Love at Second Sight (6 page)

‘Course.’

‘I saw you play on the Heath the other Sunday,’ I said. ‘With Finn O’Brady.’

‘Oh yeah. Finn.’

‘So you on your own?’ I asked. I thought if he was, I might suggest we get a cappuccino. We could join the crowds of chatting teens plus it would be a great opportunity to find out
more about Finn, maybe even his relationship status and how serious things were with the girl with auburn hair I’d seen him with on the Heath and in the café.

‘No, I’m here with Finn. He’s around here somewhere.’

I tried to keep cool. ‘Somewhere around here as in at the Lock? Or north London? Or just on the planet?’

He didn’t laugh at my attempt to be funny.

This isn’t going well
, I thought.
Time to move on and maybe I’ll bump into Finn myself.
‘OK, well, nice talking to you.’

‘Right,’ said Ben, and with a brief nod he pushed on past me.

I immediately thought of a nickname for him Scowler. I made my way down the left of the Lock and through a narrow passage lined with stalls selling posters, badges, lighters and joss sticks.
There were loads of boys around looking at CDs and clothes.
Any one of them could be Howard
, I thought,
and maybe we’re destined to keep missing each other: I turn right as he turns
left or I walk past just as he turns to look in a window. How sad would that be? Whoa! Jo, watch yourself. You’re beginning to think like Effy. I’m supposed to be the one that
doesn’t believe.

I must have laughed aloud at my thoughts because a voice to my left said, ‘First sign of madness that.’

I turned to find myself looking into Finn O’Brady’s dark eyes. ‘Oh! How did you get here?’

Finn looked amused by my question. ‘Probably same way as you. Tube. Feet. So why were you laughing?’

I blushed. I hate that I can’t stop it and it gives me away every time. ‘I was just thinking of something funny’

‘And what was that then?’ he asked as he fell in step beside me. ‘You going towards the canal?’

I nodded.

‘Mind if I walk with you?’

‘No.’ I felt chuffed to be seen with him and could see a few girls turn their heads to look at him as we walked past.

‘Been shopping?’ he asked me.

‘A bit.’ I held up my new bag. ‘Just this.’

‘Nice. So just cruising round on your own then?’

‘Yes. No. Seen loads of people I know,’ I blustered. I didn’t want him to think I was a billy-no-mates loser with no-one to hang out with on a Saturday. ‘I saw your mate
Ben and before that I was with my friend. We were, er . . . looking for someone.’

‘Someone? And who might that be?’

‘Just. . . someone.’

‘Ah. A mystery someone?’

‘Not exactly . . . well, sort of. Long story’

‘And is that what was funny?’

I felt awkward. ‘Sort of.’ I was aware that I was giving him short answers and not being very interesting.

‘So share the joke. I could do with a laugh.’

No way was I going to tell him the Henrietta story. He might think I was a nutter or claim to be Howard just to tease me, but he was looking at me expectantly. I had to say something. ‘I,
er . . . that is . . . a friend of mine, Um. . .’ I wished my brain would get into gear.
Why is it so easy to chat away with Owen but so hard with Finn?
I asked myself. ‘Um,
where to start? OK, it all began on the Heath last week–’

Finn put his hand on his heart. ‘When you saw me? Everything changed?’ He grinned. ‘See, you were right – I am big-headed.’

So he
had
heard what I’d said about him having a big ego in the café. ‘Before that. I . . . that is, a friend went to see the clairvoyant. . .’

Finn’s eyes twinkled. ‘
A friend.
’

‘Yes.
A friend. Effy – you met her in the café the other day? She dragged me along to see the clairvoyant too. Early birthday present.’

‘When’s your birthday?’

‘June 2nd.’

‘Doing anything special?’

‘I’m not sure yet. Effy and my other friend Tash are arranging something.’

‘Sweet. So you were saying. Clairvoyant?’

‘We went to see the one on the Heath. The day you were playing. It’s Effy who’s into all that stuff though, not me.’

