Tessa in Love (6 page)

As he concentrated, I suddenly realised I’d broken my don’t-talk-too-much rule, but I’d felt so relaxed, I was sure that it was allowed. Still, I made up my mind to ease off a bit. In the silence, I started wondering if Wolfie had really been interested in all the childish crap I’d just come out with. He was a little way from me, and I didn’t want to look as though I was following him or staring at him, so I walked slowly around, trying to remember the names of flowers my mum had taught me. Then the next time I looked up, he was pointing his camera at me. I cried out in protest and put my hands in front of my face.

‘What’s wrong?’ he said, softly, as if he really couldn’t understand.

‘I look horrible in photographs. And I look horrible today. So that’s like horrible squared.’

He walked a few paces closer.

‘You look great. But if you don’t like being photographed, that’s OK. Lots of people don’t. Lara, for instance, is incredibly photogenic, but she’s camera-shy.’

I got the message. Lara is beautiful: don’t waste your time, kid.

‘So did the wolf catch you?’ I said.

He looked confused for a moment. ‘Ah, the Alsatian?’ he said.

‘Well, don’t spoil the ending,’ I said.

He laughed. ‘Well, the wolf saw me; I saw the wolf, and it started running after me, barking.’

‘My God! Don’t wolves howl?’

‘I believe wolves make a
variety
of noises, and some of them can sound like a common dog bark.’

‘I
see . . .’

‘I knew you would. So I’m running away as fast as I can in my shorts and wellies . . .’

I smiled very widely at the image.

‘. . . the wolf’s in hot pursuit. I’m terrified – did I mention the fact that it didn’t have an owner with it? It was just a loose dog.’

‘Big dogs are just as dangerous as wolves anyway,’ I said.

He smiled. “That’s a
very
good point. It adds a real sense of menace to the story, too. So I’m running, and the wolf is running, and the toe of my wellie gets trapped under a raised tree root – it comes right off my foot, but I’m so scared I don’t stop. Then my socked foot lands on a sharp rock – the pain is . . .
intense . . .
and I fall over, and the wolf catches up, stands over me, bares its big teeth and then . . . ’

‘And then?’

‘It licks me all over my face.’

I giggled, and he lifted his camera and took a picture.

‘Not fair!’ I protested.

‘You looked pretty,’ he said. Then, looking away from me, he added, ‘We probably need byline pictures of all our contributors.’

He’s worried I’m getting ideas again, I thought. We were both quiet for a moment.

‘Show me your friend Matty’s tree,’ he said.

I took him to the James Lvs Matilda tree and he traced their names with his finger.

‘Wanton vandalism of nature’s beautiful design,’ he said, and I looked at him in disbelief, and then realised he was joking.

‘It lasted longer than their love affair,’ I said, and thought to myself, but not longer than James’s love, because that was strangely comforting.

‘Yeah, she’s going out with that . . . well, it doesn’t matter,’ Wolfie said.

‘I get the feeling you don’t get on with Lee,’ I said. They were in the same year, so I guessed they knew each other. I couldn’t believe I was talking to Wolfie in this relaxed, unguarded way.

‘He’s your friend’s boyfriend,’ Wolfie said. ‘It wouldn’t be very sensible for me to talk about him.’

‘I’m not going to
tell
him,’ I said.

‘I mean, because you’ll think less of me,’ he said.

‘But that’s not true!’ I said. ‘I’m not Lee’s number one fan myself.’

‘Even so . . .’ he said.

‘Well, you’re right. I shouldn’t bitch about my best friend’s boyfriend to someone I hardly know.’

‘Well, I’d like to think you think you know me a bit now,’ Wolfie said. ‘This is very nearly a date.’ I didn’t let myself believe he meant it.

‘Except you don’t fancy me,’ I said, sounding exactly as I’d promised myself I wouldn’t.

‘Is that right?’ Wolfie said.

‘Well, obviously,’ I said. ‘I mean, you fancy Lara, right?’

‘Do I?’

‘And even if you didn’t, why . . .’ His face was now close to mine and I had to stop talking because I was confused and nervous. ‘But yesterday . . .’

