you again?’ she’d blurted before having a chance to check the rules of etiquette.
‘Come to the villa tomorrow. My boss is away. I have to work but–’ he’d paused, ‘we can talk, yes?’
‘Yes,’ Alice had said with a smile of relief and delight.
Now, as she walked down the stairs after her shower, she couldn’t help smiling at the thought of seeing Milo again. She couldn’t remember talking to a man with such ease before but, with Milo, the hours had passed by so quickly and happily and the day had ended all too suddenly.
‘Oh!
There
you are!’ Stella’s voice broke into Alice’s thoughts and there, standing in the kitchen with her fifth cup of coffee of the day, was her sister.
‘Hello,’ Alice said. ‘Where have you been?’
‘Just out,’ Stella said mysteriously, draining her cup and flinging it in the sink to join the others.
‘Into town?’ Alice probed.
Stella’s lips twisted and then she nodded. ‘I got so bored here that I thought I’d try and find you so I ended up going to the museum you said you were visiting but you weren’t there and then I got stuck with this local man who insisted on showing me every single coin and piece of pottery that has ever been dug up on the whole of Kethos!’
‘Oh, poor Stella!’ Alice said in sympathy even though she was laughing inside.
‘It was awful. Where
were
you?’
Alice swallowed. She hated telling lies but she couldn’t risk Stella finding out about Milo.
‘I just wandered around really,’ she said with a shrug, turning her back on her sister and opening the fridge to pour herself some fruit juice.
‘Wandered around
where?
’
‘Well, I ended up getting a bus and I found this little beach. I spent most of the day there,’ she said, happy that some of what she’d said was the truth.
‘Maybe you can show me this beach,’ Stella said.
‘Oh, I don’t think you’d like it,’ Alice said.
‘Why wouldn’t I like it?’
‘It’s very stony and the sea’s so cold,’ Alice said without so much as a twinge at her lie. She was becoming bolder because the thought of not seeing Milo again was too much.
‘God, it’s so boring here, isn’t it?’ Stella said, walking through to the living room and flopping down heavily on one of the white sofas.
‘I thought you were happy by the pool all day?’
‘Only to begin with.’
‘Haven’t you brought books with you?’
‘Oh, I hate books!’
Alice sighed. ‘Well, maybe we can find something to do together,’ she said at last.
‘Really?’ Stella said, looking at her sister with hope in her eyes. ‘Tomorrow? Can we do something tomorrow?’
‘What about the day after?’ Alice said.
‘But I want to do something tomorrow!’ she said. ‘I can’t bear another day in this place. I really can’t stand it and you
did say
we could do something.’
‘Yes but just not tomorrow,’ Alice said.
‘Why not? What have you got planned?’
‘I haven’t got anything pla—’
‘What are you hiding from me, Alice?’
‘I’m not hiding—’
‘And you
did say
we could do something together!’
‘ALL RIGHT!’ Alice shouted. ‘We’ll do something.’
‘
Tomorrow!
’
‘Yes,’ Alice relented, ‘we’ll do something tomorrow.’
Chapter 13
Milo hadn’t wanted to say goodbye to Alice so early in the day. It was frustrating that they couldn’t spend the evening together. He could have taken her to his favourite restaurant and they could have talked whilst watching the sun go down. That’s what any normal guy would have done, he thought, but he wasn’t a normal guy, was he? He had responsibilities. He had a little sister.
He’d picked Tiana up from Hanna’s at the usual time and they’d gone straight home for tea together.
‘Did you have a nice day off?’ Tiana asked him when they were sitting at the kitchen table together.
‘I did,’ he said. And then she’d started. She seemed to know that it hadn’t been an ordinary day off because she
‘Come to the villa tomorrow. My boss is away. I have to work but–’ he’d paused, ‘we can talk, yes?’
‘Yes,’ Alice had said with a smile of relief and delight.
Now, as she walked down the stairs after her shower, she couldn’t help smiling at the thought of seeing Milo again. She couldn’t remember talking to a man with such ease before but, with Milo, the hours had passed by so quickly and happily and the day had ended all too suddenly.
‘Oh!
There
you are!’ Stella’s voice broke into Alice’s thoughts and there, standing in the kitchen with her fifth cup of coffee of the day, was her sister.
‘Hello,’ Alice said. ‘Where have you been?’
‘Just out,’ Stella said mysteriously, draining her cup and flinging it in the sink to join the others.
‘Into town?’ Alice probed.
Stella’s lips twisted and then she nodded. ‘I got so bored here that I thought I’d try and find you so I ended up going to the museum you said you were visiting but you weren’t there and then I got stuck with this local man who insisted on showing me every single coin and piece of pottery that has ever been dug up on the whole of Kethos!’
‘Oh, poor Stella!’ Alice said in sympathy even though she was laughing inside.
‘It was awful. Where
were
you?’
Alice swallowed. She hated telling lies but she couldn’t risk Stella finding out about Milo.
‘I just wandered around really,’ she said with a shrug, turning her back on her sister and opening the fridge to pour herself some fruit juice.
‘Wandered around
where?
’
‘Well, I ended up getting a bus and I found this little beach. I spent most of the day there,’ she said, happy that some of what she’d said was the truth.
‘Maybe you can show me this beach,’ Stella said.
‘Oh, I don’t think you’d like it,’ Alice said.
‘Why wouldn’t I like it?’
‘It’s very stony and the sea’s so cold,’ Alice said without so much as a twinge at her lie. She was becoming bolder because the thought of not seeing Milo again was too much.
‘God, it’s so boring here, isn’t it?’ Stella said, walking through to the living room and flopping down heavily on one of the white sofas.
‘I thought you were happy by the pool all day?’
‘Only to begin with.’
‘Haven’t you brought books with you?’
‘Oh, I hate books!’
Alice sighed. ‘Well, maybe we can find something to do together,’ she said at last.
‘Really?’ Stella said, looking at her sister with hope in her eyes. ‘Tomorrow? Can we do something tomorrow?’
‘What about the day after?’ Alice said.
‘But I want to do something tomorrow!’ she said. ‘I can’t bear another day in this place. I really can’t stand it and you
did say
we could do something.’
‘Yes but just not tomorrow,’ Alice said.
‘Why not? What have you got planned?’
‘I haven’t got anything pla—’
‘What are you hiding from me, Alice?’
‘I’m not hiding—’
‘And you
did say
we could do something together!’
‘ALL RIGHT!’ Alice shouted. ‘We’ll do something.’
‘
Tomorrow!
’
‘Yes,’ Alice relented, ‘we’ll do something tomorrow.’
Chapter 13
Milo hadn’t wanted to say goodbye to Alice so early in the day. It was frustrating that they couldn’t spend the evening together. He could have taken her to his favourite restaurant and they could have talked whilst watching the sun go down. That’s what any normal guy would have done, he thought, but he wasn’t a normal guy, was he? He had responsibilities. He had a little sister.
He’d picked Tiana up from Hanna’s at the usual time and they’d gone straight home for tea together.
‘Did you have a nice day off?’ Tiana asked him when they were sitting at the kitchen table together.
‘I did,’ he said. And then she’d started. She seemed to know that it hadn’t been an ordinary day off because she
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