‘And you know what an adjective is.’ I smile. ‘Even more impressive.’
We’re flirting. I know we are now.
He smiles at me, and picks up the basketball, bounces it a couple of times, then throws it to me. I catch it.
I’m frozen, not sure what to do next. I should do something impressive, like dribble it myself, but I’ve never played basketball and I don’t want to embarrass myself. Or maybe I should throw it back at him.
Instead, I stare at him.
‘Are you not going to throw it back?’ he says, walking up to me.
The fence reaches our waists, my hands holding the basketball over it.
He’s close to me now, so close I can see the stubble on his chin. So close I can smell the spice of his aftershave. I look into his eyes, and I feel my words catching on my tongue.
‘I wouldn’t know where to start,’ I say.
Ty’s mouth curves into a smile, his eyes on my mouth. I tilt my head up, never breaking eye contact. The electricity is tugging me closer to him.
He reaches out his hands, grabbing the ball by putting his hands over my own. I feel electric pulses run up my arm. I drop the ball.
This is a boy who knows he’s attractive. A boy who probably has never been told no before. A boy with eyes that can melt you and a smile that draws you in.
So I get drawn in. Ty’s head is dipping lower and lower, my eyes flutter close, and in the last moment, I—
He moves away.
‘Sorry,’ he says, throwing the ball on the floor, not looking at me.
I feel a wave of frustration and rejection crush through me. What was he doing? What was I thinking? Then a roil of guilt; I’m meant to like Ollie.
‘My mind is all over the place,’ he says, looking up at me. He looks lost.
I take a deep breath. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I say. Better to move on. It was a moment of thoughtlessness for both of us.
He blinks, looking a bit stunned, then regains himself.
I need to break this weird silence. ‘What’s going on? You’re acting . . . strange. Stranger than usual.’
He looks around. ‘Do you want to go for a walk?’
Twenty-Three
Tell me a secret
I promise I’ll keep it
Throw the wish into the well
I’ll believe it
‘Secrets’ fromThe Brink of Teenage Freedom
As we start walking away from our houses, the sun is beginning to set.
‘You know, Writer, you may be the best friend I have in this city. Hell, in this country,’ says Ty, staring straight ahead. The last of the sun bathes over him, and for a moment, he looks serene.
‘Isn’t that something?’ I say, lightly. ‘You know with this streak of befriending my neighbours, maybe I don’t have anything to worry about at university.’
