5. Cats Begin To Howl

Lexi's resolve lasts longer than she expects.

She stomps her feet as she steps into the warmth of the hallway, dragging her boots against the doormat, kicking them off as she does so. The living room is flooded with light, the hum of the television playing in the background. Lyzera must still be around, then. Lexi grabs her shoes and dodges past the doorway, almost sliding along the polished floorboards in her fuzzy socks, not wanting to be forced to make polite conversation with her older brother or his significant other, retreating into the kitchen to forage for food. She doesn't really fancy the turkey sandwiches that Lyzera had laid out for her, reaching instead for a handful of cherries, popping one into her mouth and nudging the fridge door closed with her hip, trying not to make any loud noises as she edges back along the hallway and up the spiralling staircase towards her room.

She lets her rucksack slide to the floor as soon as she steps inside, dropping her shoes unceremoniously as she does so, moving straight to her desk to retrieve her laptop and slide a vinyl onto the small turntable sitting there, the music beginning to fill the room as she clambers onto her bed, sitting on top of the blankets and leaning her elbow on the windowsill.

She chats idly with Jathro for a little while over Skype, collaborating and sharing their notes from Mr Fisher's lectures, and how exactly they're going to help with their Biology paper, due in a few weeks time. It's about three hours after their call began that Jathro throws down his pen with a melodramatic sigh.

"It's no use, Lex'. I'm clearly not going to get anything else done tonight." There's a squeaking in the background as he spins around on his chair. Lexi rests her notes on the windowsill next to her arm, fumbling until she's got the blankets out from underneath her and has pulled them up to her chin. "How was locking up the shop?"

She gives a light shrug. "Oh, you know...Boring, really. Same as ever."

"Uh hu." Even in pixelated form, Jathro's deadpan expression is still pretty powerful. "Don't even try that with me, Lexi Nekross, don't you even try. What's happened? Tell me everything." A pause. "You know that we're just going to sit here in silence until you tell me, right?"

Lexi sighs. "Remind me again, why am I friends with you?"

"Because I'm amazing," Jathro replies, as if this is a universally recognised fact. "Now, c'mon, spill the beans. Don't leave me on edge in this way."

"Alright. Um, you know we saw the boy from the Underground in the shop the other day?"

"Yeeees?" Jathro drags the word out, gesturing for her to continue.

"Well, he, er, may or may not have turned up at the shop today -"

"You're kidding!" He cuts her off with an eager shriek; Lexi almost has to cover her ears. "That is just - Wow! Go on, don't stop there. What happened? What did you say? What did he say?"

"Not much, really. I asked what he was doing there during closing hours, he complimented my singing -"

"He did what?" Jathro looks almost giddy with excitement. "Ooh! Someone sounds like they've got a little crush on you!"

Lexi blinks. "Excuse me?"

"Lexi, I love you - I mean, of course I do, you're my best friend, so I have to love you - but you can't sing without cats beginning to howl. No one compliments your singing."

"Maybe I'm an acquired taste."

"Not quite the word I'd use, but okay." Jathro shakes his head. "But, anyway, what happened next? Did you exchange names? Lifelong dreams? Numbers?" He lets out another mildly inhuman noise at his best friend's silence. "You did? You did! This is priceless! Have you talked to him yet?"

"Well, no, but -"

"Why not? Do it!"

Lexi ponders for a moment, before huffing, reaching for her phone. "You're an awful best friend."

"I know," Jathro agrees cheerfully, watching as she enters the number into her contacts and then proceeds to stare at the flickering cursor for a few moments. "Well?"

"Hang on a minute," she grumbles. "I'm trying to think of what to say."

"Hello might be a good start."

Lexi can't deny that he's right in this situation.

Hello. [Sent 20.45]

She lays the phone down on top of her notes and shifts her laptop to one side, hurrying across the room to change the record and scrambling back a few seconds later, wrapping herself tighter in the cocoon of blankets that she has made for herself.

"Well?" Jathro demands. "Has he said anything yet?"

"He's probably busy."

"Busy?" Her best friend looks mildly offended at the mere suggestion. "No one, male or female, should be too busy to talk to a great girl like you."

"Shut up."

"No, you shut up!" Jathro sticks his tongue out at the camera, causing Lexi to snort and shake her head, just as her phone buzzes on the windowsill. Jathro's face becomes serious almost immediately. "Is that him?"

"Why don't you actually give me a minute to check?" Lexi unlocks the screen, watching the lock screen transition into the message thread she last looked at.

