I pulled a sad face and we sat quietly, waiting for Zach to make the tea. I looked around at the room. It was homely, with polished wooden floors, a brown leather sofa with ornate wooden feet, and a dark wood sideboard covered in photographs. A big brass mirror hung above the fireplace and a clock ticked on the mantelpiece. I’d spent little time wondering what kind of house Zach lived in, but even so, it was a bit of a surprise to actually be sitting in this lounge with its muted, old-fashioned décor, being served tea by the man himself. He sat down cross-legged on the red carpet in front of the fireplace, and wrapped his hands around an oversized teacup.
‘Where’s your mum gone?’
Zach looked up from blowing on his teacup. ‘Out on a date.’
‘Oh? What’s this one like then?’
Zach shrugged. ‘Dunno yet. It’s their first date.’ He pulled a face and sniffed. ‘She met him on some online dating website thingy.’
‘Tinder?’
‘Dunno. Whatever it is gets her more dates than me anyway.’
‘Perhaps you should give it a go yourself?’
Zach wrinkled his nose and shook his head. ‘Nope. So, what are we going to sing then, people?’
‘Are we really going to sing?’ I spluttered.
‘We said so, didn’t we?’
‘I thought you were joking!’
Daniel laughed at me. ‘You got another guitar there, Zach?’
‘Upstairs, in my bedroom.’ His head was bent over his guitar as he tuned it. Daniel went upstairs, returning a few minutes later with a guitar and a tambourine that he passed to me. I felt my cheeks grow hot. I hadn’t done anything musical for years, and even when I was playing the cello, I felt like it was something I had to do away from other people. Only my music teacher and my mum heard me play on a regular basis. I watched Zach, bent over his instrument, a far-off look on his face, and thought wistfully of the dust-covered cello case in the corner of my bedroom. I wondered what playing it now would feel like. I wondered if it would feel as wonderful as it used to.
Daniel started to play. Straight in, no hesitation, no embarrassment at all. The last of the evening sun spilled in through the window, pooling on the sofa and staining him golden. He glanced up and smiled when he caught me watching.
‘Come on, shake that tambourine.’
I pulled a face, but started tapping it gently against my leg. I didn’t even recognise what they were playing until Zach started to sing the lyrics to a Bob Dylan song. It felt good to be sitting there, shaking a tambourine with these boys. I hadn’t had so much fun in years. He had a good voice and he and Daniel smiled as they played, and somehow, at some point, the embarrassment slipped away, and it suddenly seemed entirely natural that I should be banging a tambourine in someone’s front room while two men played guitar and sang.
One song slipped into the next and before I knew it I was singing along. Suggesting songs. Enjoying the moment.
And then, suddenly, the front door was opening and Zach’s mum stepped into the hallway.
‘Hello!’ She didn’t seem surprised so see us there at all. She was small and dark like Zach, and wore red lipstick and a pretty flowery dress.
‘Hi!’ I said, brightly, resting the tambourine on my thigh. Zach kept playing, but looked up and smiled at his mum.
‘Hi, Mum, this is Elena. How was your date?’
‘Hello, Elena, I’m Mary.’ She smiled down at me as she slipped off her shoes. ‘My date was okay as dates go.’
‘Are you going to see him again?’
‘Probably not.’ She stopped in the doorway of the kitchen and turned back.
‘Why?’ Zach stopped playing and looked up at her.
‘It just felt awkward. We never really had that “click”, you know?’ She shook her head, disappointed. ‘We had nothing in common and conversation was a bit difficult. That kind of thing.’
‘Where did you go?’
‘Only the pub down the road.’
‘Mum! They could follow you and find out where you live.’
Mary shrugged. ‘At least I can come home whenever I like. Besides, why would he follow me? He couldn’t wait to get away from me either!’
‘He must be a fool,’ Daniel said.
‘Yes, he must,’ I agreed.
‘Well, we can’t get on with everyone, can we?’ Mary said. ‘Otherwise, we’d be falling in love all over the place and the world would be a very confusing place. It just makes you realise that finding someone you click with is quite rare, and when you find that person you should hold on to them with both hands. Anyone want a drink?’
