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‘Basa?’
His sister tilted her head and he realised she was still waiting for a reply.
He hesitated a moment longer, and then, flexing his hands, he said. ‘Have you talked to her?’
There was a pause. ‘We’ve texted,’ she said after a moment. ‘She’s with her mum. They’re doing okay.’ Alicia hesitated. ‘She was worried about all of us—about everything being dragged up again—but I told her it was fine.’
Basa nodded. It seemed crazy that only a couple of weeks ago he’d been desperate to break up their friendship. Crazy that he’d thought he could. Or should.
Alicia cleared her throat. ‘I told her that she and I would be fine whatever happened—even if what the papers are saying is true.’
He stared at her, the ramifications of her words bumping off the walls as she put down her coffee cup.
‘Why are you asking me? Why don’t you just talk to her yourself?’
Something was loosening inside him. He could feel it slipping sideways, but it was just out of reach, so he turned his attention back to his sister.
‘That’s not a good idea.’
Alicia’s soft brown eyes narrowed. ‘I don’t see why,’ she protested. ‘You wouldn’t be asking me if I’d talked to her if you didn’t care.’
‘I care about you and Dad,’ he said. ‘You are my priority.’
‘Well, maybe it’s time we weren’t!’
His head jerked up at the frustration in her voice.
‘Look, I love you. You’re the best brother anyone could have and you’ve always been there for me—and I know Daddy feels the same. I know—’ He tried to interrupt but she held up her hand to silence him ‘I know he feels the same because I’ve talked to him about it. We are fine and you need to stop putting your life on hold for us.’
‘I’m not doing that, Lissy.’
‘Yes, you are. You’re using the past as a shield, so you don’t have to face your feelings.’
‘That’s not what I’m doing.’
He tried to keep his voice even, but it was hard with her staring at him with that disbelieving expression on her face. For a moment neither of them spoke, and then she sighed.
‘So why don’t you call her?’
He felt his muscles tighten beneath his skin.
It was the same question he’d been asking himself for days. Asking, but never answering.
‘You know why.’
Meeting his gaze, she cleared her throat. ‘I do. I’m just wondering when you’re going to stop pretending you don’t.’
The air was hot and thin in his lungs, and he made himself take a breath. ‘I’m not pretending anything.’
Her eyes filled with tears, and suddenly her lip was trembling.
‘Yes, you are. You’re pretending that this news story still needs you to manage it. You’re pretending that I’m still fifteen and Daddy’s still ill. But mostly you’re pretending you don’t love Mimi when you so obviously do.’
His shoulders tensed. Her words were scraping at the graze around his heart and he was conscious of his breath filling his chest. His heart shifted, growing lighter, as if something heavy had been lifted from it.
Of course he loved her!
That was why he’d been so devastated by her behaviour that night at Fairbourne and why he’d insisted she come to Argentina and Patagonia.
