IN THE HOURS BETWEEN • TC

25. Ribena

The month passes quickly.

(And not all of it quickly, because there are things that are ingrained in her memory with such detail. Things that made her realise that Timmy wasn't the beast she'd made him out to be, things that made her realise that he wasn't bad at all, things that made her think.

Una's list of moments when she started hating Timmy a little less:

1. The time he walked into her room with a pile of folded laundry that came up to his chin, plonked it down on her bed, and walked out without saying anything. Una liked the directness. Liked the fact that he used his own detergent so all of her t-shirts smelt very faintly of Timmy.

2. When she was petting Marlon outside and Timmy came over warily, sat down on the other side of the bench, and held out a finger for the cat to sniff. The expression of mingled joy, surprise and fear as Marlon tried to sit on his lap made Una want to reach out and squidge his cheeks. (She didn't.)

3. The time Timmy saw a road sign and asked what an oomp was, before being told it was a hump.

4. The time when they were watching some documentary about deaf children hearing for the first time and Timmy kept surreptitiously wiping the tears from his eyes. (See also: the time Una was sat close enough to him that their thighs were touching the entire documentary and she hated herself for how much she liked the warmth of his leg against her own.)

5. When she walked into the kitchen and Timmy came up to her, his arms spread out. Una thought he was going in for a hug but he was actually trying to bar her from entering the kitchen, which resulted in an awkward, fumbling moment in which she wrapped her arms around him and Timmy stood there stiffly. I wasn't about to hug you, he'd whispered quietly, before bringing his arms around her, squeezing her tightly for a couple of seconds, and pushing her out of the kitchen, saying come back in an hour. I'm making something.

6. The time he merged the straw that broke the camel's back and cameltoe.

7. Una's birthday. He made a cake that tasted like it had been crafted by the gods, and when asked about it he'd quietly explained that it was a variation on a charlotte, with the classic bavarois and the sponge exterior, only he'd also made profiteroles and chocolate curls and spun sugar decorations(!??) Una had sat there, surreptitiously savouring every tiny detail as she took tiny mouthfuls, trying not to let her eyes roll to the back of her head in front of her extended family.

That evening, after dinner, when everyone was watching a film in the sitting room, Una went out to make some drinks. Timmy had excused himself to come and help her, and they were making mojitos in the dim light of the kitchen.She hadn't had much practice making cocktails, but they made the first ones together and toasted. Happy Birthday Una!! He'd whispered, grinning, and Una had smiled at him, clinking their glasses together, wanting to step closer. Wanting to be closer.

8. The time Timmy described a semi-circle, in a moment of bilingual frustration, as a circle with its head cut off.

9. When he bought a bag of Maoams and left it on her desk. An apology for eating all the green ones, Una's favourites, (which just so happened to be his favourites too.)

10. The walks they go on, even though Milo isn't there to join them. Sometimes, Timmy brings the dog belonging to the guy who works in the corner shop. Sometimes, it's just the two of them.

Una's list isn't limited to those ten things, only they're the things she would say. If you asked her. Not that anyone is going to ask her because as far as she's concerned, nobody knows about her feelings for Timmy - which aren't really feelings - and nobody needs to.)