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“Deal. Together.” I lift my head and kiss him.
“Together. Always. Come on. It’s a nice day. Let’s go outside and just chill.”
He’s right. The day is gorgeous. The sun is bright in the beautiful blue sky. He leads me over to another part of the garden, less vandalised by the party, and we lie out on the garden sofa.
The sun soaks into my skin, melting away the remaining tension. My head rests in Jeremy’s lap, and he’s playing with my hair, running it through his fingers and letting it fall where it wants.
It’s almost hypnotic. And it’s exactly what we need.
Before long, he stops playing with my hair, and it’s because he’s asleep. The rhythmic beat of his breathing keeps pace, and I find myself drifting off, too.
I wake with a start, a funny feeling coming over me. As I squint up, I see Penelope standing over us.
“Mrs Archer, hey.” I sit up.
“He looks so much like him.” Her voice is soft, almost whimsical, as she stares down at Jeremy. Then she looks at me, the softness in her face turning.
“I think I’ll go. Let him rest. I think he needs it. Will you tell him I left?”
She nods and keeps looking down at Jeremy.
I escape, feeling off about his mum. She must be sad and hurting, and maybe she resents me for what happened. I can’t help but think about my mum and how she was when Dad left. She was so strong.
When I get home, the house is empty, so I go to the kitchen and take care of a few chores. There’s not much in the fridge, but I plan what we could do for dinner when she gets home.
I have a smile on my face as I mentally run over all the plans for the summer and what we have to look forward to on results day. Then, the prospect of saying goodbye filters in. I’ve been able to put it off, but that’s getting harder now.
“Anna? You home?” I hear Mum come in.
“In the kitchen. I was going to make pasta for tea.”
“Hey.” She comes through with boxes in her arms and nods towards the studio.
“I’ll get started, and I can tell you all about the plans Jeremy has for my birthday.” I do a little dance as I grab the ingredients and start chopping some garlic.
“Did you say birthday?”
“Yes.” I stop and beam at her. “I was a little worried, as we’ve not been getting on so well. I know you know that. But he’s planned a trip to London to see a show, afternoon tea, the works.” Her face doesn’t mimic my excitement, and her eyes drop to the floor. “What’s wrong?” I ask, frowning.
“That’s very generous of Jeremy. Perhaps he should have checked before doing that, though. He knows we go away, Anna.”
“I know. And I’m sorry, but it’s London, and he’s got all these things planned. Besides, I can do both. Cornwall to start with, then back for London.” I beam, running over the ideas and images in my head: walking along the Thames, seeing him eat those miniature cakes in a posh restaurant or hotel, being alone, with nobody but us, like our own little world again. It will be a proper way to celebrate. We both need this trip.
“Well, you’ll have to tell him no. I can’t move the Cornwall holiday, and it’s your eighteenth birthday.” She raises her eyebrow at me as if telling me I should know better.
I grit my jaw. This isn’t fair. I told her we could do both, and she’s shutting it down.
“Shouldn’t I be able to choose who I spend my time with? I’m an adult now. I can make my own decisions. And it’s not like I’ve turned around and said I’m not coming with you. I’m trying to make everyone happy.”
“Well, that might be difficult, honey. You need to tell him no. You can do all those things another time.”
“This isn’t fair. I don’t want to disappoint anyone, and you’re making me out to be the bad guy. What’s wrong with going away with both of you?” I challenge, unable to keep the anger from my voice.
“This is our last holiday before you move away. I’ve been tolerant of your relationship, but I’d like you to respect my wishes.”
“I know you have, but I want to do this with Jeremy, too. And now all of this is making me feel like crap,” I shout.
“Doesn’t that tell you something, honey?”
