Growing Up Twice
“‘Mmm baby, come back to bed,’ he says with none of the ironic, jokey tone that is appropriate when using that phrase. I slap his hand away.
‘Michael, how long are your parents away for?’ I ask him in a brittle school-marmish whisper. He sits up, blinking and rubbing sleep out of his face.
‘Relax, will you. Tomorrow night, I said.’ He rolls his eyes.
‘Oh, so why are they downstairs now?’ I hear my voice rise in panic. Michael smiles at me as if I’m an idiot, registers the severity of the expression on my face, leaps naked out of bed and straight to the window.
‘Oh, shit,’ he says, seeing the car. ‘It’s OK, you can just stay up here until they’ve gone to bed and I’ll sneak you out.’ I am surprised to find myself offended. Half of me had thought, considering Michael’s apparent devotion to me, that he would suggest we go downstairs, have a cup of tea and get to know the folks. Obviously I would say, ‘Don’t be so ridiculous, I’ll sit up here until they’ve gone to sleep and then you’ll have... to sneak me out,’ but it comes as something of a shock to realise that he wants to keep me a secret from them just as much I want to keep him a secret from the rest of my life.MoreLess
‘Michael, how long are your parents away for?’ I ask him in a brittle school-marmish whisper. He sits up, blinking and rubbing sleep out of his face.
‘Relax, will you. Tomorrow night, I said.’ He rolls his eyes.
‘Oh, so why are they downstairs now?’ I hear my voice rise in panic. Michael smiles at me as if I’m an idiot, registers the severity of the expression on my face, leaps naked out of bed and straight to the window.
‘Oh, shit,’ he says, seeing the car. ‘It’s OK, you can just stay up here until they’ve gone to bed and I’ll sneak you out.’ I am surprised to find myself offended. Half of me had thought, considering Michael’s apparent devotion to me, that he would suggest we go downstairs, have a cup of tea and get to know the folks. Obviously I would say, ‘Don’t be so ridiculous, I’ll sit up here until they’ve gone to sleep and then you’ll have... to sneak me out,’ but it comes as something of a shock to realise that he wants to keep me a secret from them just as much I want to keep him a secret from the rest of my life.MoreLess
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