SHIFTED.✔

57

I arranged to sleep at Kerry's that night. As coincident would have it Monday nights were Mathew's Squash nights so we said Kerry wanted to go with him to watch and I would look after Matty. No one questioned us. Mathew was thrilled to have Kerry tag along with him. She had always gone to watch him when Matty was little but the more mobile he had become the harder it was for her to enjoy it so she had given up going.

Keean arrived around quarter to eight. Much earlier than I expected him. I was still in my pyjamas scrubbing my teeth in the bathroom. I heard the knock on the sliding glass door. Kerry opened it.

"Hi. I hope I've got the right place. I'm looking for Charlie Johnson."

I quickly rinsed my mouth at the sound of his voice.

I heard Kerry say, "You must be Keean."

"Yeah."

I rushed into the room. Keean looked toward me and smiled.

Kerry, who was holding Matty on her hip, stepped back to let him in.

"I'm Kerry, Charlie's sister. This is Matty."

"Hi," Keean said. He looked from Kerry's face and at Matty. "Cute kid."

Kerry smiled at him then slid the door closed behind him. Keean grinned at me again. He raised his eyebrows as he looked me up and down. My pyjamas were a matching singlet and shorts set made of T-shirt fabric. They had a picture of a duck on the front with the words 'Ruffle my Feathers' underneath.

"You want a coffee or something while you wait for Charlie?" Kerry said as she put Matty in his high chair. Keean glanced towards her then back at me in question. I gave him a shrug and nodded my head. We had plenty of time.

"Okay. Thanks."

Kerry went into the little kitchenette to put the kettle on. Keean took the opportunity to come closer and kiss me. "Ruffle my feathers?" he whispered with a grin on his face.

I put my arms around his neck and stood on tip toe. "You do it all the time." Keean laughed and wrapped his arms around me. He kissed me properly.

"Sorry." I heard Kerry say.

We both looked at her. She was trying not to smile.

"How do you have your coffee?" she said.

Keean let me go and slipped his hands into his back pockets. I thought I saw a hint of embarrassment flash across his face. "Dash of milk thanks. No sugar."

I felt a little embarrassed that my sister had seen me kiss him so I said, "I'll go and get ready."

Kerry grinned and said, "Come and sit down if you want."

It was a small unit, only two bedrooms. My uniform was in Matty's room. I left the door ajar so I could hear what they said to each other.

"Charlie says you want to be a doctor."

"Yes. If everything works out." I heard the sound of cups being put on the table and Keean say thanks.

"Don't you think your marks will be high enough?"

"No...it's not that." He sounded a little hesitant then added. "I've got some stuff going on at the moment. It depends how it all goes."

"Oh...how long have you and Charlie been an item?" Kerry laughed. "She only told me about you on the weekend. Likes to keep things to herself, our Charlie."

"A little over a week." I heard him say and thought it had seemed like more than that. Then I heard Keean say. "But I've liked her for a lot longer."