‘Those are their sons?’
‘Yes. The one at the end is Wayne, their eldest, and the one next to me is Sam. They were a bit like the big brothers I never had.’
Justin put the frame back in its place, his expression unreadable.
The rest of the family returned, Mum carrying a tray with a teapot and mugs, and Dad a plate of biscuits. I was afraid we’d run out of things to say, but Justin continued to carry the conversation, telling stories and answering my parents’ polite questions about his work. I saw Lo roll her eyes a few times and shot her a look that was part question, partcut it out!What was her problem anyway? Justin was being perfectly charming.
‘Why don’t you take me for a walk around the neighbourhood,’ Justin said when there was a lull in the conversation and Mum had gone to make yet another pot of tea, ‘and show me where you grew up?’
‘Okay,’ I said, eager to be on my own with him, even though I wasn’t convinced Penge had enough sights to keep us out of the house for more than half an hour.
Once we were out of sight of the house, I thought Justin would take the opportunity to pull me into his arms and kiss me but he kept walking, unusually quiet after all his chattiness back at the house. I reached out to touch his coat sleeve, but he couldn’t have felt it because he didn’t respond.
‘Justin? Is something wrong?’
‘That man in the photograph, the one who had his arm around you …?’
‘Sam?’
He dipped his chin just once in acknowledgement.
I laughed nervously. ‘We were just shuffling together for the photograph so the person taking it could get us all in. Like I said, he was like my big brother …’
‘That’s all?’
I swallowed. I had nothing to be ashamed of, and I didn’t want to lie to him. ‘Well … we did have a “thing” when we were a bit older. But his parents moved away once he and his brother left school. We hardly see them any more.’
‘Athing?’
‘Nothing serious. A summer fling after we’d both left school …’
Justin frowned and shoved his hands in his coat pockets. ‘I know it’s stupid, but when I think of you with anyone else, I can’t stand it.’
I reached out and touched his arm. I knew exactly how he felt because I felt sick imagining all the beautiful, wonderful women Justin must have been involved with before me. ‘He didn’t get me the way you do,’ I said softly. That’s what I liked most about Justin, that hesawme. I didn’t have to explain anything to him or try to be something I wasn’t.
He pulled me towards him, fiercely circling his arm around my back, and pressed his face into the hollow of my neck, kissing me there. ‘I know I’m acting like a jealous idiot, but that’s what you do to me, my angel. You turn me upside down and inside out. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.’ He took a deep breath and looked into my eyes. ‘I’m behaving this way because I’m falling in love with you,do you get that?’
I reached up and touched his face with my fingers and kissed him back. ‘I think I might be too.’
He kissed me again, deeper, harder, even though we were standing in the middle of a residential street and the net curtains of the house we were in front of were twitching. ‘This is crazy,’ I said. ‘It’s all happening so fast.’
‘When it’s right, it’s right,’ he said, and I felt the certainty of it too, deep inside my chest.
‘Come back to the flat with me tonight. I can’t stand the thought of your side of the bed being empty.’ He let his fingers slide down my arm and intertwined them with my own. I felt as if we’d knotted together, fused somehow.
‘I said I’d stay here …’
‘I know, but I want to be with you all the time. I don’t want to have to come here and share you with your family. I don’t want to share you with anyone.’ He paused for a moment and looked into my eyes. ‘Come for tonight, and then … stay.’
‘What did you just say?’
‘I said that I want you to come and live with me. It makes sense, practically speaking. Rehearsals are going to ramp up as you prepare to record your track with Felix, and there are more people I want to introduce you to. This is only the start.’
‘Isn’t it too soon? We’ve known each other for two months, have only been dating for one …’
‘It makes sense, Angel … We belong together. You can feel that too, can’t you?’
I nodded. I could.