‘No, I’d better be going actually.’ Daniel passed the guitar to Zach and stood up. ‘Come on, Elena, I’ll drop you home.’
‘Thanks.’ I stood up too. I hadn’t realised how late it had got. It was completely dark outside. I hadn’t even noticed, cocooned in the cosy glow of the lamp in the corner of the room. ‘Thanks, Zach. See you soon.’
‘Yeah, cool. Make sure you come and watch us play.’
‘Definitely.’
I followed Daniel down the path and climbed into his truck. ‘That was fun,’ I said, plugging in my seatbelt.
‘Yeah, it was.’ Daniel’s teeth flashed in the darkness and the engine roared into life.
‘I didn’t realise it was so late!’
‘I know. Work tomorrow.’ He reached for the gear stick and took my hand instead, sending my heart into overdrive. ‘I’m glad you had a nice time,’ he said.
‘I did.’
He squeezed my hand before letting it go, leaving my skin tingling. I wanted to feel his touch again but he was already changing into first gear and checking his mirrors to pull away. The air felt charged with electricity.
Every so often he would glance at me, but when I glanced at him, he would look away. The passing traffic illuminated the planes and contours of his face, imprinting on my memory like a flash photograph so that his face was all I saw, even while looking away or blinking.
He pulled up outside my house and looked across at me with a smile.
‘Thank you,’ I said, feeling suddenly nervous.
‘My pleasure. Thank you for Sunday lunch.’
Well, that was very formal, I thought anxiously. I’d been hoping for a kiss, but he was just sitting there, smiling. Was he as nervous as me? I smiled back awkwardly, then, deciding I couldn’t leave without at least giving him a peck, leaned towards him, aiming for his cheek. But, at the very last minute, he turned his head and I kissed him on the lips instead. My eyes opened wide and he smiled as he placed a hand on the back of my neck, drawing me towards him. The air was thick with magic as he kissed me again, deeper and longer. The world spun away.
How long had I dreamt of kissing Daniel Moore again? It was even better than I remembered the first-time round.
Daniel kissed me once more and then touched his forehead to mine. ‘Good night, Elena.’
‘Goodnight, Daniel.’ I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face as I floated up the path to my parents’ front door.
Chapter Twelve
‘Daniel’s in the paper!’ Mum sang as she opened the door to me the following evening. I had my key ready to unlock it and nearly fell in.
‘What do you mean?’
‘His band!’ Mum flapped the paper in my face impatiently. ‘Didn’t he tell you he was going to be in the papers?’
‘No.’ I shut the door behind me and followed her inside. The vacuum cleaner was in the middle of the lounge and the air smelt of furniture polish. ‘Are we expecting visitors?’
‘You cheeky devil! I’m always cleaning.’
‘Yeah, but you don’t normally do it at this time of day,’ I protested as she frogmarched me through the lounge to the kitchen table. She spread out the paper and tapped Daniel’s face with her index finger. ‘Wow!’ I gazed at the full-page article in amazement.
‘Doesn’t he look handsome!’ she said, proudly.
I kept quiet, even though I was in complete agreement with her. He looked very serious. Brooding, in fact, like some big, famous rock star or something. My heart beat faster just looking at him and I could feel heat in my cheeks.
‘Who’s this chap here? He’s got a funny haircut, hasn’t he?’
‘That’s Zach. He’s lovely.’
‘Get you, hanging out with bands. They’re practically famous now.’
‘Because they’ve been in the local free paper?’ I laughed.
‘We’ve all got to start somewhere.’ Mum nudged me with her elbow. ‘I can’t believe we’ve got a famous rock star coming to prune our apple tree on Wednesday!’
I laughed. ‘You should tell him that. He’ll be chuffed.’
Mum chuckled and I bent my head over the article, absorbing each and every word. They had started as a cover band, but were now performing more and more of their own songs and their audiences were loving them. Zach was the main songwriter, but the article mentioned that Daniel wrote too. He’d kept that quiet. Although it didn’t really surprise me.
‘I’m going to see them play on Friday,’ I said.
‘Really? Whereabouts?’
