up to cover it.
I stared, open-mouthed, for a second until I saw his shoulders shaking. He looked up, his blue eyes shining with tears – of laughter!
‘You should have seen your face!’
‘You’re such an arse,’ I stated. ‘I used to think you were this serious, intelligent man but in reality, you’re just an arse.’
‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome,’ I said, getting in the car and pulling the door closed behind me.
Charlie slid in the other side. He glanced across at me, a smirk on his face. I stuck my tongue out at him, but I couldn’t stop the grin that arrived at the same time. He laughed and squeezed my knee, then blipped the throttle on and set off.
‘Charlie!’ the boys chorused as they rushed out, pushing past Matt and Maria, both of whom were still in their dressing gowns, for which I had a moment of jealousy. Charlie scooped up the boys as they ran towards him, one in each arm. They giggled and Niall wrapped his hands around Charlie’s neck whilst Liam rested an arm across his shoulder, enjoying the much higher viewpoint than he normally experienced.
‘Auntie Libby!’ they called, as Charlie brought them back towards the house.
‘Oh. You noticed me, did you?’ I said, teasing as they both leaned out to give me a kiss.
‘Is Charlie spending the day with us?’
‘Please?’
‘It’s amazing what a snazzy car can do. Busty women, small boys. They all love it,’ I said to Maria as Matt and Charlie began chatting.
‘Busty women?’ Maria repeated, raising an eyebrow.
‘Oh, you wouldn’t believe the half of it!’
She cast a glance over Charlie, who was now happily laughing with my brother. ‘Oh, I don’t know. I might.’ She laughed.
‘I’m not sure having him for a mate is all that good for my ego, you know.’
‘Maybe you should change that, then.’
I looked at her. ‘I don’t think I could. Not out of choice. I can hardly remember what it was like to not have Charlie as part of my life. And I don’t really want to.’
‘That wasn’t exactly what I meant.’ She gave me a minute.
‘Ohhhhh! Oh, no. No, definitely not.’
‘Why not? What’s wrong with him?’
‘Nothing! Nothing at all.’
‘OK. Then what’s wrong with you?’
I rolled my eyes at her for lack of something better to say.
‘That’s not an answer, Libs. He’s funny, kind, stable, straight and stomach-meltingly gorgeous. So, I ask again. What’s wrong with you?’
‘It’s just not like that between us. We’re friends. We’re kind of… beyond all that. It’d be weird.’
Maria fixed me with a look. ‘Weird is not what I think it would be. And I don’t think you do either.’
