Page 172 of The Secret We Keep
Leaving my bedroom door ajar, Paddy asks, “Can I see?”
I nod without looking at him, and Paddy places the mug he’s holding close to me before coming to sit by my side.
I look at the gap he’s left between us, and I’m not sure whose benefit it’s for. It feels like a thousand miles. “I thought the floor was uncomfortable?”
His cheeks pull for a fraction of a second. “Not when I’m next to you.”
I stare at him. “Why are you doing this?” I ask seriously, eagle eyes looking for something. Anything. Any trace of a lie that indicateswhythis is happening.
“Because I love you, Morgan.”
I don’t see what I’m looking for. Choking on my unspoken words, I swallow harshly. He isn’t lying.
“Can I see it?” Paddy points to the picture in my hand.
Passing it over, I reach for the steaming mug. “This for me?” My voice cracks, and there’s a slight tremor in my hand.
He nods, inspecting one of the many photos. “I like that you still have these.” He fans the photo in front of him.
I huff. “I hate technology.”
“I know you do.” He looks down at the photo again. “When was this?”
I glance at it. “Summer holidays, the year before we finished college.”
“Where were you?”
“Brighton Beach.”
“I didn’t know you all went.”
A group of us, including Holly and Fi, took off for a week camping. “Yeah. It was a laugh.”
He looks over the photos, pushing a few aside to see the ones underneath. “And this one?”
I peer over. “Um, that’s my dad’s fiftieth birthday. We went to The Globe Theatre in London.”
His eyebrows raise. “Which play did you see?”
“Romeo and Juliet.” I shrug. “It was my favourite in school.”
“I didn’t know that.”
I take a sip from my mug. “Did you know that in the prologue, the end is revealed before the play even begins?”
Paddy shakes his head. “I didn’t.” There’s a touch of humour in his voice.
“Not everyone notices.”
“I guess the end isn’t always clear.” Paddy sighs.
“What is it, Paddy?”
He looks up at me, and I wholeheartedly know that whatever he’s about to say, I’m not going to like. “I have another photo for you to look at, curly fries.”
I wait, my heart now gunning in my chest.
Paddy holds it out, passing it over to me.