Hi :) [Sent 20.47]

"Okay," Jathro announces, making his best friend jump and look up from the phone. He's grinning. "Going by that sappy look on your face, I'm going to assume it's mystery Monday Morning Disaster boy, so I'm gonna leave you two to have some privacy. Don't stay up too late now."

"Yes, Mother," Lexi says in reply, rolling her eyes and ending the call with Jathro's laughter still echoing from the tinny laptop speakers. She puts it to one side and picks up her phone again.

How are you? [Sent 20.48]

She doesn't have to wait long for a reply. Better now that you're here ;) You? [Sent 20.50]

Well, a little scared after that, to be honest :) [Sent 20.51]

I have that effect on people. [Sent 20.51]

Lexi almost laughs out loud. Well, at least you're honest. [Sent 18.52]

Of course I am. Honesty is the best policy :) [Sent 20.52]

Can't argue with that. [Sent 20.53]

She's about to type something else too when the phone comes to life, the screen changing and fluorescent letters spelling out TOM appearing in front of her, along with SLIDE TO ANSWER. She watches it for a few more seconds, before sliding her thumb along the screen and raising it to her ear.

"Hello."

"Hi."

"How are you?"

There's soft chuckling in the background. "Better now that you're here. You?"

"A little scared," she replies, a smile on her face. Both of them laugh, lapsing back into comfortable silence.

"What are you up to?" Tom asks after a few moments of this quiet.

"Biology." Lexi picks up her pen and begins to idly doodle across an empty page in her notebook. "I don't particularly want to be downstairs and have to make conversation with my boss whilst my brother watches her adoringly."

"Ouch."

"Tell me about it. Usually I stay as far away from them as I possibly can." She pauses. "What are you doing?"

"Working out how I'm going to talk to you, mostly."

"Oh? Am I really that unapproachable?"

"The pretty ones usually are."

Lexi snorts as she reclines back, nestled against the mountain of pillows she keeps on her bed. "You must be thinking of someone else, then."

"No. I know I'm definitely thinking of you."

"Yeah, yeah. I bet you use that line on everyone."

"You'd think so, but no - What?" There's the muffled sound of someone else talking in the background as Tom holds the phone away from him. "No, it's, um-" He sounds shy all of a sudden "- it's a friend."

"Hi, A Friend!" A muffled voice calls from somewhere at the other end of the line and Tom laughs. "Sorry. My dad likes to think he's funny."

Lexi chuckles. "Tell him hello from me."

"She says hello!" There's scuffling from the other end as Tom moves from his original seat to a new location, the phone back to his ear now. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

Lexi takes this opportunity to glance out of the window at the darkening neighbourhood, the amber glow of the street lights illuminating the pavement. "If you decide to drop by the shop tomorrow. I'm working all afternoon."

"At least this means I've got something to look forward to."

"Don't get your hopes up. I'm not very exciting."

"Well, I think you're very exciting," Tom says matter-of-factly, as if this statement was law and should not be disputed. "Exciting, and funny, and cute, and overall just interesting in general."

Lexi isn't quite sure how to respond to that other than to start chuckling giddily as she stares at the dark ceiling above her, shifting so that an arm is trapped under her head, acting as a pillow. This is the sort of thing that happens in books; this doesn't happen in real life, and certainly not to her.

"You still there?"

Oops. She's been quiet for a while now. "Yes. Still here. Just thinking."

"What about?"

She laughs a little as she shakes her head. "Everything."

"Intriguing." There's a comfortable pause. "Do you have a favourite song?"

"Yes." Lexi glances towards the turntable that's gone silent yet again. She quickly changes it to the record that she purchased earlier that day, burrowing back into bed as fast as she can. "I'll have to play it for you sometime."

"I'd like that."

"So would I."

More silence. "Are you tired?"

"Very much so. Biology is kind of draining after a while." She has to stifle a yawn as she speaks. "I'll probably drop off any minute now."

"Sweet dreams."

"You too." She waits. "Aren't you going to hang up?"

"Nope. You?"

"Probably not."

"Well, then. I guess we'll just have to sit here and wait until one of us hangs up."

"Okay." Lexi settles her head on an actual pillow, snuggling down further into the pile of blankets, careful not to dislodge any Biology notes from the windowsill as she settles down, regardless of the fact that she's still in her jumper and jeans from the long day she's just had.

"You hung up yet?" Tom whispers suddenly.

"No. You?"

"Nope."

"Okay." Lexi smiles as she lets her eyes drift closed, sliding into the peaceful world of dreams, lulled to sleep by the gentle acoustic record and the sound of Tom's quiet breathing in her ear.