King of my Heart: tsitp

chapter 4

Dinner the first night was always the same: a big pot of spicy curry that Susannah cooked up while she waited for us to arrive. Lots of chicken and vegetables - she knew I loved chicken. Even when I was little, I would pick out the chicken and save it for last. Susannah put the pot in the middle of the table and a few crusty loaves of French bread from the bakery nearby. We would get a bowl and help ourselves to the pot throughout dinner. Susannah and my mother always had red wine, and we kids had grape Fanta, but on that night, there were wine glasses for everyone.

"I think we're all old enough to partake, don't you Laurel?" Susannah said as we sat down. 

"I don't know about that," Aunty Laurel began, but then she stopped. "Oh, alright. I'm being provincial, isn't that right, Beck?"

Susannah laughed and uncorked the bottle. "You? Never." she said, pouring a little wine for each of us. "It's a special night, it's the first night of summer."

Conrad drank his wine in about two gulps. "It's not the first night of summer, mum."

"Oh yes, it is. Summer doesnt start until our freinds get here." Susannah said, reaching across the table and touching my hand, and Jere's too. She smiled at us both, and a shiver ran down my spine. Jere must have felt it too because he quickly changed the subject.

"Indi, check out my latest scar!" He said, pulling up his shirt. "I scored three feirld goals thta night." Jeremiah played football. He was proud of all his battle scars. 

I leaned in close to him to get a good look. It was a long scar that was just beginning to fade, right across the bottom of his stomach. He'd been working out. His stomach was flat and hard, and it hadn't looked like that last summer even. He looked fitter than Conrad now. "Wow!" I said.

Conrad snorted. "Indi's just glad she got the chance to check out your abbs without being weird," he said, breaking off a piece of bread and dipping it into his bowl. Belly nudged him, and he looked at her confusedly. "What?! We already know what a big crush she has on him. And don't think we didn't notice you two dissapere this afternoon," he said, looking at Jere and me.

I felt my face turn beet red. I cleared my throat. "Thanks for the meal, Sus, but I'm pretty tired. I think I'm gonna go up to my room." Susannah looked at me apolagetically. "Okay honey. I'll bring you up some dessert later. I thanked her with a hug, and quickly jogged up the stairs.

When I got to my room, I locked the door and fell onto my bed. Stupid Conrad, he always had to ruin everything.