‘Yesterday I had more self-control,’ he said, ‘and I didn’t want you to think I was, you know, like, “Come into the woods with me, I’ll show you some ...
wildlife”.
I’m serious about this article, and it’s not about trying to . . . and I didn’t know how you felt . . . but today I’ve listened to you telling stories that make you even sweeter, and look at you through a lens that shows me how beautiful you are, and I’m losing the fight.’ I leaned back against Matty’s tree, my hands tucked behind me, and Wolfie rested his arm on the trunk above me. ‘Am I... if I’m barking up the wrong tree ...’ and we both held our breath hoping the bad pun wouldn’t break the spell,’. . . you have to let me know now.’

‘You’re not,’ I whispered. He kissed me. His lips were so soft, I felt dizzy, and when I opened my eyes, he was still there.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said.

‘Why?’ I said.

‘You must think I’m a creep. Tessa, I swear I didn’t plan this. I didn’t bring you here to make a move.’

‘Shhh,’ I said, and kissed him back.

M
y dad had changed out of his suit into the Simpsons T-shirt I’d bought him for his birthday, and was coming downstairs at the moment Matty came in.

‘Matilda,’ he said. ‘If I’d been told you were coming round I’d have worn something more fashionable.’ My dad loved Matty because she talked to him like they were both adults. Everyone else our age was monosyllabic and shy with parents, and I was no exception, but Matty was always Matty – no one rattled her.

‘Fashion fades, Bob. Style never does,’ Matty said. I knew that I would never be old enough to talk like Matty.

‘It takes someone with style to know that,’ Dad said. ‘Are you here to steal my broadband?’

‘I am here,’ Matty said haughtily, ‘to do coursework with Tessa.’

‘Course you are,’ Dad said. ‘Let us know if you need coffee, tea, food, hard liquor . . . ’

‘The forty Bensons I’ve got in my bag should keep us going, thanks,’ Matty said.

‘Good,’ Dad said. Til leave you to it.’

‘Has he e-mailed yet?’ Matty said, when the door to the den was closed.

‘He e-mailed as soon as he got in yesterday, but I only saw it today when I got in.’

‘Show me?’

I found the e-mail.

From:
[email protected]

To:
[email protected]

Subject:
…

Tessa

Wow. I’d love to see you again and have it not be about saving trees. Not that saving trees isn’t very important. Oh yeah. Gotta save those trees. Which reminds me, I was supposed to tell you we’re all going back to Chunk’s on Friday to put our pitch together. Really hope you can make it. Really hope you and I can get some time to talk afterwards.

W

‘What do you think?’ I said to Matty, chewing my bottom lip.

‘Yeah . . .’ she said, but she didn’t sound sure. ‘It’s cute.’

‘What’s wrong with it?’ I said.

‘Nothing,’ she said.

‘Except . . . ?’

‘He’s a bit . . . well, nothing,’ Matty said.

‘You can’t do that,’ I said. ‘What?’

‘He’s just a bit. . .’ she trailed off.

‘Oh come on, Matty, you’re driving me mad.’

‘He’s a bit serious? “Gotta save those trees”?’

‘He’s
joking,’
I said. ‘He said he didn’t want me to think he was just taking me into the woods to try to snog me, so he’s pretending he has to remember to pretend the Wood is important.’

‘Wow, you get all that just from the e-mail, do you?’ Matty said, dubiously.

I threw my hands up in disbelief. Of course I got it just from the e-mail: I
knew
him now – I really
got
him.

Then I thought, oh God, I hardly know him – what if she’s right? Then I thought, well what if she
is
right: he wants to save the Wood – what’s wrong with that? But it would mean that Matty was right about him being a bit serious.

But was there anything wrong with someone who was a bit serious, when I was always moaning on about boys being too shallow? God, someone take me out of my head for five minutes!

‘And it’s not that
romantic,
is it?’ Matty said. ‘I mean, it’s nice enough, but . . . ’

‘But
he
is,’ I said. ‘When he was kissing me, he said the loveliest things.’

‘They
all
do that when you’re
kissing
them,’ Matty said. ‘To keep you kissing them.’

‘God, what’s
wrong
with you?’ I said, actually beginning to lose my temper. ‘I have been single my entire life and when I finally show some interest in someone, you’re acting like I should forget about it!’

