Page 141 of UNAwere

‘I don’t know,’ she says. ‘You’re quite silly.’

‘I am, aren’t I?’ Jude glances at me again. ‘Aspen, have you met Sybbie?’

Aspen turns her head to follow his gaze. She smiles at me, shyly, and I return it.

‘Hi, Aspen,’ I say.

‘Hi.’

‘Sybbie likes to make things out of wool,’ Jude tells her. He lifts his wrist. ‘See?’

‘Oh!’ She grabs the bracelet he wears. ‘That’s pretty!’

‘She’s really good, isn’t she?’

‘Mhm!’

My chest blooms with heat. ‘Oh, I, um… Thank you. It’s nothing, it’s just…’

‘C’mon,’ Hannah says, reaching out to Aspen. ‘Let’s get you back to bed.’

‘But I wanna hang with Uncle Jude!’

‘You can later,’ Hannah tells her, taking her back in her arms. ‘When it’s not past midnight.’

‘I’ll see you soon, Aspie,’ Jude tells her. ‘I promise.’

She sulks against Hannah’s shoulder, and Keith smiles tightly at me.

‘Good to meet you.’

‘You too!’ I give an awkward wave.

They head around the side garden, and I stand in the cold with Jude, watching them go.

‘My sister is the queen of Irish goodbyes,’ he says, amused.

I grin at him. ‘They’re the best kind of goodbyes.’

He turns to me, his eyes falling to my mouth. ‘Are they?’

My cheeks heat. ‘Maybe. Depending. Y’know, it’s situational. Context… That matters. A lot.’ I’m rambling, I know I am, but Jude has this effect on me now, and there’s no stopping it. ‘But, like, a party?’ I huff out a laugh. ‘Right out the back door. No goodbyes. Why would you? You know? People. All that… Ew.’

We’re alone. We shouldn’t be alone.

‘People are ew,’ he agrees.

I laugh, shaking my head. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just rambling. I’m nervous, and I… You don’t have to humour me.’

‘I love it when you ramble,’ he says softly.

‘Jude…’

‘Sybbie.’ His eyes are on my mouth again.

‘We shouldn’t be alone together,’ I say.

He nods, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me.