Pictures of Lily

many talents,’ I say stupidly. He unclicks his seatbelt and climbs out of his seat. We meet each other in front of the bonnet.
    ‘Thanks for being there for me last night.’ I feel like a shy schoolgirl all over again.
    ‘No worries,’ he replies with an even more exaggerated Australian accent than usual. ‘See you tomorrow.’
    I can’t wait, I think sadly as I walk towards the house and turn back to watch him climb into the driver’s seat. He lifts his hand in a wave and then drives off as I experience a comedown that has nothing to do with how much I drank last night.

Chapter 6
     
    As predicted, Josh is fast asleep when I get home. He emerges at five minutes to midday, looking hungover and strangely unattractive. He slumps down next to me on the sofa and instead of my usual flutterings at his close contact, I find myself feeling a bit annoyed that he didn’t sit on the armchair. How very fickle of me.
    ‘Can you not sit over there?’ I grumble. ‘I was about to lie down.’
    ‘Tough shit,’ he replies, reaching for my crisps packet.
    ‘Get your own.’ I snatch them back.
    ‘Somebody’s in a bad mood,’ he taunts.
    ‘That’s probably because I’ve been up all night taking care of an orphaned koala!’ I snap. How did I ever fancy you?
    ‘Up all night?’ he sniggers.
    ‘Well, that’s what it felt like,’ I quickly tell him, not wanting him to cotton on to the fact that I stayed at Ben’s. In the cold light of day I realise that he might find that slightly weird. I know it was perfectly innocent, but if he made a comment I might do something horrendous like blush.
    ‘And the koala is going to be fine, thank you for asking,’ I add sarcastically.
    Josh gets up and goes to sit on the armchair. Result . Except now I feel a bit mean.
    ‘Have some of these if you want.’ I hand over the crisps.
    ‘Thanks,’ he mutters, and a tentative peace is restored.
    Ooh, aren’t his arms skinny compared to Ben’s? Oh dear. I really must stop this.
    My crush doesn’t dissolve over the course of the day and by Monday when Michael and I set off for work, I feel irritatingly jittery. I hope Ben doesn’t notice.
    He’s not in the staffroom when we arrive and that provokes my symptoms even more. I head off to the hospital room, wondering if he’s with the joey. Quietly pushing open the door, I see him kneeling in front of the heater with our little orphan. My heart does a somersault.
    ‘Hey,’ he says, looking around at me.
    ‘How is she?’ There’s a slight tremor to my voice.
    ‘She’s fine. I’m getting her settled for the day.’
    ‘Did she keep you awake much last night?’
    ‘Only a bit. She’ll get better with time. What did you get up to yesterday?’
    ‘Sat around watching telly.’
    He gets to his feet and comes towards me. I have to stop myself from taking a step backwards. ‘When do you want your next driving lesson?’
    ‘Do you mean it?’
    ‘I rarely say anything I don’t mean.’
    ‘When have you got the time?’
    ‘When’s your next day off?’
    ‘Wednesday.’
    ‘That’s a stroke of luck.’ He raises his eyebrows as he gazes down at me. ‘It’s mine too.’
    Wednesday cannot come soon enough. The moments when I’m not with Ben at work drag by. The moments when I’m with him seem to fly by at high speed.
    When Ben turns up on the doorstep on Wednesday morning, it’s a hot and sunny day. After much deliberation, I’ve opted for a black skirt because I can just about cope with my legs being on view these days. I team it with a red top, and tie my dark hair up into a high ponytail. Ben is wearing white board shorts and a green T-shirt.
    ‘All set?’
    ‘Do you want to come in for a coffee, mate?’ Michael calls from behind me. I moan internally at the distraction.
    ‘Just had one,’ Ben replies.
    Phew.
    Michael joins us at the front door and puts his hands on my shoulders. ‘Take care of our girl.’
    ‘You know I will.’
    I step out of Michael’s grasp and usher Ben down the footpath, keen to avoid further delays.
    Ben turns around and jangles the car keys to his Holden station wagon in his hand. ‘Your car or mine?’
    ‘Mine, of course.’
    He groans.
    ‘Hey, remember I’ve got to take my driving test in it,’ I add.
    ‘Okay, okay,’ he concedes, pocketing his keys.
    ‘Where are we going?’ I ask when we’re both belted in.
    ‘I thought we could go for a drive around the hills.’
    ‘Sounds good.’ I turn and wave at Michael,