Page 4

'Blem' = cigarette

I was in a bad mood. I didn't know why. I was in a good mood up until Valerie told me that she had to take a call from her brother.

Talking to her in the car was... strange. But I couldn't deny the fact that I craved every piece of information about herself that she gave me. I've stored every bit. I don't remember the last time I actually cared about what someone had to say. I hated everyone and everything but couldn't seem to find something in her to hate. What I did understand though, was that she was finding plenty of things in me to dislike.

"Hey, Will." I heard her say. I didn't want to eavesdrop but it was hard considering she was right there. And I was curious. I was curious about everything to do with her. It scared me and I didn't know what it meant.

She paused then said "I haven't smoked a blem in over a month, alright?" She said, tucking a half empty pack of cigarettes behind her. She wore a small frown and had a look of sibling annoyance on her face. I smiled to myself.

"Look, I know I said I could, but I can't really talk right now." She sighed.

"Yeah, I know I said I could but I have a... friend over." She tucked a strand of her shiny brown hair behind her ear. That hair.

"I do not have a boyfriend, you know this!" This conversation was becoming funnier and funnier and I couldn't help a smirk make its way onto my face.

"Just quickly tell me what this is about so I can go."

She paused, listening.

I could feel her mood shift. He shoulders tensed slightly, like she was prepared to defend herself or something. Her lips went pale, forming a thin line and she stood up just a little straighter, no longer at ease, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"What?" She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"He isn't coming here, William." She said firmly, trying to mask the shake in her voice. She paused again and I could nearly hear her brother's persistent tone on the other end.

"I have to go." She hung up. She stood there for a few moments, seeming to recount whatever distressing news her brother had revealed. Her brown eyes were staring off, not focused on anything particular. Her damp hair was forming loose curls, framing her face before she blinked, realised I was there and caught me red-handed staring at her. She made her way over and asked with a sigh, "Did you hear all of that?"

"Do you want the truth?" I offered.

"You heard." I gave a short nod in response.

"Is all of your family in London?" I asked gently.

"Yes, pretty much."

"Then who do you have here?"

She hesitated. "I have Mable, she's basically family."

"Don't you get sad that you're so far away from them at all times?"

"That's kind of the point." She said in the smallest, most fragile voice.

"I get that." I said in an equally small voice. She looked at me then, sat next to me on the sofa. Every time she opened her mouth, I found myself telling her things I barely tell Marcus.

"What about you, do you have anyone here?" I could tell that she was just making small talk but I liked her asking me questions despite this.

"Basically my whole family except my sister. She moved to Paris around three years ago." I said. What I didn't mention was that my sister left in the middle of the night, put a note on my bedside table explaining where she was going but left no means to contact her. I was the only person in my family that knew where she was and I intended to keep it that way.

Valerie was listening to me intently, like she cared about what I had to say. It was unusual. Most people, when they talk to me, ask me questions about ice hockey or my family's lawyer empire but she treats me like a normal person and asks me normal questions, not expecting anything in return. I liked it. That was dangerous.

"I only have brothers." She shrugged. "They're all older."

"My brother is older than me but he doesn't act like it." I admitted. She smiled. I made her smile.

"You know I don't like you, right?" She surprised me by saying. I did know this but it was still a blow. I wasn't used to people not liking me, usually it was the other way around.

"I figured. You ignore me for pretty much all of our lessons together." She shrugged at my observation.

"I'm not trying to hide it. I don't like you. You're arrogant, pompous, conceited and have an excessive amount of self-worth and I feel it someone's duty to tell you. I have taken it upon myself." She said matter-of-factly. I just smirked. "Why are you smiling?" She said, clearly annoyed.

"No one has ever been so direct with me before." I said simply.

"I'm not afraid of confrontation." She brushed this comment off but I could tell by the way her eyes grew heavy that it had more meaning to her than she was letting on.

"I suppose that's a good thing." I replied.

"You suppose?"

"Considering you make judgements on people without knowing them properly, I suppose confrontation is a good thing for you."

"I know enough." She said, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"What, you guessed that I was conceited and full of pride on that first lesson last week?" I asked, sceptical.

"I don't guess." She huffed. She was cute when she was angry and flustered.

"Then how could you know all of those things about me without making a guess?"

"The fact you don't even remember says enough, you were far too busy caught up in yourself." What?

"Remember what?"

"Case in point." She was about to say something else when the front door opened and in strode Mable and... Marcus?

"Mable?"