‘No, course not, not you,’ he said solemnly, but there was something about the way he said it that made me feel like he didn’t believe me at all. ‘Did she tell you that
you were going to meet a tall, dark stranger?’ Finn raised an eyebrow suggestively.

He’s flirting with me,
I thought as I felt myself blush again. Like it or not, I did fancy him and there was definitely some chemistry between us, I could feel it down to my toes.
It felt like we were walking along in our own rosy-coloured bubble.
Not getting into it, not getting into it,
I told myself.
He has a girlfriend, I’ve seen him with her so
it’s out of order that he’s flirting with me. I wonder if she knows what he’s like? Poor girl. I knew. I just knew it. Boys like Finn just play with girls’ heads because
they can. Well, he’s not adding me to his hit list.

‘No. She didn’t.’

‘Ah, shame,’ said Finn.

‘She said that I’d met someone already.’

‘Already? So she
did
mention me?’

I felt that Finn was teasing me but I wasn’t going to flirt back. ‘No, she definitely did
not
mention you. She, er. . .’ I didn’t want to tell him the whole story
but maybe part of it if only to stop him asking questions. ‘She said something about soulmates knowing each other through different lives.’

‘Different lives?’

He looked genuinely surprised and it felt good to have said something at last that really got his interest. ‘As in a past life.’

‘You’re joshing with me.’

‘No.’ It was fun to see him look so gobsmacked.

‘What else did she say?’

‘Um ... I can’t remember all of it. Something about finding my soulmate.’

‘Soulmate, huh? Not sure I believe in them.’

‘Well, you wouldn’t, would you?’ I blurted then clapped my hand over my mouth.

‘What do you mean, I wouldn’t? I’m capable of being romantic, I am, but a soulmate . . . that’s heavy stuff,’ he said, then put his hand over his heart and gave me
a meaningful look, his eyes twinkling. ‘So you’re looking for your soulmate, are you?’

‘No, course not. I ... I don’t know if I believe in them either. Maybe they only exist in books and movies. Anyway, enough about me. Why’s your band called Minted? What’s
that about? Sounds like toothpaste.’ I don’t know why I felt so defensive all of a sudden. Probably because he appeared to be laughing at me, like I was a dumb pet that made him
smile.

‘Yeah. It’s a neat name, isn’t it? Ben came up with it. The rest of the band thought it sounded cool. So tell me more about what the clairvoyant said.’

‘She said I would bump into a very annoying boy down in Camden one weekend,’ I lied.

Finn laughed. ‘Ah, now that would be me, would it? Maybe I
am
your soulmate!’

I grinned back. ‘Get in line, pal. I have a few contenders so far.’

‘Is that right?’

I wasn’t going to tell him there was only one. Owen. And that wasn’t serious.

‘Oh yes, a long list. But it’s Effy who’s into clairvoyants and stuff, not me.’

‘So you keep saying. But I like the notion that there might be a soulmate for everyone out there,’ said Finn. ‘Someone to meet when you’re ready to do the serious stuff,
someone you’ve known time after time. I think I should write a song about it. It’s the sort of thing girls love.’

‘How could you write about it if you don’t believe it?’

Finn tapped his head. ‘I have to think commercially. Think about what people want to hear.’

‘Huh,’ I said.
I bet,
I thought.
I bet that’s what you do with all girls, not just the ones in your audiences. You tell them what they want to hear. Well not me, pal.
I’m not falling for it.
‘I think you should write what you believe. Write from your heart if you want to touch people. It’s fake to write what you think people want to hear.
If you’re a real artist you should write the truth.’

Finn looked taken aback by my outburst.
Now I should shut up,
I thought,
shut up, shut up! He’ll think I’m a nutjob. Why oh why can’t I just be myself? I either talk
too little or blather away like an eejit.

‘Maybe. Maybe I just haven’t met the right girl yet so have no experience of a soulmate. Maybe I’ll write about that.’ He gave me another of his amused looks. It made me
feel very unsettled. ‘Maybe the right girl would change my mind. So were you looking for this clairvoyant that you don’t believe in to see what else she had to say?’

