How I See You

Chapter 19 - It's Will.

It’s Will.

After she falls asleep I just hold her close to me, watching her. She’s beautiful. Her mouth is turned upwards slightly at the corner in a slight, sweet smile, and her chest rises and falls gently against mine. She has one hand against my chest, her fingers curled, and her long, golden hair flows out behind her onto the pillow.

But I know I can’t stay.

So, very slowly and quietly, I move her hand from my chest and move away from her, then stand up. Then I edge slowly towards the balcony door, opening it and going out into the cold night.

-

The week rolls by slowly.

I don’t see Alyssa after school, because I’m grounded and my dad is watching me like crazy. I have to do all sorts of sickening chores and extra homework.

At school, every lunchtime, I have detention for going missing that afternoon, and my friends constantly annoy me about it.

They know about Alyssa now.

I don’t see Avril, because I don’t hang around with anyone on the road after school anymore. But I know that any time soon I’ll have to face her, and Alyssa has been facing her all week.

It’s finally Saturday when I get un-grounded. I get my phone back too, so the first thing I do is call Alyssa.

“Will?” I hear her beautiful voice. “Don’t tell me you’ve stole your phone back again.”
I smile. “No, I’m not grounded anymore. Are you OK?”
She sighs. “School has been awful, but other than that, yeah. It doesn’t matter anyway.”

I sigh. “It does matter. Look, where are you?”

There’s silence.

“Alyssa?” I frown.

“I . . . I’m at Niall’s house.” She sounds distant all of a sudden.

Something goes through me then. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not pleasant.

“Is Katy there?” I ask her immediately.

They had better not be alone.

She pauses. “No,” she says slowly, to my anger. Then she adds in a hurry, “We’re just watching a movie. You can come round.”

I feel sick.

I look down at the floor and try to make my breathing even. “OK. I’ll be there in a few.”

I cut her off without waiting for her to reply, and I let the phone drop onto the bed. Is this the first day she’s been hanging out with him? Or have they been hanging out regularly all week, or even since before I got grounded?