“He has my birdcage and I need it back. Is he not home yet?”
As he spoke, the door opened and Jasim appeared.
“Sorry to disturb you, sir.” Ru couldn’t meet his gaze, couldn’t risk not seeing what he wanted to see, couldn’t risk not controlling his own expression. “Could I please have Bela’s cage?”
“Wait there.”
Stop being a wimp!“Congratulations,” Ru called and looked up.
Jasim turned smiled at him. A proper smile, one that Ru recognised. “Thank you.” Then he disappeared.
“How did you enjoy the vet practice?” Paolo asked.
“It was grand, thank you. I learned a lot. Everyone was very kind.”
“And we’re not kind here?”
Ru gulped. “I didn’t mean that.”
Paolo laughed. “I’m joking.”
“Here you go.” Jasim reappeared with the cage and Ru took it from him. “I didn’t see as much of her as I’d have liked. I was looking forward to taking care of her.”
“She does okay on her own. Thank you for making sure she was all right. Goodnight.”
Ru walked away with his head spinning. Had Jasim been talking about Bela or him? He heard Paolo chatting to Jasim as he made his way back to his room. In a way, he was glad Paolo had been there, because it was hard to look at Jasim and not throw himself into his arms.
Once he’d put Bela’s cage in his room and opened the window, he went back out to check on Cookie and Joni. They were in a large paddock with several other horses and they came straight over when Ru whistled. He climbed the fence into the field and let them nuzzle him. When Ru fed them chunks of his last apple, the other horses ambled over too. Ru knew all their names now and they each took a piece of apple from his hand. Khloe trotted after Cookie when she left, and Ru hoped that was the start of Cookie making friends because he was going to begin the separation tomorrow. They could stay opposite each other in the stables but spend the day in different fields.
When he got back, the others were sorting the shopping. Ru paid Poppy for his, and slipped away to his room. He made peanut butter sandwiches and while he was eating, Bela turned up.
Ru laughed. “How the hell do you know,mo bhòidhchead?”
He fed her pieces of bread as she sat beside him on the bed. “Have you been good?” He stroked her back.
“Safe,” Bela cawed.
“Yes, we’re both safe here.”
While he thought about it, Ru checked his phone and found a message from his brother.How’s it going? You want to WhatsApp?It took Ru a while to work out how to do that but he called Ink and almost instantly, Ink and Tay appeared on the screen.
“Hi, Ru,” they both said.
“Hi.”
“Where are you?” Ink asked.
“In my room with Bela.” Ru turned the phone and showed them. Bela tipped her head from side to side and cawed, “Ink.”
“Wow,” Ink gasped. “She recognised me? And knows my name? She never said it when she was up here.”
“She’s a bright bird.”
“I like your duvet cover,” his brother said.
“It glows in the dark.”
Ink laughed. “So what have you been up to?”
