Chapter 12

ODDS AND ENDS

-Are you going to tell me about this Ian bloke?
-How’d you know his name is Ian?
-Lucky guess?
-Newt…
-What’s the story about him anyway, Lauren? Does he fancy you or something? He kissed you right in front of me.
-He kissed me on the forehead. It doesn’t mean anything. Besides, we broke up remember?
-Did we?
-I tired so hard to forget about that day.
-I'm sorry...
-No, I'm sorry.
-He seems too over protective. Did you notice the way he was looking at me? Like he didn’t believe me
-Well, you did say you were my half-brother. You could have thought of a better excuse. And anyway, he’s my dance partner. He’s a good friend. He made me forget… about things.
-About me?
-Sometimes... But it's over now... it's fine now... So are you going to answer me? How do you know his name?
-I've overheard it somewhere in the balcony
-Balcony?
-Up in the nether regions of that monstrous theater of yours
-You mean the balcony where everyone hides in, thinking no one else knows about it but in reality everyone in the whole building does?
-That's the one.
-And when did you arrive?
-When you received your brother’s postcard.
-How do you know about Danny’s postcard?
-I was the one who put it on top of your bag. What did you think? Physics made it possible?
-What have you been doing all this time then? Where have you been staying?
-Staying at a hostel in Piccadilly and watching you.
-What?
-From the balcony
-How come you waited for so long to show yourself?
-Because if I just came out and met with you, you’d probably run away from me. I know you.
-You’ve been stalking me?
-I guess you have that affect on me.