Slipping Through My Fingers

Rosy Pink

Saturday morning. Janette sat on the sofa, cuddled up with Angel, she couldn't believe that she was 14 months. It felt like only a few weeks ago that she was a fragile newborn babe, now she was a 14 month old walking and starting to say a few words that had some meaning in English, Spanish and Slovenian. Resting against her mother, Angel tilted her head up, reaching up for her mouth. Janette kissed it, a smile across her youngest daughter's face. "MaMa." Janette kissed her hand, "that's right my little one." Angel rubbed her little head against her mother, dark wispy curls collecting at the side of her face. Sasa and Leonardo came running in, jumping on the sofa next to Janette. "When will Nana and Grandad get here?" Sasa asked. "Not till this afternoon, your Dad will pick them up from the airport and take them to the hotel first, then they'll come and see us," Janette said, "is Mils awake yet?" Sasa and Leonardo shrugged, their eyes now glued to the TV screen....Typical....Janette sat Angel next to her big brother and sister, and left the room....knocking at the bedroom door she let herself into the room. It was still pitch black in their, no light, no curtains drawn back. Janette knew she was awake, it was impossible for her to fake it. She slid under the covers next to the 8 year old, wrapping her arms round the petite body, burying her face in her long dark hair. "Muuuuum," she groaned, trying to pull away but failing miserably. "What? Don't tell me that you were asleep because I know you weren't.....are you feeling any better?" Janette asked, combing her daughter's hair with her fingers. "I'm fine....and I was fine yesterday.....stop fussing, please....seriously you're treating me as if I'm heartbroken, I can assure you that I'm not, and you said you'd drop it." Janette sighed, continuing to run her fingers through Amelia-Lily's long silly hair. "I didn't even mention him, did I? Though I still think you should tell him how you feel, I hate seeing you unhappy." Amelia-Lily sighed frustratingly, "Mum, I'm not unhappy....trust me, please? Now if you insist on staying in my bed keep it down because I want to sleep." Janette knew that she was unhappy, her eldest daughter never wanted to just lay in bed, it was so unlike her...but she was also stubborn, just like everyone in their family and wasn't going to admit something unless she truly wanted or needed to.
The bedroom door swung open and the curtains pulled back, letting the wintery sunlight stream through the window, filling up the room. "My snoring can't be that bad for you to feel necessary to come and sleep in Mils' room," Aljaz said, standing at the foot of the bed. "No, of course not baby....the other 3 are downstairs watching TV, I just thought I'd come and see Mils," Janette said, an innocent smile sweeping across her face. "More like waking me up....I'm going downstairs," Amelia-Lily said, climbing over her mother and going downstairs. Aljaz raised an eyebrow, "you're plotting something.....I know you Janette Skorjanec, I have done for 12 years and I know when you're up to something.. Janette rolled her eyes, "I'm not up to anything.....I'm just....how do I put this....I'm giving our daughter a nudge in the right direction, well trying to, it would be helpful if she didn't keep telling me to drop it," Janette said, swinging her legs out of bed, wrapping her arms round her husband's waist. Aljaz rolled his eyes, "don't suppose you could tell me what direction you're 'nudging' her in?" Janette smiled and shook her head, "girl stuff....sorry bučko." Aljaz rolled his and kissed his wife's forehead, leading her downstairs where their 4 darling children were sprawled across the sofa, a mixture of limbs. "Breakfast?" Aljaz asked, the children nodded, their eyes fixated on the TV....until Angel began to whine, resulting in her being picked up by her mother, silencing her cry...

"Mum, I need to make a phone call," Amelia-Lily said, standing in the doorway of the living room, her arms folded. "Um okay....can I ask who you're planning on calling?" Amelia-Lily hesitated, "Sofia....I need to ask her something, like something serious, so can I use the phone?" Leonardo turned towards his older sister, "if it's something serious why don't you just ask Mum?" He said, "or is it regarding your boyfriend?" Amelia-Lily sighed, frustrated and began to turn a light shade of pink, "I don't have a boyfriend...and I want to talk to my friend about something so can I use the phone?" Janette smiled and nodded, knowing all to well that her daughter would be talking about James....she knew her too well.
Amelia-Lily grabbed the phone, running up to her room to prevent her mother and younger siblings overhearing the conversation.
S: hello?
A: hi, it's Mils
S: oh hey
A: hi...um....you know how you said about James um....
S: about James having like a massive crush on you? Yeah...
A: how do you know? Like how can you be sure?
S: because I know these things....and Harrison told me that when they're away from us lot he's always talking about you....and he always gives you  food first out of all of us...why do you ask?
A: oh no reason...just wondered..
S: you have a crush on him don't you?
A: excuse me?! I do not! What have you that idea?!
S: because you wouldn't call me just to ask what you asked me if you were just wondering...I know you Amelia-Lily Skorjanec...are you going to ask him out?
A: I don't know....my Nana is cooking tomorrow night and I invited him over as a friend...but I don't know....it'd be really awkward at school then because he hangs round with us...and what if he says no?
S: OMG Mils seriously?! James will not say no to you, firstly because he's besotted with you and secondly you're like the prettiest girl in the year so he'd be mad not to....ask him when he goes round to yours tomorrow...obviously not in front of your parents but upstairs in your room or something...and it's not like it'll be weird because Cara and Georgia always invite their boyfriends to come and sit with us...soooo....
A: so you think I should ask him out?
S: definitely....
A: okay, I'll do it...tomorrow...
S: and then when he goes home call me and tell me what he said...I won't tell anyone though, not unless you say I can...
A: okay....what do you think Charlie will say?
S: Charlie? What about him?
A: what do you think he'll say? I mean he's one of my best friends, do you think I should tell him...
S: tell him when you start going out...not before, he might tell everyone otherwise, either that or he'll tell his parents who will then tell you're parents
A: okay...so I'll call you tomorrow?
S: yeah....good luck! Bye!
A: bye!
The phone line went dead. Just at that point the front door opened, the children's grandparents had arrived. Amelia-Lily came running down the stairs, "Nana! Grandad!" She cried, running to give them a hug, they hadn't seen them since February for their father's birthday. "Mils' boyfriend is coming round tomorrow," Leonardo said, his eyes gleaming at his older sister, knowing exactly how to wind her up. Amelia-Lily sighed, fed up of the teasing from her brother, "he's not my boyfriend! How many times do I have to tell you!" She said, her cheeks slowly turning a rosy pink colour. Aljaz watched his eldest child's cheeks change to a dark pink....the penny dropped. He pulled out his phone: