A Beginner's Guide to the American West ✓

chapter forty

f o r t y 

*

An hour later, Kristin and Klara peddle back to shore and the five of us sit round a table with sandwiches from the boathouse. Arjun laughs at the way I sit, one foot pulled up under me and the other slung over the arm of the chair, until Klara sprawls sideways in her seat, both legs flung over one metal arm while the other digs into her back.

"Yo, March," Klara says, balancing a juice carton on her stomach and tucking her chin against her chest to drink it hands-free. "Has your little sister been digging through any more of my photos?"

"Not to my knowledge," I say, "but it's highly likely. Once Flo gets a bee in her bonnet, there's no stopping her."

"What'd you tell her?" Arjun asks. I open my mouth to answer and realise that I never replied to Flo's messages. Shit. She's gonna be so mad at me. Untangling myself from my surprisingly comfortable position, I dig my phone out of my back pocket and load up my chat with Flo to see that there are two new messages I missed.

FLO: are you ignoring me??

FLO: i am VERY MAD AT YOU this is so disrespectful march. If you dont answr me im gonn ahave to assume that youre so in love youre too busy kissing arjun to reply to your favourite sister.

She's not far wrong, and I know exactly what will answer her questions and shut her up for a minute. I load up my camera and pass my phone to Young-mi; she looks at it, bemused.

"Take a picture," I say, and I swing one leg over Arjun's knees to sit on his lap. My hands on his cheeks, fingers in his hair, I kiss him, my nose nudging his glasses, and a moment later he loops his arms around my back and clasps his hands over the base of my spine.

His laugh breaks our kiss and when I pull away, leaving his glasses askew, his eyes are sparkling and a broad grin is pushing deep dimples into his cheeks.

"Not that I didn't enjoy that," he says, "but I get the feeling you have an ulterior motive."

"What makes you think that?" I lean back and drape my arms over his shoulders.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you're just trying to torment your sister."

"Never," I say.

Young-mi passes my phone back to me and says, "You are liar. You have new message from your sister."

One hand on the back of Arjun's neck, I reach out to take my phone from her outstretched hand and see the photos she took of us. It's strange to see myself kissing Arjun on my screen in side profile; I feel like a celebrity playing up for the paparazzi, even though I asked Young-mi for the picture.

My little sister is relentless, my phone buzzing with yet another message. I should probably put my phone on silent and stick it in my backpack and enjoy what little time I have left of this trip, but I can't ignore her.

FLO: i cant believe youre reading my texts and ignoring me. the only good reason is that youre making out with your new boyfriend otherwise youre so MEAN

FLO: 3 days until you're home!! i would be more excited if i wasn't mad at you rn

"And you worry about my sister being intense," Arjun says, nodding at my screen. I awkwardly slide off his lap and drop into the seat next to him, resting my sore ankle on my knee.

"Florence is twelve; you can't be scared of a twelve-year-old," I say as I send one of the photos to her and the second the blue ticks indicate that she's seen it, I put my phone on Do Not Disturb and zip it into my bag.