I shook my head. ‘No. I was trying to have a peaceful life. You don’t know Effy. Once she’s latched on to something, there’s no letting go.’

‘Effy.
OK, if you say so. Well, I think the soulmate idea is lovely. Very romantic. Heathcliff and Cathy sort of thing.’ Now it was my turn to look surprised. ‘See I do
know what you’re on about.
Wuthering Heights.
Passion. Yearning. Standing on the moors in the wind and rain in the middle of the night. HeathCLIFF. CaTHEEEE. Dying of pneumonia and
haunting each other. All that good stuff.’

Now he’s being patronising,
I thought. ‘But the clairvoyant clearly made it up because she’s another one who knows what people like to hear.’

‘If you say so,’ he said with another of his grins.

‘I think I might have to punch you in a minute,’ I said.

Finn was almost laughing now. ‘Girls often say that to me. Why do you think that is?’

‘Because you’re infuriating. I hate it when people tell me what I’m thinking; you don’t know me or what I believe.’

Finn looked deeply into my eyes in a way that made me blush again. ‘So maybe I
could
get to know you.’

‘I . . . but. . .’ I stuttered as an image of him with the girl from the Heath flashed through my mind though he did just say that he hadn’t met the right girl yet. God, it was
confusing. Maybe he was just saying that because he knew it was the kind of thing girls want to hear, like, I haven’t met The One but you might be her. ‘I’m going to go now before
I push you in the canal.’

‘Have you thought about seeing anyone about this violent streak of yours? Like anger management classes?’

‘I am not violent!’

‘Er, you want to punch me and push me in the canal.’

Once again, that mocking expression on his face. What was it about him that made me so mad?

‘OK. Going now,’ I said and this time I did turn and walk away. I couldn’t believe the cheek of him. He knew I’d seen him with his girlfriend, twice even! But he must
have met lots of girls who didn’t care that he was in a relationship.
Well I’m not going to be one of his groupies, like a Little Miss Available,
I thought as I headed back up to
the main road.
He’s full of himself, a flirt and patronising. I am so not interested, Finn O’Brady.

‘Good luck with your search,’ Finn called after me. ‘Let me know if any of them mention me.’

I turned back to him. ‘I’m
not
searching. Happy as lam.’

‘If you say so.’

I walked a bit further, then couldn’t resist turning round again. He turned at exactly the same time.

‘I knew you wanted me,’ he called.

‘In your dreams,’ I called back, but we were both smiling.

The following week, there was no getting away from Henrietta. On Monday evening, I got home to find that Owen had sent me a badge in the post. It said
Reincarnation is
making a comeback.
Very funny. Somehow the story about my clairvoyant experience had even got around school. On Wednesday, before assembly, I heard that Mac Johnson in the Upper Sixth, who
fancies himself as a Casanova, had apparently been telling every girl he met that he’d known her in a past life. His latest chat-up line and some gullible girls were even stupid enough to
believe him.

I was so glad I hadn’t told Finn the full story and prayed that he didn’t hear it from someone else. He’d have teased me even more than he’d done when he only knew the
vague details. However, he’d obviously been thinking about what we’d talked about because on Wednesday evening, I saw that he’d sent me an email.

What a cheek,
I thought as I printed it out to show the girls at school.
Let him know what they say about him. Such a flirt.
But I couldn’t deny the fact
that I was well chuffed to have heard from him.

We’ve found her. Henrietta Gleeson, born Liverpool 1882.

‘No way!’ I said.

‘Wow,’ said Effy.

‘Still doesn’t mean anything,’ I said.

‘Course it does,’ said Effy. ‘It means she
existed
.’

‘Yes but doesn’t mean that
I
was her.’

‘It’s a lead,’ said Tash. ‘At least we can use it to find out more about her. I’m going to call Dave.’

‘Now, what were you going to show us?’ asked Effy as Tash called Dave on her mobile.

I gave her the printed sheet with Finn’s email.

‘Hmm. Tell him what they say about him? Brilliant,’ said Effy after she’d read it. ‘I think he likes you.’

‘No way. He flirts because he fancies himself as a playboy. I am so not interested.’