"Marcus?" Valerie and I said at the same time. I shot him a glare at interrupting our conversation. Valerie had spoken to me more this evening than all of our lessons combined. I mean, I did skip the majority but I was still annoyed at him.

"Um... Val?" Mable said, unsure. The two girls exchanged a look that I couldn't decipher and by the look on Marcus' face, neither could he. "Val, can I talk to you in your bedroom?" Mable asked sweetly.

"Okay." Val said, clearly reading whatever signals Mable was giving her.

"We'll be a few minutes, you guys talk amongst yourselves." Marcus and I exchanged a look of our own. "You guys are friends right?"

"Yeah." Marcus said.

"Great!" Mable chirped before striding over to Valerie, grabbing her and pulling her to the door on the left, leaving Marcus and I alone.

Marcus waited until the door was shut before he said, "This is awkward."

"What are you doing here?!" I whisper shouted to him, careful to not let the girls hear.

"I could ask you the same thing." He shot back.

"I'm here grabbing notes." I defended.

"On the couch, right up close to her, staring into her eyes." He teased. "When we walked in, it looked like something passionate was happening." Oh my God.He truly was an idiot.

"We were arguing!"

"Mhm." Marcus doubted.

"She really hates me."

"About time someone hated you, considering you hate everyone else." I knew this was true but I was determined to not let him win whatever semi-argument we were having.

"Give one example." Petty, but so was I.

"Simon." He deadpanned.

"Oh come on, you hate him too!" Marcus made no response which meant that I was right. "And you still haven't answered my question."

"What question?" He asked innocently, looking around at the apartment.

It was no mansion and definitely no mansion like my family's penthouse but it felt lived in. There were plants dotted all over, coveting the space with life. Their kitchen was colourful, a red SMEG fridge and blue tiles against the counters. Their couches were worn but comfortable. Books seemed to be spilling from the room on the left, Valerie's room. They were wedged in between gaps and piled on all available flat spaces around the door. The windows were light and airy but had paint peeling around the edges.

Despite this, it felt like a home and not one that was only meant for college. I thought back to when Valerie had said that the point of moving so far away was to be far from her family and that London didn't feel like her home anymore. Was she planning on staying here forever?

"What are you doing here?" I repeated my previous question.

"I walked Mable home." He said it like he was proud of himself.

"How did that happen?"

"I just bumped into her and then offered and she said yes." He shrugged it off as if it was nothing but I knew how much he liked her.

"But how did you end up inside?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She invited me in." He said, once again looking around at the apartment. He was lying. I knew it, he knew it and he knew that I knew it. I looked at him for a good few seconds before he gave in. "Alright, I asked if I could come in!"

I sat back into the couch, smirking.

"You don't understand, I can't get her out of my head." He continued. "It's been a week since I met her." He slumped onto the couch next to me. "I need to get a grip." He sighed.

"We both do." I answered. His head snapped to me at my admittance just as the left door opened.

Mable was looking cheerful while Valerie definitely wasn't.

"Val and I have decided," Mable started. I looked at Valerie but she was looking everywhere except me. "That since you're both here, I can cook for all of us and you guys might as well stay." She shrugged like it was nothing.

Marcus was trying to pretend he wasn't elated at this news and was failing miserably.

"Is that so?" I asked, directing my question at Valerie. When she didn't answer straight away, Mable gave her a not-so-subtle nudge slash punch, Valerie grimaced and replied with a prompt,

"Yep." Then she averted her eyes yet again. I was so tempted to say yes when I remembered I had my Friday Family Dinner.

"Thanks for the offer, but I can't stay." I said, getting up from the sofa. I looked at Valerie, expecting her to be delighted but she just looked... confused? Marcus looked at me helplessly and I shot him a look and he remembered about my dinner.

"Me too." When Marcus saw how deflated Mable had become he quickly added, "But I really wish I could."

She nodded. "We understand." She nudged Valerie again.

"Ow- yep." She said. She seemed to be distracted and I couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with that red phone and cold conversation over it.

---

Once Marcus and I were outside of their apartment he said, "You couldn't have missed just this one week just this one time?"

"You know I can't." I replied, making my way to my car. "But I don't see why you couldn't have stayed."

"It wouldn't have worked." He said, getting into the passenger seat of my car. "If you were there, you could distract Val, or shall I say, she could distract you, since that's all you seem to be doing these days. And then I could be alone with Mable."

I frowned and Marcus knew he had hit a nerve. "You're one to talk."

"At least I admit I'm obsessed."

"I am not obsessed." I said.

Marcus just gave me a knowing smile.

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