"Hey! A Music shop! Let's go in. I can look for some hot tunes and you can get Leanne Rimes or something."

"Thanks, Stig. But actually, I'm not too keen on Leanne Rimes."

"I thought it was the sort of retro country stuff you'd be into."
"You are endangering the very existence of whatever pseudo friendship thing we have, Stig."

He chuckled. "Cool."

Lucy rolled her eyes. They had been wandering the town for two hours now and much as they both hated to admit it…they were getting on.

"So just out of interest what sort of thing are you into?"

"Well if you're talking retro, I would go for some Muse or maybe Linkin Park."

He looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah why? You wanna pick holes in my music taste now?"

"No. I don't have a problem with either of those."

She grinned at him. "Not so dorkish am I?"

"Hmmm….I reserve judgement on that."

They entered the store and were soon rifling through CD collections and finding they had a surprising amount in common. In fact the whole day seemed to be going so much better than Stig had anticipated.

Then his cell phone rang.

It was his girlfriend.

"Hey Babe! How are you?"

"You ass. You're dumped!"

"What?!"

"I can't believe you would think I wouldn't work out you were with another girl."
"Sorry, Jessica. You lost me."
"When were you going to tell me that you were seeing someone else?"
"And just who am I supposed to be seeing?"
"Lucy Morgan."

Stig laughed. "What?!"

"Are you denying you went to Kingston with her today?"
Stig was silent.

"Where are you now? Stig?"

"Kingston."

"Okay. On your own?"
"No. My parents are here."

"Okay…anyone else?"

"No."

Lucy chose that particular moment to cross the store and address him.

"Who's on the phone?" she asked in a voice loud enough to carry to the other end of the line.

"She's there. Isn't she?" Jessica said.

"Jess. It's not like that."

"Really. Check her facebook page."

Jessica hung up.

Stig swore and shut his phone.

"Lucy. Did you post something on Facebook about me?"

She frowned and shook her head. "Oh. Hang on! There was the photo from this morning."

"What photo from this morning?"
She opened her bag and took out her cell phone. "This." Lucy found the picture of him sleeping and the caption. "Awww! How cute!"

He pulled a face.

"My girlfriend doesn't find it cute at all." He snapped.

"Oh. Sorry."

"In fact. She's now my ex-girlfriend."
"Stig. I'm sorry okay. Things were different this morning…I…"

He was gone the shop door slamming behind him.

She trailed him back to the motel and to their room. Part of her wondered what the hell Jessica Rodriguez would make of the fact they were sharing a room.

Stig was in the shower. His cell was on his bedside table. Lucy took it, scrolled down to Jessica Mob and made a note of the number, and then she slipped outside of the room.

It wasn't an easy call, but it was one she had to make.

"Jessica. Um…It's Lucy Morgan…DON'T HANG UP. Okay. Um…I just need to explain, that you've got the wrong end of the stick. Me being in Kingston with Stig is the biggest joke ever. It's our parents' idea okay. We hate each other. And to be honest he's been driving me crazy all day going on about how wonderful you are. It's been excruciatingly annoying." She lied. The only reason she knew he was dating Jessica was because she had overheard his conversation with her.

"…anyway. Please. I'm not after your boyfriend. Stig and me would be a disaster. You really don't have any reason to be jealous. After all what would a guy like him be doing with a virginal Klutz like me?

Jessica said a few (not hugely flattering) words. It didn't matter though, because she promised she would phone Stig.

Lucy went for a walk so she didn't hear the call.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

She was dressed in a simple black dress for the evening meal. Stig had disappeared when she got out of the shower and changed. He reappeared as it was time to go.

"Why did you do that?" He asked.

"Do what?"

"Phone Jessica."

"I didn't want any rumours starting about me."

"You told her I talked about her all day."
"It was what she wanted to hear."
He looked thoughtfully at her. "Thanks…I'm not hugely sure she's worth it. But thanks."

"You're welcome. That makes us even, right?"

He grinned. "Yeah. Even."

They went to dinner with their parents.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Lucy might not have noticed that Stig watched her that evening, but Casey did. And strangely enough, it reassured her. She didn't recognise all her son's facial expressions but she recognised her husband's. She's seen the one Stig was wearing right now on Derek, right about the same time as he realised Casey was in his life for keeps. And it made her wonder if maybe she had got her son wrong; it almost looked as though he had already discovered the capacity for love.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

It was dark in their room.

"Do you love her?"

"Who?"

"Jessica."

"I'm eighteen, Lucy. Who falls in love at eighteen?"
"You might."

"Yeah well…no. Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased you rang her and everything, but love it definitely isn't."
"Have you come close with her?"
Stig was taken aback. Since when did he share confidences with Lucy?

"No. Do you really want to discuss my sex life?"

"Or lack there of…" She chuckled. "No. I was just curious."

"So how far have you gone?" He asked.

"Far enough, thank you." She said in a grandma tone. He laughed.

"How about we jack this conversation in now before it gets unbearable?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Let's talk hockey."

"Let's not."

"Do you play cards?" He asked suddenly.

"Depends what you mean."

"Poker."

"I'm not playing strip poker, Stig."
"Neither am I. I meant straight forward poker."

"Okay." She sat up and switched on the light. Stig got out of bed, rummaged in his rucksack and then came to perch on her bed.

"Do you know how to play?"
"Not really."

"Okay. Here goes…"