Frappuchino

Chapter 3

I dropped my bag and closed the door. I sighed in relief- I loved my house. It was just your average London terraced granite thing, but inside it was light and warm and full of that cosy homeliness that you only get with a large family in the house.

My mum called me through the house.

"Kat? Babe, is that you?"

Mum was chopping vegetables on the granite counter for the steaming pot behind her, blonde curls tied up behind her ears.She had the most perfect, clear forehead, bright blue eyes and her hair fell into little ringlets (unlike my frizzy mess). My mum was beautiful.

"Hey," I slung my coat on a stool by the breakfast bar and sat down. "What's cooking?"

"I thought I might do a stew, since Janey's coming over." Remember my aunt? Yeah, that's Janey. She officially the coolest woman I have ever met.

I squeal, and shake my hair out of my ponytail. "Is she bringing Jason?"

My mum shakes her head and smiles. "He's busy painting their new room. He got a promotion, did you hear? Janey must be so proud to see he going up in the world after all his hard work."

I nod. Jason even had the high-flying, well-paid job: he really was the perfect man! My mum turns to me as she scrapes her chopping board into the pot. She raises her eyebrows and asks what she asks every day.

"Meet any boys today?"

I shake my head and duck, trying to hide my blush. Her question was a little too on the mark for comfort, and I was never good at lying to my mum. She studied me out of the corner of her eye.

"Why don't you go upstairs and get changed? Jane is almost here and she's got one of her students with her."

Jane gave gifted musicians from the area a boost, giving them 'performance lessons' as she called them. She just gave general advice about live shows and open mikes, crowds and producers; she also talked them up to labels. She often brought them over to my mum, who worked at a magazine. They would play for her and if she liked them she would feature them in her up-and-coming artists section. I always enjoyed it when they came over, so I rushed upstairs and put on my best jeans and my new top, combed my hair out and fluffed it and put on another layer of lipgloss on.

As I made my way downstairs I could already hear voices. I turned on the landing and shouted down:

"Aunty Jane! You better be ready, because I'm coming down!"

I heard a male laugh and thought - Oh shit.

I turned the corner and saw the two of them taking off their jackets and hanging them up. I saw my aunt turn around and smile, and then in slow motion I saw him turn around.

And the shock was like a slap in the face. It was Jason.