‘Trafford’s. Although I’m currently going on my own because Rachel can’t come.’
‘Well, that’s all right. It’s not like you don’t know them.’
‘Yeah, I know. I said I’d be there. It’s just, you know, the whole thing of standing in a pub on my own. I feel like a groupie or something. Why don’t you come with me?’
‘I’m too old for all that nonsense. Besides, you’re just getting it on with Daniel. I don’t want to cramp your style.’
‘What do you mean? Getting it on? We’re just friends.’
‘Yeah, right!’ Mum gave me a knowing look and then nodded at the article. ‘You can cut that out and put it in that box under your bed!’
‘What box?’ My cheeks turned scarlet and Mum cackled.
‘The box with all those drawings and poems in. Well, if you didn’t want me to see it, you shouldn’t have left it under your bed. I knocked it over with the vacuum. I must say, it’s quite romantic you getting together with him after all this time. How sweet. Does he know you had a crush on him back then?’
‘Yes. He kissed me at the prom, but then he went off travelling and I didn’t see him again until I got stuck in the lift with him the other day.’
‘Aww. And now the time is right, you can be together at last.’ Mum’s eyes twinkled and she beamed at me.
‘Mum! This isn’t a Disney film, you know. Calm down. It’s early days yet.’
‘I have a good feeling about you two,’ Mum said, knowingly, and my insides filled with happy butterflies. ‘Have you spoken to him today?’
‘He sent me a text this morning.’
‘And? Are you seeing him tonight?’
I shook my head. ‘He’s got rehearsals tonight.’
‘Oh, that’s a shame.’
‘Yeah, so you dusted for nothing.’ I laughed and she tutted and flicked me with a tea towel.
‘Don’t be silly.’ She disappeared into the lounge and started to wind up the flex to the vacuum. ‘So, what are you going to do tonight if you’re not seeing Daniel?’
‘Dunno. Eat tea. Watch TV. Go to sleep.’ I laughed. ‘Actually, I suppose I’d better go through those bags I brought back from Alex’s.’
‘It won’t upset you, will it?’
‘No, Mum. Why should it upset me?’
‘Well, you know, memories and all that.’
I shrugged. ‘I doubt it.’
***
I was right; going through the bags didn’t upset me. They were just full of cushions, bedding, throws and towels. I wasn’t sure why he didn’t want a lot of this stuff. Unless the woman he was moving in with had everything already.
‘You may as well keep all the towels and bedding for your next flat or house or whatever you get,’ Mum said, refolding the bedding so it was neatly stacked in rectangles.
‘But I don’t know when that will be. I can’t just leave it in Andrew’s room indefinitely.’
‘Well, he’s not back yet. We can worry about it when he comes home. Whenever that might be.’ She sighed sadly. ‘I mean, it’s a shame to get rid of all this stuff and have to rebuy everything a few months down the line.’
‘Or years.’
‘Oh, come on! You won’t be back here for long.’ She looked at me fondly. ‘My gorgeous girl! You’ve already got a new boyfriend.’
I sighed. ‘Don’t get too excited, Mum. Daniel and I aren’t officially going out or anything.’
‘Officially? What do you have to do to make it official? Announce it in the newspaper?’
‘No, but… it’s just very… early. I like Daniel, but I feel like this is too good to be true. He was always really popular with the girls, and if he’s in a band, he’s bound to still have swathes of ladies after him. I can’t get my hopes up too much.’
‘Did he have lots of girlfriends at college?’
‘Yep.’
‘But he kissed you at the prom?’
‘Well, yeah, after I spent two years watching him kiss everyone else.’
‘But he kissed you at the prom?’
‘Yes. He kissed me at the prom. But, like Rachel said at the time, he’d probably run out of girls he hadn’t kissed by then.’ I started to gather the stuff up to take upstairs. My stomach was full of butterflies and my heart was refusing to believe what I said, but I had to keep it real. ‘I’ll keep the towels, but the cushions can go. I never liked that bedding either.’
‘Make good dust sheets, those,’ my dad said, coming into the lounge.
