Page 56 of In Knots

“I haven’t read that one yet.”

He lets the book fall onto his lap. “You like to read?”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“No,” he says. “At least, I’m the only one who does in this pack. Rest of my family aren’t big readers either. Except for my big sister, she was the one who got me into reading.”

“That’s nice.” I nod. “I would’ve loved a sister.”

That shy smile flickers across his features. “Don’t get any ideas. It wasn’t out of the goodness of her heart. She used to read me scary shit in the hope I’d have nightmares.”

“Oh!”

He laughs. “That’s siblings for you.”

“Are pack mates any better?”

He rests his hand on the cover of his book, considering his answer. “There are a lot of similarities. I love my pack mates just like I love my sister and my brother, and sometimes they annoy the hell out of me just like my siblings. We squabble and we fight, but more often than not we have fun together. Always have done with these three even if they always seem to drag me into a shit tonne of trouble.”

I shift on the seat. “Trouble?”

“Yeah, they nearly got me expelled from school back in the day for some stupid prank they pulled on one of the teachers.” He shakes his head, remembering, and then those bright eyes refocus on me. We stare at each other and I can see the words don’t come as easily for him as they do his pack mates and I feel great empathy for him. It’s how I feel so often too.

“So …” he says.

I smile at him. “What food do you think they’re likely to bring back?”

“Usually it would be sausage rolls and pasties and shit, but I have a feeling they’re going to go more upmarket for you.”

“I’d be perfectly happy with a sausage roll.”

“You ever eaten a sausage roll before?” he asks with suspicion.

“Of course, I have.” I chew my lip. “Well, actually not since I was little.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think it was the kind of food they served in posh restaurants.”

“I don’t eat in posh restaurants very often.”

He scratches his jaw. “I just kinda expected you would. But what the fuck do I know about how the other half live?”

“Probably just the same as everyone else.”

“Nah,” he says. “Ryan told us you live in a palace in Greendale.”

The blood rushes into my cheeks and I feel them sizzle. “I suppose …”

He looks away uncomfortable as if he realises he made me blush.

“So, you all grew up together?” I say, filling the awkward silence.

He traces his thumb over the back of the book. “We did. A couple of streets away. My folks still live there. Ryan’s too. Buzz’s mum and dad split up a while back and his dad disappeared, mum moved away to be with her new boyfriend.”

“And Bear?”

“His parents died when we were teenagers. He moved in with my family for a bit after that until we found a place of our own, started working for my dad in this garage. Took it on ourselves a few years back and then it became clearer and clearer to us all that we were a pack in everything but name. That’s when we moved in here together. You saw upstairs right?”

“Yes,” I say, “It’s … snug.”

---