IN THE HOURS BETWEEN • TC

15. Goodbyes

Una wonders what Timothée's girlfriend is like.

She's probably very pretty - Timmy is the type of person who attracts pretty people. She's probably smart, too. She probably doesn't give up on Les Miserables after a hundred pages.

Una picks up her phone from the space next to her laptop. She's been eyeing it for a while, trying not to give into the temptation of checking it, but it's fine, she tells herself. Just a five minute break.

Una pulls up Instagram and goes onto Frank's profile, then his Following, and types a t in the search bar. Scrolls through the people she follows until she finds Timmy.

She's done this a couple of times, but his account is still private. What's worse is that he has about eighty posts, meaning if there's anywhere she can find out more about his girlfriend, it'll be here. Una's thumb hovers over the follow button, but she doesn't press it. Not yet. She quickly closes the app and puts her phone face down on the other end of her desk. Goes back to her Word document and wills the words to materialise upon it.

---

There's a soft bark from the garden, and Una glances out of the window to see that Timmy has brought Milo in to play. She smiles, watching the old dog lumber about after a ball, slobbering all over it. Timmy wipes his hand on the grass after each throw, speaking little words of encouragement every time.

Va chercher! Va chercher!

She pulls out her chair and goes downstairs to get herself a cold drink. Una pushes her hair from her forehead as she walks into the kitchen. There's a carton of mango juice there because Timmy's the only one in the house who really drinks it, but Una supposes he won't mind if she has some. She'll pour him a glass, too - that way it'll look more like a favour and he won't be allowed to get mad at her because she's gone to the trouble of getting him a drink.

She's probably overthinking this.

Walking into the garden, Una balances the glasses on the table nearest the house, watching as Timmy registers her presence. He looks at her, his face blank, before it pulls into a tight smile and he goes back to looking at Milo.

"I got you juice," Una calls out, and he turns his head again. Nods.

"Thank you!"

Una walks back into the house, picks up her own glass, and goes back into her bedroom. Shuts the curtains. She's taking a nap.

---

At the same time the next day, Una is in her room again. This time she's wondering if it would be best to defer her entry for uni. Frank's gap year seems to be going well, so maybe it could go well for her, too.

A soft knock on the door makes her look up. No one enters, and another knock comes. She waits for the person's head to pop round, but there's just another knock, sounding bluntly into the silent room.

"...Come in," she says finally, her voice a question. Timmy's head appears as he leans slightly into the room.

"I am going to go for a walk with Milo," he tells her, sidling into the space by the door. One of his hands slips into the pocket of his jean shorts, then slips out again. His fingers tap against his thigh as Una looks at him. "Maybe you would like to come."

She stares. Looks down at her laptop and knows she won't get anything else done today. "Okay, let me just," she trails off, closing the laptop lid and going to hunt for her socks. Timothée stands by the door patiently, looking out of the window.

"The view is nice," he remarks, holding out an open palm towards it. Una glances at him, then the window.

"Yeah, I guess. Very nice," she says quietly, standing up. Timmy backs out of the room and she follows him downstairs. He smells like deodorant, smells clean. She doesn't know how, in this horrible heat, but he smells fresh, inviting, like a pool of clear water. Una frowns and grabs her shoes from the rack by the door.