talents.’
I always had the impression that he was flirting with me – which made me feel very uncomfortable.
‘But he’s like that with everyone,’ Eve pointed out.
It was true. George was a total party animal – at the centre of everything that happened in the house, with apparently limitless supplies of money and good humour. I often caught him staring at Eve with a puzzled expression on his face, but he never pushed us about our situation or implied there was a limit to the length of time we could stay with him.
Eve seemed to get stronger as the days passed. She spent most of her time sketching and flatly refused Alejandro’s suggestion she try singing with him and the others. Her dad had made her sing with the nightclub band at his hotel in the summer and Eve had hated it. She loved me playing the guitar, though – said it really suited me – and listened to me every day while I practised.
The only person who was at all difficult about us being in the house was Jess. Ugly, unsmiling and rude – I disliked her intensely and I knew Eve did too. She hardly said a word to us. But then she didn’t speak to anyone really, except for George, whom she followed round like a shadow.
I didn’t understand their relationship. Well. They didn’t have one. That is, Jess was clearly crazy about George. But he didn’t seem to notice.
‘Oh, he knows,’ Alejandro had said, when Eve asked him about it. ‘He is just not interested.’
‘Course not,’ I said when Eve told me. ‘He’s gay and she’s horrible.’
Eve shrugged, then explained to me that Alejandro had also told her Cal was in love with Jess.
‘What?’ I said. ‘Why?’
Neither of us could understand it.
Cal seemed as unable to leave Jess as Jess did George. I had no idea what either of their home situations was, and neither of them ever said.
So, with Eve drawing and me learning to play the guitar, we stayed at the house in Cornwall for another two weeks.
And, no, we still hadn’t had sex.
12
More than music
Alejandro had been back in Spain for several days when he called to tell us he’d seen Jonno.
‘He arrived at my gig in Madrid,’ he explained. ‘ Mierda . At first I thought he was going to kill me, but the whole band were there so he just shouted. He was so cross about Eva and what you did to his car. I told him that I gave Eva money and left you both at a train station in Somerset. I said I had no idea where you are now. I think he believed me.’
I reported this conversation to Eve.
‘D’you think that means Dad’s given up looking for us?’
‘For now, maybe,’ I said.
But I couldn’t imagine Jonno ever really giving up. The murderous way he’d looked at me when he’d seen me in that hotel car park went too deep for that. I knew that I was different from Alejandro in his eyes. As far as Jonno was concerned I’d done something worse than help Eve run away from him – I’d stopped her being his little girl. I didn’t think he’d ever let that go.
It was ironic, I thought, that Jonno was probably imagining me seducing Eve on a daily basis when, in fact, although we slept in the same bed, Eve was careful never to let things go too far.
She talked about it a lot, reassuring me how much she wanted me, saying over and over how she just needed a little more time – how the fact that we were actually doing less than we had been in the summer was because she knew how easy it would be for her to get carried away.
None of this made any sense to me. She said she wanted me more than she ever had. And I knew she wasn’t lying. Every little thing I did turned her on more – far more – than it used to. So why was she holding back?
‘It’s only until I feel safe,’ she’d say. ‘Not so up and down all the time.’
When I wasn’t with Eve, I spent most of my time with Cal. He gave me daily guitar lessons and got me totally caught up in his music. I loved listening to him – the more I learned about playing
I always had the impression that he was flirting with me – which made me feel very uncomfortable.
‘But he’s like that with everyone,’ Eve pointed out.
It was true. George was a total party animal – at the centre of everything that happened in the house, with apparently limitless supplies of money and good humour. I often caught him staring at Eve with a puzzled expression on his face, but he never pushed us about our situation or implied there was a limit to the length of time we could stay with him.
Eve seemed to get stronger as the days passed. She spent most of her time sketching and flatly refused Alejandro’s suggestion she try singing with him and the others. Her dad had made her sing with the nightclub band at his hotel in the summer and Eve had hated it. She loved me playing the guitar, though – said it really suited me – and listened to me every day while I practised.
The only person who was at all difficult about us being in the house was Jess. Ugly, unsmiling and rude – I disliked her intensely and I knew Eve did too. She hardly said a word to us. But then she didn’t speak to anyone really, except for George, whom she followed round like a shadow.
I didn’t understand their relationship. Well. They didn’t have one. That is, Jess was clearly crazy about George. But he didn’t seem to notice.
‘Oh, he knows,’ Alejandro had said, when Eve asked him about it. ‘He is just not interested.’
‘Course not,’ I said when Eve told me. ‘He’s gay and she’s horrible.’
Eve shrugged, then explained to me that Alejandro had also told her Cal was in love with Jess.
‘What?’ I said. ‘Why?’
Neither of us could understand it.
Cal seemed as unable to leave Jess as Jess did George. I had no idea what either of their home situations was, and neither of them ever said.
So, with Eve drawing and me learning to play the guitar, we stayed at the house in Cornwall for another two weeks.
And, no, we still hadn’t had sex.
12
More than music
Alejandro had been back in Spain for several days when he called to tell us he’d seen Jonno.
‘He arrived at my gig in Madrid,’ he explained. ‘ Mierda . At first I thought he was going to kill me, but the whole band were there so he just shouted. He was so cross about Eva and what you did to his car. I told him that I gave Eva money and left you both at a train station in Somerset. I said I had no idea where you are now. I think he believed me.’
I reported this conversation to Eve.
‘D’you think that means Dad’s given up looking for us?’
‘For now, maybe,’ I said.
But I couldn’t imagine Jonno ever really giving up. The murderous way he’d looked at me when he’d seen me in that hotel car park went too deep for that. I knew that I was different from Alejandro in his eyes. As far as Jonno was concerned I’d done something worse than help Eve run away from him – I’d stopped her being his little girl. I didn’t think he’d ever let that go.
It was ironic, I thought, that Jonno was probably imagining me seducing Eve on a daily basis when, in fact, although we slept in the same bed, Eve was careful never to let things go too far.
She talked about it a lot, reassuring me how much she wanted me, saying over and over how she just needed a little more time – how the fact that we were actually doing less than we had been in the summer was because she knew how easy it would be for her to get carried away.
None of this made any sense to me. She said she wanted me more than she ever had. And I knew she wasn’t lying. Every little thing I did turned her on more – far more – than it used to. So why was she holding back?
‘It’s only until I feel safe,’ she’d say. ‘Not so up and down all the time.’
When I wasn’t with Eve, I spent most of my time with Cal. He gave me daily guitar lessons and got me totally caught up in his music. I loved listening to him – the more I learned about playing
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