Why I Need You by Colette Davison

Author:Colette Davison [Davison, Colette]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Smudged Ink Press
Published: 2018-01-22T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

Fin

“OLIVIA…”

“Mmmm?”

Fin could tell Olivia wasn’t really listening to him. She was watching kids’ TV whilst he put her damp hair in a pair of French plaits. She wanted ‘Hermione hair’ for school the next morning, whatever that meant. For the first few weeks after their parents had died, Olivia had gone to school with the messiest of ponytails imaginable. After she’d finally complained, Fin had figured out how to do her hair properly. Now he could plait, bun, twist and curl his sister’s hair. YouTube was a literal goldmine of hairstyling tutorials.

“Could you pause the TV, please?”

“Awww,” Olivia moaned, but she did it anyway. “What?”

“I haven’t told Noah about Mum and Dad.”

There was a pause. Olivia’s gaze was fixed straight ahead on the still TV image. Fin had stopped his task, his hands frozen as they held on to three strands of Olivia’s wet, dark hair.

“Okay,” she said.

“I just…” Fin sighed heavily. “I don’t know how to tell him.”

“Okay,” Olivia repeated.

He couldn’t tell if she truly was okay with his admission or not. “Really?”

She nodded. “I understand. I don’t like talking about it either.”

He blinked at her. Sometimes, it was easy to forget she was only eight years old.

“I wish they were still here,” she said. “Then, there would be nothing to tell and nothing to keep secret.”

“So do I.” Fin wished it so hard and so often, he thought the strain of doing so would break him in half.

Olivia sniffed and then un-paused the TV, so he went back to plaiting her hair.

He’d only just finished when the doorbell rang.

“Is that him?” Olivia asked, jumping up. “Is that Noah?”

Fin smiled. “I think so.” Though when he glanced at his watch, he saw it was a quarter to eight, so if it was Noah, he was early. He put his hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “Remember our agreement? You got to stay up to say ‘hi’, but you have to go to bed without any messing around once you have.”

Olivia nodded solemnly and put her hand over her heart. “I promise.”

She skipped along behind him as he went to the front door. When he opened it, she peered out from behind him. She’d pulled the hood of her unicorn onesie up, which made her look even cuter than normal.

Noah was standing on the doorstep with a black rucksack slung over one shoulder. The early evening light had taken on a golden quality, which seemed to bathe Noah in its radiance, highlighting his dark blond hair and caressing the curves of his muscles beneath his polo shirt. For a moment, Fin forgot how to breathe, or speak, or do much of anything except stare.

“Are you going to invite me in?” Noah asked with a chuckle. He looked down at Olivia. “You must be Fin’s sister.”

She grinned and stepped out from behind Fin. “And you’re his boyfriend,” she announced loudly enough for the entire street to hear.

Fin expected Noah to cringe with embarrassment, but instead, his chuckle expanded into a laugh.

“Come in,” Fin said, remembering how to form words once more.

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