Sometimes

Chapter twenty-two

    “Who said I have a crush?” she asked.  “You’re making me sound like a teenager again.”

    “You did,” I replied.  “And you are still a teenager, Leanne.”

She shrugged and the sound of cutlery clinking against plates filled the kitchen for the next couple of minutes.  I chewed slowly, trying to think of a way to get her to tell me.  I didn’t really need to know.  To be honest, I was just being nosy.

    “So who is it?”

    “No-one,” she replied, without even looking up from her food.

    “It’s someone.  I’m sure of it.”

She took a drink of smoothie and placed the cup back down on the table, still not looking at me.

    “Just tell me and I’ll shut up.”

She laughed.  “Blackmail?”

    “Do you want to eat in peace?”

    “It’s no-one, Harri.  Promise.”

I frowned.  “Why won’t you tell me?  Is it some fifty year old guy, covered from head to foot in tattoos?”

She laughed again.  “No.”

    “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”  I tried to sound sad, but really I was just frustrated.  She wasn’t usually this hard to crack.  It had only taken a little pressuring to get Tom’s name out of her.  This, however, was proving to be a challenge.

    “Nope.”

    “Why?”

    “’Cause I’m not.”

I smiled.  “So there is a guy?”

Leanne glanced up at me quickly before tutting.  “No.”

    “There so is!” I teased, my smile growing.  “What’s his name?”

Nothing.

    “Do I know him?”

Nothing.

    “What colour eyes does he have?”

    “Why?  Are you going to go around town, looking at every guys eyes?”  She was wearing a smirk, thinking that she’d beaten me.  She hadn’t.

    “If I have to, yes.  And he lives in town?”

She rolled her eyes and spooned a meatball into her mouth.  Her phone bleeped again.

    “Aren’t you going to get that?”  I chewed my food with a beam as she reached back into her pocket to read the message.  “Is it him?”

Leanne took her time replying to the text before she looked up at me, studying me hard with her kohl blackened eyes.  “You know.  I reckon some of Cassie’s stubbornness has rubbed off onto you.  You never used to be this annoying.”

    “No it hasn’t,” I denied. 

    “Has.”

    “Hasn’t,” I insisted.  “Anyway, you’re my sister.  I’m interested in who you’re maybe or maybe not dating.”

She smiled at that.  “Oh yeah?  Then why don’t you tell me who you like?”

I felt myself blushing before I could try and stop it.  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, trying to appear like my face wasn’t bright red.  It would be great if I could just come out and say Sonny’s name, but I knew I couldn’t.  I had no idea whether anything was going to come of my crush on him, even though Cassie was sure something would.  Besides, he was Leanne’s best friend. She was bound to say something to him, and then what?  Embarrassed for life.  I wanted her to find out naturally.  Ideally when Sonny and I had been dating for a few weeks. The thought made me excited and I shoved a forkful of food into my mouth to try and hide it.