"I don't know… maybe," she mumbled softly.
"Maybe what?" Ben put an arm around her shoulders.
"So maybe I like him." She snatched the cigarette from Ben's fingers. "Just one drag," she grumbled, displeased with herself and her bad habits.
Ben gave her a warm smile. "I'm sorry, sis. I'll stop goading you, okay? No more stupid questions from Ben tonight."
Together, they finished the last bit of the cigarette and then went into the cabin for a good, long night's sleep.
The next morning, Hannah was woken up by bright sunlight streaming in through the window, shining directly in her face. That was right - she didn't close the curtains yesterday. Groaning, she turned her back to the window.
Still a bit groggy, Hannah heard Ben talking on the phone in the kitchen. "No, she's still asleep. I'll say hello to her when she wakes up. How's Paris?"
That must be Katie on the phone. Her brother's girlfriend was touring Europe by train during her summer break. Paris was the third city on her list.
"Shall I check whether she's awake yet?" a familiar voice suddenly sounded. Hannah sat up straight, heart pounding in her chest. Then she changed her mind, lay down again, pulled the blanket over her face and peeked out from underneath, her eyelids almost closed.
Her bedroom door opened slowly. Josh stuck his head around the corner.
Hannah tried to breathe evenly, feigning sleep, but her breath faltered when she saw Josh enter the room wearing next to nothing. Through her eyelashes, she took in his faded jeans, the turquoise and silver pendant hanging from a chain around his neck, and his bare chest. Yup, no T-shirt. It wasn't fair. How was she supposed to act normally around him if he kept walking around like that?
She didn't make a sound and kept still. All of a sudden, she wondered why Josh didn't move either. He kept staring at her without saying anything. Maybe he could sense she was just pretending to be asleep. Hannah stopped breathing altogether now, and observed the look on his face.
A hint of a smile crossed his lips. Josh took a step forward, bent down and gently stroked her cheek with one thumb, just for a few seconds. Hannah quickly closed both eyes when he came near, and when she finally dared opening one eye again, he'd quietly left the room as if he'd never been there.
She listened absent-mindedly to one end of the conversation between Ben and Katie on the phone. How long were Ben and Josh going to hang around in the cabin? She was eager to talk to Josh, but the thought of having him around all morning made her nervous.