Ivy tried to put on a smile – but it felt fake, even to her. ‘Nothing,’ she mumbled. ‘I was just passing and I thought I’d drop in on Brendan.’
‘Come on,’ Mr Daniels grinned. ‘You can’t have been “just passing”. You’ve walked up to the door and back twice now.’
Ivy winced. It was no wonder vampire kids grew up to be terrible liars, when the grown-ups had super-hearing.
But that was just one more reminder that Brendan actually had been lying to her. So he must have had something to hide . . .
‘Are you coming in?’ Mr Daniels raised his eyebrows.
‘Um . . . no.’ Ivy sighed. The conversation she had to have with her boyfriend was definitely not one he’d want his dad to overhear. ‘Would you mind calling up to Brendan, and asking him to meet me out here?’
Mr Daniels’ smile dropped. He stepped outside, closing the door behind him. ‘You’re not here to dump him, are you? I know Brendan can sometimes tell stupid jokes but, seriously, he will grow out of it. All boys do, eventually.’
Argh. Ivy cringed. Could this be any more awkward? It was hard enough to work up the nerve to talk with Brendan about their relationship, never mind his dad!
‘I’m not here to break up with him,’ she said, adding silently: But he might be about to break up with me.
Anguish shot through her at the thought, but Mr Daniels visibly relaxed. ‘That’s a relief. We’re all very fond of you, Ivy.’ Opening the door wide, he stepped back inside. ‘Brendan! You have a visitor!’
Brendan clattered down the stairs a moment later . . . and froze as his gaze landed on Ivy, still standing outside.
Aaand . . . that’s not the look of a boy who wants to see his girlfriend.
It was another bad sign, but she couldn’t turn back now.
‘Hey.’ She tried to smile. ‘Do you feel like taking a walk?’
‘I don’t know . . .’ Brendan’s shoulders hunched. ‘I’ve got some homework I really need to do.’
‘Oh, come on, son.’ Mr Daniels gave him a hearty clap on the back. ‘Fresh fall air is just the thing to clear out the cobwebs.’
Brendan blinked, looking doubly confused now. ‘OK,’ he mumbled. ‘I’ll just get my coat.’
‘No need. I’ll get it for you.’ Mr Daniels ducked into the hallway and returned with Brendan’s leather coat. In one motion, he thrust it into Brendan’s hands and gently pushed him towards Ivy. ‘You kids go have fun!’
Brendan’s head was lowered as he joined Ivy, and he didn’t meet her eyes. They both waited until the front door had closed behind them before they started walking. Instinctively, Ivy reached out to hold Brendan’s hand . . . but her fingers only found his forearm. Both of his hands were buried in his pockets – completely un-holdable.
This is officially the most tense I have ever seen him, she realised, swallowing hard. There really must be something worth worrying about.
Trying to look casual, she said, ‘Is there anything you want to . . . talk over?’
Brendan shot her a dark look. ‘What do you mean?’
Ivy tried to keep her voice level. ‘It’s just seemed like you have something on your mind lately. If you ever wanted to talk about anything . . . well, you know I’m here for you, right?’
Brendan’s lips curved into a smile that looked somewhere between touched and confused. ‘Of course I do,’ he said. ‘You don’t need to prove yourself to me.’
Aw! Ivy was already automatically reaching out to take his hand when she remembered and yanked hers back. ‘I’m glad to hear that,’ she said, forging forwards. ‘I hope you feel like you can always talk to me, no matter what it’s about . . .’ She took a deep breath. ‘And no matter how difficult it might be.’
‘OK . . .’ Brendan came to a dead stop and stared at her. ‘What’s really going on here?’
‘Nothing!’ Ivy clenched her hands into fists, fighting down her panic. ‘It’s just that, with us starting high school, I know everything can get thrown up into the air. I don’t want things between us to . . . change.’ Her voice cracked on the last word, and she clenched her jaw as she went on: ‘And talking – clear communication – is the way to keep our relationship from changing, right?’
Brendan held her gaze for a long, tense moment. Then he let out a sigh, nodding slowly. ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘I guess it’s time.’
Ivy’s pulse began beating hard against her skin. ‘Time for what?’
But Brendan was already walking down the street, and she had to hurry to catch up with him. He had taken out his phone to type out a rapid text message to someone. Then he looked at Ivy. ‘It’s time to go to my family’s crypt.’