Little March

Chapter 2. The Laurence Boy

She isn't feeling good lately.

"Hey Beth, wanna go for a walk?" Jo pipes up, having swallowed, and Meg informs them that it's too cold. "Why must you always be so boring?" Jo retorts, and upon the hurt look on Meg's face, I cut in.

"Why must you always be so rude?"

Jo displays another one of those painful looking eye rolls and pulls her knees to her chest in the seat, deeming to ignore me for once. Hmph.

Meg huffs, Beth sighs, Jo crunches, and I grumble.

"I'm walking Laurie out!" I call to the girls, and step briskly out of the front door before anyone can ask to join me. Once it's shut, he's waiting, still bouncing on his toes with energy.

"I'm just over the hedge," he says, and points to the Laurence mansion next door.

While our house is brown and wooden and a bit shabby looking, his grandfather's is a sprawling stone manor coated white in the snowfall. I nod with a tight lipped smile like I didn't already know that was his house.

"It's lovely," I say, because I suddenly have run out of words now that we're completely alone, not just out of earshot.

"I suppose," he muses, and then turns to me, giving me a tiny bow. "Goodnight mademoiselle—it was lovely."

"And you as well, kind sir," I sink into a deep curtsy, and he laughs, shaking his head at me.

"You're an interesting person, Lillian March."

Unable to take Jo's crunching or the stiff silence anymore I leave the table, headed to my room which happens to have a good view of the Laurence mansion (not that I've noticed or checked to see if Laurie was around or anything).

I lock my bedroom door for good measure even though Meg will scold me later and slide over to my window. Marmee and Hannah (the caretaker who's been with us for years) set me up a sort of window seating display, where I do most of my reading.

After a few moments of trying to read I realize I've reread the same paragraph at least three times, so I shut the book with a sigh. My eyes turn towards the window, and I see him.

An unruly mass of curls is attached to a head, and that head is gazing out the window too, just not across. He hasn't seen me. I debate with myself for a good few seconds about why this is a terrible idea before thinking oh—why not?—and open the window.

"Hey," I call out a little breathlessly before I can stop myself, and green eyes turn to me. A smile pulls itself onto the Laurence boy's face and he waves lightly at me.

"Good morning," he calls back, his voice gravelly and hoarse. He clears his throat before continuing with a wince. "Do I sound like a smoker?"

"Where've you've been?" I interject, and it comes off much more stalkery than it should, but I haven't gotten a glimpse of him since that night a little over a week ago, and it started to seem like he'd left.

He shrugs and rubs his head, carding his fingers through the thick curls. His smile is lopsided when he responds.

"Been sick—bad cold. Good to know you've been checking up on me."