‘They’re too good for dust sheets, Derek!’ Mum protested. ‘They can go to charity.’
‘Good absorbent sheet like that? They’d be great for when I bleed the radiators.’
I left them to it and went upstairs to my room. My insides were churned up with longing to see Daniel again. I kept checking my phone every few minutes in case he’d called or texted, which was completely irrational when I knew he was busy. My head was telling me to stop getting my hopes up, that it was silly to be so hung up on him after just a few days. But my heart had taken last night’s kiss and galloped off into the sunset. I’d fallen for Daniel Moore again.
Chapter Thirteen
Wednesday afternoon took forever to arrive. Daniel and I had exchanged text messages a couple of times and I’d been friendly but cool, trying not to convey the depth of my desperation to see him again. I thought it best not to look too keen, considering he knew how much I’d liked him in college. We discussed his band practice, work and what time he’d be round to prune my dad’s apple tree.
I was worried he’d be finished by the time I got back from work, but his truck was still outside when I got home. Just the sight of it set my pulse racing and I took a few calming breaths before I went inside. Mum was in the kitchen, watching from the window as the kettle boiled on the side.
‘Hi, Mum,’ I said, putting my bag on the chair.
‘Hello, love. Good day?’ She nodded out of the window at Daniel, who was in among the branches of the tree, sawing at one of its upper limbs. ‘Look at him! He’s like a monkey. He was up that tree in a shot. He’s so nimble and athletic. And sooo strong.’
I looked across at Mum and laughed. ‘Calm down!’
‘Well, just look at him!’
I looked. In fact we were all looking. Dad was in the garden, chatting to a man with brown hair and a beard. They were talking and laughing as they watched Daniel, who seemed to be laughing as he sawed away at a branch. He was wearing a red check shirt with the sleeves rolled up, an orange hard hat and a harness that wrapped around the tops of his legs, accentuating his buttocks. Yes, he looked pretty sexy up there in that tree.
‘That’s Richie, Daniel’s uncle,’ Mum said. ‘Lovely man. He’s been chatting to your dad for ages.�
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‘Oh, right.’ I couldn’t stop staring at Daniel’s backside. Did all arborists look that good in their harnesses? Or was it just Daniel?
‘Here, help me carry this tea out.’ Mum passed me two mugs and I tore my gaze away from Daniel and carried them out into the back garden.
‘Hello!’ Daniel’s uncle turned to smile at me, shielding his eyes from the sun. ‘You must be Elena. Dan’s told me all about you.’ He winked at me and I blushed.
‘Has he indeed? You must be his badass uncle who made him want to be a tree surgeon.’
‘That’s right. I’m Richie.’
‘Pleased to meet you, Richie.’ I handed him a mug of tea and passed the other to my dad. I looked up at Daniel and he grinned down at me through the branches.
‘Hello!’ he called.
‘Hi!’
He was sawing away at the branch to his right, the muscles in his arm bulging and flexing with the effort. ‘Nice to see you’re all drinking tea and having a lovely time down there, while I’m stuck up here, doing all the work,’ he shouted.
Richie laughed a big belly laugh that made his shoulders move up and down. ‘The harder you work, the sooner you’ll finish.’
I just carried on staring at him, mesmerised. People were talking but I wasn’t listening properly. It was only something about fruit yield so I just smiled and nodded at appropriate times, while I watched Daniel climb about in our apple tree. Mum was right; he was nimble and athletic. My stomach was tight with desire.
‘It’s a good job he’s not scared of heights,’ Mum was saying.
‘Yeah, too right. Your tree’s not even that tall compared to some. He was right up at the top of an oak tree the other day.’
‘Wow!’
‘Has anyone ever fallen?’
‘Nooo! We’ve got harnesses and stuff and Daniel knows what he’s doing.’
‘There are always accidents though, aren’t there?’ Dad sniffed. ‘It can’t be the safest job in the world.’
‘I’ve been doing it for thirty-two years now, and I’m still here.’
‘Is that because you send Daniel up these days?’
Richie guffawed. ‘No! We both go up usually, but this isn’t a big job really. Not compared to some trees we see. Look, he’s nearly finished now.’
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