‘That’s
why
! Matty said. ‘You know I’ve wasted too much time on losers, and I want to make sure this guy’s the real deal before my best friend goes and falls for him. You’ve watched me get my heart broken enough, haven’t you? I’m just looking out for you.’

Well, Matty hadn’t really had her heart broken all that much. She’d cried a bit after boys she’d just finished with had said really nasty things to her or about her, and she’d cried a bit after boys she’d finished with had found new girlfriends, sometimes, but there hadn’t been much heartbreak or dumping-of-Matty in Matty’s life.

‘Yeah, I know,’ I said. ‘And I love you for it. I’m just nervous. And excited. And scared. And so so so so happy!’

‘Good,’ Matty said. ‘It’s time someone as gorgeous as you had a shot of proper romance.’

‘And scared . . .’ I whined.

‘I know. Don’t worry, we’ll proceed with caution. Have you already replied?’

Jack knocked on the door and asked if we were done with the computer because he wanted to play ‘Ramraider 3’ on it. Then I heard my mum shout, ‘Leave them alone, Jack. They’re working.’

We weren’t working, of course, but e-mails from boys rank above ‘Ramraider 3’. We waited a couple of seconds, until there was silence from Jack.

‘OK, yes, I sent back a reply,’ I told Matty.

‘The same night?’ Matty said.

‘No, when I got in today,’ I said. ‘I only just saw it, remember?’

‘That’s good: you sent him to bed worrying that he’d done the wrong thing and maybe frightened you away.’

‘But, Matt, I’m no good at playing games. I just really like him.’

‘Has he texted you?’

‘He doesn’t have a mobile.’

‘Why on earth not?’ Matty said.

‘He’s . . . oh, he’s anti-mobile phones. He says there’s too much emphasis on everyone being constantly available and in touch in the modern world, and everyone’s getting brain tumours, kidding themselves that they’re more important than they actually are.’

‘Oh,’ Matty said. ‘He’s a real cheery bunny. He must be an amazing kisser.’

‘I . . . ’ I paused. I wasn’t much of an expert. I’d been a bit worried that my own technique was lacking, to be honest.

‘Well is he?’ Matty said. ‘On a scale of John Cheeseman to how you think Tobey Maguire kisses?’

‘Spider-Man! Not Cheese-Man!’

‘It’s OK if he isn’t perfect. It’s one of the things you can change about them, as long as he shows some initial promise.’

‘Matty, my knees went weak. My head started spinning . . .’

‘Are you sure he didn’t spike your Tizer with gin?‘

‘Stop it, you! There was no Tizer, no gin, just a perrrrfect kiss.’

‘I remember my first kiss with Lee,’ Matty said. ‘He was still a smoker at the time, and his mouth tasted all bitter. . .’

‘Eurgh,’ I said. ‘Why would you want to snog him again?’

‘Because even with the fags, it was . . . oh . . . just so nice. And I knew I’d be able to stop him smoking, and I did – making them give up fags is one of the ways you can change them.’

‘All right,’ I said. ‘But I don’t want to change anything about Wolfie.’

Matty smiled at me as if she knew something I didn’t.

‘I’m not going to change my mind!’ I said.

‘I didn’t say anything,’ she said.

We read my reply to his e-mail, and Matty said it was OK – I hadn’t given too much away. But Matty thought it was important to play hard to get and I didn’t see any point in
me
doing that when a) I was not hard to get, and b) I didn’t want there to be
any
reason Wolfie might change his mind about me. Matty said I didn’t understand – the only way of testing whether boys were worth it was making them do a bit of work to get you, and that way you avoided getting hurt. I wanted to tell her that I could just
tell
Wolfie was a nice guy, and that he might not fancy me enough, or he might stop fancying me, but I couldn’t imagine him ever treating anyone badly. I knew Matty would just say I didn’t know as much about boys as her.

‘Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen,’ I said. ‘It’s all too early. I should shut up.’

‘This is the first boy you’ve been really interested in in ages,’ Matty said softly. ‘And you’ve snogged him. I think it’s not so bad to mention it . . . after all, you tried to keep fancying him a secret from me.’