Rory (Coded for Love 1)

“Do you miss them?”

She shook her head. “I took it badly, when they announced their plans to leave, to go and live in a shack on a beach in Thailand. I’ll be honest,” she added sheepishly, “I turned into a ball of rage.” Sadness tinged her expression. “Rowan’d already moved in with her boyfriend, you’d gone.”

Rory nodded. It made it easier for him to go, when his dad took him aside, and told him their plans. It made little difference to Rory. He’d been planning to move on soon enough anyway. Sky was the one who got hurt. She’d been fifteen, and she was told she had to move in with her grandmother, Nan. It was only now it occurred to him their parents should have stayed until she was sixteen. They’d got carried away and wrapped up in their mutual dream of living a simple life in a faraway land, and shirked their responsibilities. It hit them all hard, but Rowan had her own life and he was more than ready to leave. Sky was the one who’d been hit the hardest.

“You’ve changed.”

“Have I?”

“Not a tomboy any more.”

“I blame you for the tomboy phase.”

“Me? How so?”

Her mouth crooked on one side. It was a cute smile and it was so familiar it made him want to hold her. “I liked watching you dismantle motorbikes and stuff. You wouldn’t have let me hang around in a dress.”

He laughed “My annoying little shadow.”

She stuck her tongue out.

It was what he used to call her. It never bugged him though, when she sat on his tool box to watch him stripping down a bike. Quite the contrary. The only trouble was he wanted to strip her down instead. “If I’d have known it was my fault you dressed like a boy I’d have moved out sooner.”

“No,” she whispered in an instant objection. Her cheeks flamed.

Rory wanted to ask what she meant, but she seemed a bit embarrassed, so he flattered her instead. “I like the way you look now, this style suits you.”

“Thank you.” She toyed with the remains of her pizza slice as if she’d forgotten it.

“So what are you doing now? I haven’t a clue since you don’t update your Facebook.” Humor shone in her eyes.

“When we first came up to the city we knocked about with some guys who were into software.” Still trying to clean up the mess I made of it. “I’ve got a job in the East End now, been there this past year. It’s a vintage bike workshop. The guy I work with, he’s really talented and he’s known all over the city for his restoration skills, classic motorbikes and scooters. I started as his grease monkey but I learned quickly and he treats me well, calls me his right hand man now.”

“That sounds good. Do you keep in touch with Draco?”

“We text occasionally, we drifted…after Sean got a custodial sentence.” He hoped she wouldn’t dig deeper on that score. The guilt had got to them both. They needed time apart to break the pattern, break with the past.

She nodded. “Have you got somewhere nice to stay?”

“I share a house with three other guys, Latvians. They work in the building trade. One of them is a biker and when I was working on his bike in the workshop he mentioned they were looking for a fourth person to rent with. They’re good blokes. I wouldn’t call it nice exactly, but its comfortable and its home. For now.”

“And what about the computer stuff? You still seem to have an interest there, what with toting your bag of goodies all over the London tube network.” Her tone was mischievous.

Rory sighed internally. She really did intend to dig a bit deeper. “Just experimental stuff. I’m sticking to bikes now though.”

“As I recall you had a knack for clever software.”

Seems like she noticed a lot more than he’d given her credit for. And she’s still got my kit. “Yeah well, not clever enough.”

He’d had a couple of narrow escapes with the cyber-crime police and his name was on a list. He didn’t want to mess up. It was a timely reminder he needed to get her back to her apartment where he assumed his stuff was. He finished up his pizza and necked the Coke. Changing the subject seemed the best option. “Why did you pretend you have a boyfriend?”

Sky cast back in her seat, a frown on her forehead.

“Come on, tell me. I want to understand. I

promise I won’t laugh.”

“Yeah right.” She glared at him and pouted her pretty red mouth.