Читать книгу Tell Me Everything - Sarah Salway - Страница 18

Chapter Thirteen

Tim and I spent the evening pushing each other on the swings.

‘Did you have a happy childhood?’ I asked.

‘It was OK.’ It was my turn to push him. He had his head back so he was looking straight up at the sky. He was moving too quickly now for me to get hold of him properly so I just stood there behind him, watching his face loom in and out of sight. ‘You’re an upside down Molly,’ he laughed, finally slowing down.

‘Aren’t you going to ask me?’ I said, sitting down on the next swing. I tried to wind the ropes together so we were entwined, but they kept springing loose.

‘If you want me to.’

I thought about this. Tim was swinging faster again, pushing his legs up and down to speed himself up, so I started swinging myself.

‘I’m flying,’ I shouted, and then for several wonderful moments Tim and I were swinging in perfect synchronicity. I pushed my head right back, letting my hair fall down and watched the stars. It was as if they were all shooting in different directions.

Later as we walked back to the bench, Tim put his hand out to stroke my hair. ‘Beautiful,’ he said.

‘You need to ask me things because you want to know the answer, not because I ask you to,’ I said. ‘That’s the only way we’re going to find out about each other.’ I was still annoyed about his earlier lack of interest in my childhood.

‘But I know you already,’ he said. ‘It’s my job to know things like that. You’re Molly. Beautiful inside and out. What more do I need to know?’

I was quiet then. Too busy thinking.

Mr Roberts was breathing heavily below me as once more I shifted the stationery boxes from one side of the shelf to the other.

‘Remember I told you about Leanne,’ I said. ‘The one that gave me the red lipstick?’

‘The naughty one,’ Mr Roberts said.

‘She was different from the rest of us. We were tough country girls but she was like a town mouse, a timid little thing with these big eyes and a gentle voice. She needed looking after, but there was something about her that made me want to crush her and just stroke her hair, both at the same time. It’s hard to explain.’