Okay, I was definitely blushing now. Sonny turned away suddenly and said, “Never mind. I didn’t mean to push. Hey, you must have been using a charger, right? Unless your phone is dead too.”
“I haven’t actually used it. There’s still some battery left in mine but I haven’t called anyone since I told Mum we got here. I’ve been ignoring it, actually.”
And I didn’t want to examine why that was. I knew I should probably ring my parents again or try to contact the outside world, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay here, trapped in this cottage with Sonny and Erik. I felt as though I’d never get this chance again.
Although what I was meant to do with the chance, I didn’t know. It was all just getting more complicated. I’d still have to choose, sooner or later. And I didn’t know how I would.
Sonny clattered and rifled through boxes until he finally emerged from the cupboard, backing out and shaking his head.
“I can’t find one. I’ll have to ask Erik when he gets back.”
I started. “What do you mean getsback? Where did he go?”
“He went to put a sign up on the shelter and the bench by the lake, warning people that the ice is thin and there’s hole. He doesn’t want anyone skating on it.”
I looked out the window. The snow had stopped falling, which would explain why Erik had gone. He’d want to get there before any of the locals made the trip to play in the fresh snow.
Sonny walked over to the window at the front of the cottage, peering out over the lake. “He’ll be fine.”
“Of course,” I agreed, but I was starting to freak out. Erik had gone outalone. What if he slipped and fell? What if he accidentally wandered onto the icy lake instead of the path, and the ice cracked—
“He said he’d only be half an hour.”
“How long has it been?”
“Ten minutes. He wanted to wait until you were out of the bath, but he was worried about someone arriving at the lake without any warning being there. He knows his way around.”
I put the washing on as something to do, hoping that doing something productive would help to distract me, only it took less than two minutes and then I had nothing else to do but sit on the couch and wait.
Sonny sat next to me and I was half tempted to ask him to kiss me again, just to stop my brain from scrambling round and filling in all of the horrible things that could happen to Erik while he was out.
I didn’t though. I wanted to be alert in case Erik called or we heard a shout or something.
“Do you think we should go after him?” I asked.
“No, he said to stay here. Apparently it’s dangerous to walk along the path beside this part of the lake unless you’re used to it, because it’s not clear where the water begins. I never came round here as a kid because the east lake is so swampy. You don’t know it, do you?”
He sounded as though he was genuinely wondering, and I said, “We were practically attached at the hip when we were kids. How would I know it if you don’t?”
“That was when we were kids. You’ve been back here for a few months without me.”
“But without a leg as well. I can’t walk around this part of the lake easily.”
Sonny shrugged. “Not alone maybe, but with Erik you could. I thought maybe Erik had brought you here before.”
He gestured at the cottage around us.
He wasn’t meeting my eyes. I took a deep breath and said, “Sonny, Erik and I weren’t dating.”
“Except the date Mr Parker saw you on.”
“That was— that was an accidental date. I-I mean it wasn’t a real date.”
“You don’t have to deny it, Declan. I know you love him.”
“He— Erik doesn’t know.”
“You should tell him.”
