Climbing the stairs, Claire in front of him, he wished he’d tidied his room up a bit. But as he walked in, he saw that his mother had already been in, and even changed his bedding. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to her that she’d saved him from having his childish superhero duvet on display and shut the door behind him. They both sat on the bed, Claire already pulling her books out. Paul tried to concentrate but Claire’s proximity, the fact that she was sitting on his bed, was like a dream. Maybe it was a dream, thought Paul, but when he felt her toes playfully touch his, he wanted to pinch himself.

*

A firm knock on the door made Paul leap up.

‘Paul, your father’s going to be home in twenty minutes,’ came his mother’s voice. It was a warning.

‘Okay,’ he replied. He stood up and tucked his shirt into his trousers. Claire ran her fingers though her hair self-consciously.

‘I’d better go,’ said Claire and Paul felt a rush of disappointment. He’d wanted to do more with her, more than kissing and holding hands but instead, despite the privacy, she’d gently moved his hand away when he tried to undo the top buttons of her school shirt.

‘Soon,’ she whispered, and Paul had had to supress his irritation.

Claire gathered up her books and Paul helped her with her bag. It was probably better she was gone before his dad came home from work anyway. As they clambered down the stairs, Claire sought out his mother.

‘Nice to meet you and hope to see you again soon,’ said Claire as she made to leave.

‘Nice to meet you too, pet. Will you be okay getting home?’ she asked as she followed them through the hallway.

‘Yes, it won’t take me long to walk and it’s dry,’ replied Claire opening the front door.

As Claire stood on the doorstep, Paul didn’t know what to do. His mother was still hovering. Why didn’t she go away?

‘Bye then,’ Paul said eventually and gave her a clumsy kiss on the cheek.

‘Bye,’ said Claire, hoisting her bag on her shoulder. Paul felt like an idiot but as he turned to look at her one last time, she turned and waved and he grinned back. Closing the door, he heaved a sigh of relief. He hadn’t been sure about bringing Claire back to meet his mum but if it was between her and the prospect of meeting Mohican and Gavin, he knew he didn’t have much of a choice.