Page 23

Six months later

Ollie held his breath, watching through the window of the café.

They’d travelled a long way to get there, but the place meant something to Teddy.

It meant something to his sister, Anna, too.

They were in the woods, and the hot day had attracted families and couples.

Dogs ran around barking, and children were laughing on the play equipment hidden in the trees.

Ollie had been worried they wouldn’t be able to find Anna, but the second Teddy glanced at the café, he’d frozen at the woman in the window. She was sat at a table, not looking out but staring down solemnly with her black hair obscuring most of her face.

Teddy had still recognised her, though.

Ollie squeezed his hand, then let go. Teddy shot him a grateful look, hesitating a moment, before taking the first tentative step towards his sister. He had a bag slung over his shoulder with a notepad, pens, and the dictionary he’d stolen from Hollybrook.

Ollie watched from outside long enough to see the moment they were reunited.

Anna got up from her chair and hugged Teddy tight.

Teddy slipped his arms around her back, embracing her back, and closed his eyes.

It reminded Ollie of when he’d first been reunited with Leo, but he and Leo had only been apart for a year. Teddy and his sister hadn’t seen each other for over a decade. A lot had happened to both of them during that time.

Ollie studied the noticeboard beside the café. It had all the different woodland walks mapped out, and he zeroed in on the one that led to a meadow.

Meadows meant butterflies.

He called his brother as he walked and smiled when Leo picked up with a breathless “Hi.”

Ollie tried not to laugh. “Congratulations…”

Leo groaned. “Don’t start.”

“You finally asked Jess out…”

“And she said yes.”

Ollie smirked. “I saw the gushy post online. I’ll be honest, I lost my breakfast all over my lap. All those heart emojis. Ever heard of playing it cool?”

“That was me playing it cool.”

“Yikes.”

Leo let out a dreamy sigh. “I’ve liked her since I moved here.”

“Love at first sight?”

“Something like that. Where’s Grizzly Bear?”

Ollie sighed down the phone. “He’s called Teddy, and he’s with his sister.”

“Ooo, intense.”

“Yeah. I’ve left them to it, but I just wanted to call, tease you a little, then say I’m happy for you.”

Because he was , so goddamn happy for him.

“I know you are,” Leo said softly. “Next Saturday, don’t forget.”

“Like I could.”

“And I don’t think you should ride my bike again after last time…”

Ollie reddened. “I’d never ridden before. You said you came off on your first time too.”

“Yes. I did. But there wasn’t a scary-looking guy freaking out when I hit the dirt, not to mention the way he glared at my bike afterwards. I thought he was going to smash it to pieces with his bare hands.”

“I think he thought about it.”

Leo laughed. “You get your own for him to destroy.”

Ollie laughed. “Will Jess be watching?”

“She will.”

Ollie smiled. “Great. I can tell her some embarrassing stories about you.”

Leo groaned. “Please don’t.”

“That’s what big brothers are for.”

“I hate you.”

“You don’t. Not even close.”

“Not even close,” Leo whispered back.

A brown butterfly flitted past, a meadow brown butterfly to be exact, and Ollie smiled.

“See you Saturday.”

“Saturday,” Leo agreed.

“And if you don’t win the race, I’ll disown you.”

Leo exhaled loudly, then hung up.

Ollie snorted, pocketing his phone, then trudged at a quicker pace to get to the meadow. There were more brown butterflies, orange and white ones too, but no peacocks. A slither of red showed above his T-shirt, the tease of his own butterfly.

He wondered if it would confuse the ones flapping about the meadow if he took off his T-shirt.

Ollie didn’t.

Instead, he found a small clearing to lie down, closed his eyes and enjoyed the sun on his face. He didn’t know how much time passed, suspecting he might’ve had an accidental nap while lying there, but he did know when Teddy loomed over him.

Teddy hadn’t made a sound when he’d stepped through the meadow. He hadn’t nudged Ollie with his foot or even disturbed a blade of grass in contact with Ollie’s body. The sun was still overhead and not blocked out by Teddy’s frame, but Ollie still knew he was there.

It was a sixth sense for the person he was in love with. He knew Teddy stood over him, would even go as far as saying he knew the expression on his face, narrowed eyes, and a tight mouth, and his body language of crossed arms.

“I didn’t go far,” Ollie whispered before opening his eyes.

Sure enough, Teddy stood scowling at him with his arms tightly folded.

Ollie sat up, stretching his arms. “Tell me why you’re upset. Sign it to me.”

Teddy dropped his hands by his sides. His fingers twitched.

They’d been learning sign language together, not that they needed it to communicate with each other. It was for others so that they could communicate with Teddy. Rory, Sebastian, Captain and Jarvis had all joined them, with Jarvis learning far quicker than the rest of them, which made Captain tease him and Jarvis blush.

“We’ve got to practise any chance we get.”

Teddy sighed, sagging with acceptance.

He used his hands, his expression and his body to sign, I was scared.

“You’ve got to let me out of your sight sometimes.”

Teddy’s nostrils flared. I know .

He still had nightmares, but they no longer centred on Gary. They were about Ollie, dreams of what-ifs with Ollie dying and Pichard surviving. Teddy woke in a panic, and no amount of Ollie telling him he was fine calmed him down. Teddy had to find the reassurance himself by touching Ollie’s chest to feel his heart and looking into his very much alive eyes.

His dream the night before had been intense, probably brought on by his nerves at seeing his sister again, and it was clear that the fear of Ollie being dead hadn’t left him.

Ollie held out his hand, and Teddy immediately grasped on and helped Ollie to his feet. Teddy ran his finger against the neck of Ollie’s T-shirt, sighing at a glimpse of the butterfly. He ignored all the others fluttering around them.

“Your favourite one,” Ollie said with a smile.

Teddy frowned and shook his head.

“Yes, it is.”

Teddy bopped Ollie on the nose, and Ollie smiled.

“Apart from me.”

Ollie tipped his chin up so Teddy would kiss him, slowly and sensually. Teddy’s lips roamed from Ollie’s mouth to his jaw, to his throat, stopping on the long-healed mark from Pichard’s needle. He sucked the skin until Ollie lightly pushed him away.

“I don’t want a hickey on my neck when I meet your sister.”

Teddy leaned back, looking at him.

Panic made Ollie splutter his words. “I mean—if you want me to meet her, I don’t have to—”

Teddy smacked a kiss to Ollie’s lips to shut him up. He linked his fingers through Ollie’s and tugged to get him moving through the meadow of butterflies.

Ollie snuck glances at Teddy as they trekked back.

Teddy looked bigger and brighter than he had in Hollybrook, breathing in the fresh air and taking in the view with wide, awed eyes. He squeezed Ollie’s hand, and his lips stretched into a smile that said he knew Ollie kept checking on him.

“Sorry,” Ollie whispered.

Teddy pulled their joined hands to his mouth and kissed Ollie’s skin.

“I love you.”

Teddy’s expression said it back. He dropped Ollie’s hand so he could sign it too, then just for good measure, cupped Ollie’s face and kissed the words he couldn’t speak into Ollie’s mouth.