ran its fingers up my neck and face and scalp. Taken, Lizzy had said. I wondered if he walked with her like this.
‘I’m OK,’ I said, but he stayed right next to me and slowed his stride to match my steps. Our arms brushed when the pavement narrowed and I jumped away like he’d got me with a cattle prod. He pretended not to notice, and I pretended I hadn’t done it. Staring straight ahead, Iwalked. Never looking at Leo. Well, not that much – once, maybe twice.
‘Thanks for the rescue,’ I said, thinking about how he’d carried my brother all that way and with a smile on his face and everything. Not a lot of people would do that.
‘No problem. Although for it to be a proper rescue mission, there ought to have been a white horse with a flowing mane and I should have been in armour. I think that’s how it goes, at least.’
‘Oh, I don’t mean like that.’ He made me feel silly. I wasn’t a damsel in distress.
‘No?’
‘No, well, I don’t know.’ I looked at him, no idea what to say. Was he flirting with me or something? I stared at the floor and tried to rearrange my face to make it bland and neutral. Blank. But I was blushing like an idiot. If I actually wanted him to flirt with me, that was worse. Especially if he wasn’t. Oh, I just didn’t know.
Leo
‘So.’ He hunted for another topic, something easier. ‘You coming to the fair?’ It was at the weekend and now he knew he really wanted her to come. With him. Even if she only wanted to talk about the books he hadn’t read.
‘I dunno.’
‘Well, it should be good.’ He nudged her, very gently.
‘Oh.’ Audrey blushed, her cheeks flaring a hotter pink. Leo was confused again; damn – this was all over the place. He forged on, determined to save the conversation even if he ended up making an idiot of himself.
Try and make her laugh
, he thought.
Employ wit, irony, anything. Break the ice all over again
.
‘You don’t have to – it’s not a required extra-curricular activity.’
‘What?’ Audrey was the one wearing armour. Leo shifted, trying to stand so she’d see him, alarmed at his inability to flirt. Had he always been this bad?
‘Nothing. Joke, not funny.’ She giggled then. She had a great smile. Really goofy, it took up half of her face. There, mission accomplished. She was still glowing from their run. But her glasses needed cleaning, he noticed, her shoes too – she was covered in mud but she hadn’t complained.
‘You will come though?’ His mouth had a mind of itsown. Straight away he wished he hadn’t said it. Desperate, or what.
‘All right, well, if I can. I’ll have to bring Peter.’
‘That’s cool. You should meet more people. Have fun. Otherwise it’ll get rather dull, won’t it, stuck in the Grange the whole time. All work, no play. And so on.’ He sounded like Graham now, doling out life lessons and clichés, and cringed. Maybe he should go into social work. Maybe he should back off.
‘Maybe. Just, well, I don’t know; I’d better go,’ Audrey said, moving away, shaking her hair back, her chin jutting up with that defiant pride. She started to walk away, but Leo followed; he couldn’t stop himself. Now he noticed that she was limping a bit, trying to hide it.
‘Audrey.’ The bell was summoning them inside; Leo pretended not to hear it and when she paused and looked at him with her big solemn eyes he spoke without thinking.
‘Is everything OK? Are you all right, Audrey?’
‘Course. I’m fine. Totally fine.’ Her expression changed, he felt a glare, and he knew he’d said the wrong thing again.
‘Yeah? Good. Well …’
What was it he was going to say? Her face was a distraction, her eyes full of shadows, blue and grey and green. They were like water. The bottom of the sea. He wanted to take the glasses off, look properly. Stare for the rest of the day and work her out. A tricky equation. More like a sonnet.
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun
. He realized she was
‘I’m OK,’ I said, but he stayed right next to me and slowed his stride to match my steps. Our arms brushed when the pavement narrowed and I jumped away like he’d got me with a cattle prod. He pretended not to notice, and I pretended I hadn’t done it. Staring straight ahead, Iwalked. Never looking at Leo. Well, not that much – once, maybe twice.
‘Thanks for the rescue,’ I said, thinking about how he’d carried my brother all that way and with a smile on his face and everything. Not a lot of people would do that.
‘No problem. Although for it to be a proper rescue mission, there ought to have been a white horse with a flowing mane and I should have been in armour. I think that’s how it goes, at least.’
‘Oh, I don’t mean like that.’ He made me feel silly. I wasn’t a damsel in distress.
‘No?’
‘No, well, I don’t know.’ I looked at him, no idea what to say. Was he flirting with me or something? I stared at the floor and tried to rearrange my face to make it bland and neutral. Blank. But I was blushing like an idiot. If I actually wanted him to flirt with me, that was worse. Especially if he wasn’t. Oh, I just didn’t know.
Leo
‘So.’ He hunted for another topic, something easier. ‘You coming to the fair?’ It was at the weekend and now he knew he really wanted her to come. With him. Even if she only wanted to talk about the books he hadn’t read.
‘I dunno.’
‘Well, it should be good.’ He nudged her, very gently.
‘Oh.’ Audrey blushed, her cheeks flaring a hotter pink. Leo was confused again; damn – this was all over the place. He forged on, determined to save the conversation even if he ended up making an idiot of himself.
Try and make her laugh
, he thought.
Employ wit, irony, anything. Break the ice all over again
.
‘You don’t have to – it’s not a required extra-curricular activity.’
‘What?’ Audrey was the one wearing armour. Leo shifted, trying to stand so she’d see him, alarmed at his inability to flirt. Had he always been this bad?
‘Nothing. Joke, not funny.’ She giggled then. She had a great smile. Really goofy, it took up half of her face. There, mission accomplished. She was still glowing from their run. But her glasses needed cleaning, he noticed, her shoes too – she was covered in mud but she hadn’t complained.
‘You will come though?’ His mouth had a mind of itsown. Straight away he wished he hadn’t said it. Desperate, or what.
‘All right, well, if I can. I’ll have to bring Peter.’
‘That’s cool. You should meet more people. Have fun. Otherwise it’ll get rather dull, won’t it, stuck in the Grange the whole time. All work, no play. And so on.’ He sounded like Graham now, doling out life lessons and clichés, and cringed. Maybe he should go into social work. Maybe he should back off.
‘Maybe. Just, well, I don’t know; I’d better go,’ Audrey said, moving away, shaking her hair back, her chin jutting up with that defiant pride. She started to walk away, but Leo followed; he couldn’t stop himself. Now he noticed that she was limping a bit, trying to hide it.
‘Audrey.’ The bell was summoning them inside; Leo pretended not to hear it and when she paused and looked at him with her big solemn eyes he spoke without thinking.
‘Is everything OK? Are you all right, Audrey?’
‘Course. I’m fine. Totally fine.’ Her expression changed, he felt a glare, and he knew he’d said the wrong thing again.
‘Yeah? Good. Well …’
What was it he was going to say? Her face was a distraction, her eyes full of shadows, blue and grey and green. They were like water. The bottom of the sea. He wanted to take the glasses off, look properly. Stare for the rest of the day and work her out. A tricky equation. More like a sonnet.
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun
. He realized she was
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