Page 9

They break apart, and Charlie herds us into a living room with a giant mounted TV and the largest corner suite I’ve ever seen in front of it.

“Take a seat. This is my brother, Jake,” Charlie says, pointing to a man sitting on the sofa with a beer in his hand. He looks like he’s in his twenties, with shaggy brown hair and light blue eyes framed by black eyeliner.

I stare at his septum piercing, ripped black jeans, and band T-shirt, then look at Richard’s dad. He must be in his forties, his black hair cropped short and speckled with grey, wearing what can only be described as dad clothes—a check shirt and baggy denim jeans. They look nothing alike. The only signs they’re even related are their almond-shaped eyes and the beauty marks on their cheeks. Richard has them too.

Despite the sofa probably being able to fit ten people, I sit right next to Jake. “Hey, I’m Robbie.” I flash him a grin.

He looks me up and down slowly. “Hey.”

“Noah, your brother’s back from uni!” Charlie shouts out of the door.

We fall into easy conversation, and I’m pleased when Isla finally relaxes next to me. She’d never admit it, but she was nervous as hell about meeting Richard’s dad.

I think I would be too. Just the thought of meeting someone’s parents makes me feel claustrophobic—like It’s a promise of something more. I’ve never been with someone long enough for that to even be a possibility, but the way my hands sweat just thinking about it tells me all I need to know.

The thought of having to rely on anyone other than Isla, Theo, and Richard to stay in my life turns my stomach and leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

I edge away from Jake and press against Isla on my other side. Her hand settles on my knee, squeezing just enough to ground me.

The door creaks open in the corner of the room, and two teenage boys walk in. The smaller of the two has a mess of tight black curls on his head, and I immediately peg him as Richard’s little brother. The other one is quite a bit taller, with blonde waves down to his shoulders, bright blue eyes, and freckles. I don’t know who he is, but he definitely doesn’t look like a Blackwood.

Richard motions to Isla. “This is my girlfriend, Isla, and my friend Robbie.” He points across the room. “And that’s my little brother, Noah, and his best friend Bailey—Jake found him in London a year ago and kinda kidnapped him.”

“I didn’t bloody kidnap him.” Jake stands up and walks over to Bailey, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “He came willingly, and we all love him very much.”

He says it jokingly, but given how Bailey relaxes against him and the easy way Jake kisses the side of his head, I don’t think it’s a joke at all.

My eyes drift back to Noah. He’s staring at the floor, brows creased, lips turned down at the corners. He reaches up and clutches a gold heart locket hanging at his chest.

Charlie and Richard are still joking about Jake kidnapping Bailey. No one’s looking at Noah except for me. He looks so damn sad—it radiates off him. I wonder how no one else can see it. Why’s no one asking him if he’s alright?

Noah quietly turns to leave, but Charlie notices. “Go put the kettle on for us would you, Noah?”

“I’ll help.” I jump up and follow him through to the kitchen.

Noah doesn’t say a word as he stretches to get the cups off the top shelf. The silence is deafening.

“So, has your brother always been able to make the walls shake with his snoring?” I ask, trying to lighten the cloud of melancholy surrounding us.

He nods curtly. “Used to wake me up a lot.”

“Bet you were glad to see the back of him, then.”

He goes quiet again, keeping his head down as he fills the kettle with water and flicks the switch.

“He didn’t believe me when I told him he was too damn loud, so one night I tried to record it. I grabbed my phone and got out of bed so I could get right up close to him, but it was dark and I tripped. Lost my balance and fell on top of him. He let out a high-pitched scream.” I chuckle.

Noah’s mouth twitches a little at the side, fighting a smile.

“Or so I thought—turns out it was Isla’s first time sleeping over, and I’d fallen on her, not Richard. Scared the shit out of her, and she punched me right in the face, thinking it was a break-in.”

Noah huffs a laugh. I beam, taking it as a win.

“She looks like she could do some damage,” he says quietly.

“Aye, she did. Gave me a nosebleed. Richard woke up thinking he was in a horror film, there was so much blood on his bed. How do you like your tea?” I ask, grabbing the box of teabags.

He blinks up at me with wide grey eyes. “Um. Two sugars and a little milk.”