‘Molly said Jenna had to choose because she hadn’t been tobogganing.’
‘I think my previous statement still stands then.’
‘The Birds?’ He laughed and took Ben’s fingers, playing with them. ‘Guess what I’m doing tomorrow—if the snow clears.’
He frowned, thinking about this. ‘Eating too much?’
‘Nope, something else.’
‘Hmm. Is it something good?’
‘I think so, but I’m not sure you will. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I didn’t want the worry dragged out for you.’
Aleksey swung his legs down, more serious now. ‘What? Are you telling me something you have no intention of changing if I object, or am I allowed some input? Just tell me, Ben.’
‘I’m going up for my first solo flight. There, I knew you’d make that face. That’s why I didn’t tell you.’
‘What face?’ He was genuinely perplexed. ‘I thought you’d done that weeks ago. Did you not do that weeks ago?’
Ben reared back a little. ‘No, that was just my observed test. You thought I was flying around on my own all this time? And weren’t worried? Didn’t say anything?’
His eyebrows rose. ‘Should I be worried! Jesus, Ben, you’re worrying me!’
‘No, that’s what I’m saying! There’s no need to worry, which is why I didn’t tell you, so you didn’t have time, much time anyway, to worry, but I clearly wasted my time, as you thought I was up there,no one else with me, and weren’t worried at all. Thanks.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, I’m worried now.’
Ben suddenly snorted. Aleksey heard what he’d said and rolled his eyes. ‘Ack, this is you, Ben. You were made to do such things. Sometimes I think you do not need a plane at all to fly.’
Ben straddled his lap and began to rearrange his hair. ‘You changed your tune very quickly there. Are you thinking how peaceful your life would be if I…wasn’t as good as you think I am? No more annoying wake-up calls? No being forced out into snow? No noise in your life at all, knowing you?’
‘Not at all. How you misrepresent my supportive confidence in your physical abilities.’
‘So not picturing the return to a life of bad habits either then? A bottle of vodka in the freezer? Drawers filled with things that took me a long time to flush away?’
‘No.’
‘Smoking in bed again?’
Aleksey wobbled his hand. Ben stopped playing with the strands of blond hair which had fallen on his forehead and spread his fingers over Aleksey’s chest. ‘I’m adding another promise now—for if I don’t come back.’ He said it in the same light tone, but Aleksey heard a deeper meaning behind the words.
‘You cannot, for you will come back. Obviously.’
‘Of course. But just in case…planes need maintenance, Nik; it’s not all down to pilot skill. And some things are just God’s will.’
Aleksey rose so swiftly that Ben was almost caught off guard, but Ben’s responses were always quicker than his, and he pushed him back to sitting, pinning him down. ‘Promise me.’
‘Stop this! You are tempting fate. You never do that.’
‘No! I’m being responsible. Promise me.’
‘What! All right! Anything, so I can stop this ridiculous conversation. I will go and watch singing cats instead.’
‘Promise me that if anything happens to me you’ll go on. Just like this. Nothing for anyoneelsechanges. This life. Your life.Their lives.’
‘No. Let me up.’
‘No. Promise me.’
