‘No worries, cuz. Was only teasing. Meg’s sound.’
Paul sits up and crosses his legs. ‘Isn’t she into girls anyway?’
Shit.
Cormac pauses the game. ‘Seriously?’
‘That’s what I heard. She had a girlfriend last year, I think.’
Cormac whistles. ‘No way!’
I’m sweating. ‘Yeah, she’s queer, well, bi-queer. So…’
‘So, youarein with a chance. Making somearttogether. Nice.’
I could say yes. I could say that I fancy Meg and then he’d shut up. I could also tell him the truth, but I don’t want Tommy and Sheila to have to replace the wall after I’ve jumped through it.
So I say nothing, as usual.
Paul shoves Cormac. ‘Would you give over? He said he’s not interested. Stop being a melt.’
Cormac falls to the ground dramatically. ‘All right, all right. Can’t blame a guy for wanting to celebrate the power of love in these dark times. So Operation Meg is a no go, but we’ll get you set up with someone. Right, Paul?’
Paul smirks at me. ‘Sure, we can do that.’
My phone buzzes, but I’m too busy trying to stop my heart from exploding out of my chest. Meg can wait, the camera can wait, getting my head around the possibility that me and my dad have the ability to see through time can wait. For now, I’m going to sit with my cousin and his hot friend and pretend everything is normal.
It buzzes again.
‘Popular,’ says Paul without taking his eyes off the screen as they set up another game. ‘You wanna have a go with me?’
Excuse me?
‘I…’
‘Football isn’t really Michael’s thing.’
‘Ah.’ Paul nods his head.
Screw you, Cormac. I mean it’s true, but screw you!
‘Yeah, I’m pretty bad. On screen and beyond.’
He laughs. ‘What’re you into?’
Don’t say ‘you’. Don’t say ‘you’.
‘I like RPGs.’
‘Ah, nice. You got anything like that, Cormac?’
Cormac rolls his eyes. ‘What, so that we can sit and watch Michael run around as an elf collecting haunted gemstones to make the fuckin’…amulet of evening sadness?’
‘I’ve actually already finished that game.’
Cormac barks a laugh and Paul joins in. ‘You’re funny.’
‘I try.’ I know I’m grinning like an idiot, but I don’t care. I’m so caught up in the exchange that I wink.
