Page 54 of Love at First Sight

Henry points at a car out of the right-hand window and says, ‘I think they’re going to a big, haunted castle, and one of them will die!’

‘Henry!’ I cry. ‘That’s so gruesome!’ I pretend to shout across to the people he’s pointed at, cupping my hands around my mouth. ‘Don’t die, any of you! Be safe! Henry didn’t mean it!’

He laughs, and says, ‘I did. No, I didn’t! Well, I did a bit, but I’ve changed my mind.’

‘Hmmm,’ I say, eyes searching for somebody else to invent a story about. ‘The people in front,’ I say, ‘with all those blankets and duvets stacked up in their boot, where do you think they’re going, Henry?’

Henry considers it. ‘An underground bunker,’ he declares. ‘Because they think there’s going to be an alien attack.’

‘Ooooh, interesting,’ Cal chimes in. ‘So they have duvets and blankets because it’s cold in an undergroundbunker? I always thought that it would be warm if you dug deep underground.’

‘No,’ Henry says. ‘There’s no sun underground, is there. So it must be cold.’

Cal nods slowly. ‘Yes, however, I thought that the ground absorbs all the heat so that itiswarm.’

‘Oooooh,’ says Henry. ‘I never thought of that.’

‘Neither have the car in front,’ I point out. ‘Since they’ve got all those with them.’

Henry yawns.

‘I’m tired,’ he says. ‘Are we nearly there yet?’

‘Oh my god,’ Cal says, mostly for my benefit. ‘I didn’t know kids actually said that!’

Henry doesn’t hear him. That or he can’t be bothered to reply.

‘You learn something new every day,’ I say, and then I turn to Henry. ‘Babe, just because it’s a special day and there’s traffic and I don’t want you to fall asleep because then you won’t sleep later … do you want half an hour on my phone to play the maths game I downloaded?’

‘Yes!’ Henry says, suddenly perking up. ‘Can I? Can I?’

‘You can,’ I say, fishing out my phone and handing it to him. ‘But with the sound off, please. Deal?’

‘Deal!’ he says, greedily taking it from me. He doesn’t even know what he’s just agreed to; he stopped listening after I saidon my phone to play. But at least it’s something to do for a bit. Traffic is no fun for anyone.

‘You’re so good with him,’ Cal says, eyes dead ahead.

‘With Henry?’ I ask, and he nods. ‘Well, thanks. It is literally my job to be good with him though.’

Cal rolls his eyes. ‘Sorry I tried to compliment you,’ he says, taking the piss. ‘How dare I.’

‘Well!’ I say. ‘Yeah, thanks, but also, it’s not even really my job, if that makes sense. I love him! It’s very easy to be kind to people you love!’

‘I don’t think that’s true,’ Cal says, and on reflection, I decide he’s probably right. Look at my dad. I do believe he loves me, and yet. ‘Oh no. Your face has gone all serious and frowny. I said the wrong thing, didn’t I?’

‘No. I was just thinking about my dad. Maybe it’s not easy to be kind to the people you love.’

‘Hmmm,’ Cal says, mulling it over. ‘The situation’s no better, then?’

‘Nope,’ I say, as the traffic starts moving and we start to gain some traction. ‘I’ve been using Stray Kids to distract myself, whilst also unknotting all my feelings.’

‘That’s a good turn of phrase.’

‘Unknotting my feelings?’

‘Yeah,’ he says. ‘That’s exactly how it feels, isn’t it? When you’re all messed up inside and you have to sit in it, figure out what feeling belongs where until things are clearer.’

I look at him.

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