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‘Definitely yes! I love you!’
‘And I love you more!’
Sighing, I sank back behind the bush. The conversation of the two hadn’t exactly gotten any more interesting in the last few months. I admit, in the beginning, it had been mildly entertaining - like a romantic comedy playing out in my own back garden. But a girl could only stomach so many ‘I love you’s before she felt an intense desire to hurl into the bushes. And since the bushes were my favourite reading spot, hurling was to be avoided at all costs.
I lost myself in the words of Mary Astell once more. But I had hardly been at it for five minutes, when a gasp from beyond the bush brought me to attention.
‘What? Edmund! What did you say?’
My head darted forward, and my eyes found the piano tuner’s son. He was leaning forward, against the fence, an intense expression on his face.
‘It has been a year and a day since we first confessed our love to each other. I think it is time!’
Ella was as pale as a sheet. ‘B-but…’
‘I know it is a big step. But we love each other. Why wait?’
‘But…Edmund…before marriage? It is not right! I couldn’t…I wouldn’t…’
He leaned forward even more, until his face was almost touching hers through one of the gaps in the fence. ‘Don’t you love me, Ella? Don’t you want me?’
Ooh la la, this was a new tune! No more I-love-you-I-love-you-too. To judge from the look on the face of the piano tuner’s son, he was ready to get down to business. Slowly, he reached out through the fence to touch Ella’s face. Not quite so slowly, I reached out and grabbed a stout walking stick with a heavy iron knob I had stashed out here in the garden, just in case Edmund’s head would ever need to be introduced to Mr Metal.
‘Ella,’ he murmured in a low voice that was probably meant to be seductive. Judging from my little sister’s expression, she was by no means as immune to it as I was. ‘Please. I love you. I need to feel you so badly.’
‘I need you too, Edmund,’ my little sister whispered back, giving me a renewed urge to hurl. I fought against it bravely.
‘Then come to me. Let me touch you. Let me feel you. We have loved each other for over a year. The time is right to take the next step - now!’
All right! That’s it, my friend!
Grabbing Mr Metal in both hands, I started forward and was about to step out from behind the bush when Ella stumbled back, breathing heavily.
‘Give me some time!’ she begged. ‘Just a little time to…I…well…a little time, that’s all! Please!’
And with that she whirled around, and dashed back towards the house.
*~*~**~*~*
By the time Ella arrived in our shared bedroom, I was already lying in bed, breathing very, very regularly. A ladder at the window can work real wonders, sometimes.
The room was dark. I could only see the pale silhouette of my little sister in the moonlight. Wordlessly, she slid out of her dress, into her nightgown and under the covers. We lay there for a while in companionable silence.
‘Lill?’
Her voice was soft, but not really quiet.
‘How did you know I was awake?’
‘I always know, Lill.’
‘Because of the special bond we share as siblings?’
‘Because you snore when you sleep.’
A pillow flew out of my bed and barely missed the small hill under the blankets that was Ella.
‘I don’t snore!’
