Page 18 of I Was Always Yours (RCA: Royal Crown Academy)

Yes

No

“You could even add the question ‘will you be my boyfriend?’ to it,” he says, scribbling that down next.

“Dad says I’m too young to have a boyfriend.”

My dad is the best dad in the whole world, but he can seem scary to people who aren’t me or my mum. I wouldn’t want Phoenix to get on his bad side. Even though I’m young, I understand enough to know my dad might make him disappear if he crosses a line with me.

“You can leave that off then, but for the record this is what I know Phoenix would answer.” He says, and then he ticks the ‘yes’ box and draws a dozen hearts next to it.

My heart is beating a million kilometers an hour. I can’t believe I’m going to tell him I like him. It feels scary and exciting, and I know my heart’s going to be in my throat until I see how he reacts.

Astor rips another page out and hands it and a pen to me. “Your turn,” he says as he folds the rough draft he did.

I copy Astor’s version, minus the boyfriend question, and use the additional colored markers he brings me to draw hearts and smiley faces.

When I’m done, I hold it up and show it to him.

“Perfect.”

“Are you sure he won’t laugh at me?”

“He won’t laugh at you.” He says, leaning in to hug me.

We jump apart when the doorhandle rattles, announcing someone’s arrival. The only person who ever comes up here other than us is Phoenix.

I shoot Astor a panic-stricken glance as we grab the notes and shove them frantically into our pockets.

We’re just in time. Phoenix strides in just as Astor stuffs the draft he wrote in his jeans pocket.

His gaze moves from Astor’s too innocent face to my nervous one, silently taking in the notebook and markers strewn around me.

He’s drenched, his hair sticking to his temple and his clothes dripping water everywhere.

“What are you guys doing?” He asks, suspiciously. I know this picture of us looks completely unnatural.

---