Where Rainbows End - Cecelia Ahern

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without being interrupted to cheer and applaud a silly dance or the learning of a new word. I liked that I was just me, Rosie, not Mammy, thinking just about me, talking about things I liked, going places I liked to go without having to worry about what Katie was touching, or putting in her mouth, or sleepy-head tantrums. Isn’t that awful?

      Steph: It’s not awful, Rosie. It’s good to have time to yourself but it’s good to be back with Katie, isn’t it? And if things were so great then why did you come home so early? You weren’t supposed to return for another week. Did something happen?

      Rosie: Not really worth mentioning.

      Steph: Oh, come on, Rosie. I know when something is bothering you, and you can tell me.

      Rosie: It was just time to go, Steph.

      Steph: Did you and Alex have a fight or anything?

      Rosie: No, too embarrassing to explain.

      Steph: Why, what do you mean?

      Rosie: Oh, I just made a show of myself one night.

      Steph: Don’t be silly. I’m sure Alex didn’t mind! He’s seen you make a show of yourself plenty in your lifetime.

      Rosie: No, Steph, this was a different kind of making a show of myself. Trust me. Not the usual kind of Alex and Rosie thing to do. I kind of threw myself at him and the next day I was mortified.

      Steph: WHAT? Do you mean that …? Did you and Alex …?

       Chapter 8

      Rosie: Calm down, Stephanie!

      Steph: I can’t! This is too bizarre! You two are like brother and sister! Alex is like my little brother! You can’t have!

      Rosie: STEPHANIE! WE DIDN’T!

      Steph: Oh.

      Steph: Then what happened?

      Rosie: Well, I’m hardly going to tell you now, Ms. Overreactor.

      Steph: Just stop trying to wind me up and tell me!

      Rosie: OK, I realise that this was a very silly thing for me to do and I am extremely embarrassed so don’t go mental at me …

      Steph: Go on …

      Rosie: Well, it’s really far more innocent than you think but equally embarrassing. I kissed Alex.

      Steph: I knew it! And what happened?

      Rosie: He didn’t kiss me back.

      Steph: Oh. And did you mind that?

      Rosie: The unsettling thing is that yes, I did.

      Steph: Oh, Rosie, I’m so sorry … but I’m sure Alex will come round. He was probably just shocked. Oh, I’m sure he feels the same!! This is so exciting! I always knew something would happen between you two someday.

      Rosie: I’ve been lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling ever since I got home, trying to figure out what came over me. Was it something I ate that made me feel light-headed and impetuous? Was it something he said that I could have misunderstood? I’m trying to convince myself that it was more than just the silence of the moment that changed my heart.

       At first we had so much to catch up on we were talking a hundred words a second, barely even listening to the ends of one another’s sentences before moving on to the next. And there was laughing. Lots of laughing. Then the laughing stopped and there was this silence. This weird comfortable silence. What the hell was it? It was like the world stopped turning in that instant. Like everyone around us had disappeared. Like everything at home was forgotten about. It was as if those few minutes on this world were created just for us and all we could do was look at each other. It was like he was seeing my face for the very first time. He looked confused but kind of amused. Exactly how I felt. Because I was sitting on the grass with my best friend Alex, and that was my best friend Alex’s face and nose and eyes and lips, but they seemed different. So I kissed him. I seized the moment and I kissed him.

      Steph: Wow. And what did he say?

      Rosie: Nothing.

      Steph: Nothing?

      Rosie: Nope. Absolutely nothing. He just stared at me.

      Steph: So how do you know he didn’t feel the same?

      Rosie: At that very moment, Sally came bounding over. We had been waiting for her before going out. She was all excited. Wanted to know whether Alex had told me the good news or not. He didn’t seem to quite hear her the first time. So she snapped her fingers in front of our faces. Then she repeated, ‘Alex, honey, did you tell Rosie the good news?’

       He just blinked so she wrapped her arms around him and she told me herself. They’re getting married. So I came home.

      Steph: Oh, Rosie.

      Rosie: But what the hell was that silence?

      Steph: It sounds like something I’d like. It sounded nice.

      Rosie: It was.

      Phil: What kind of a silence?

      Alex: Just a weird silence.

      Phil: Yeah, but what do you mean by ‘weird’?

      Alex: Unusual, not normal.

      Phil: Yeah, but was it good or bad?

      Alex: Good.

      Phil: And that’s bad?

      Alex: Yes.

      Phil: Because?

      Alex: I’m engaged to Sally.

      Phil: Did you ever have ‘the silence’ with her?

      Alex: We have silences …

      Phil: So do Margaret and I. You don’t always have to talk, you know.

      Alex: No, this was different, Phil. It wasn’t just a silence, it was a … oh, I don’t no.

      Phil: Bloody hell, Alex.

      Alex: I no. I’m all over the place.

      Phil: OK, so don’t marry Sally.

      Alex: But I love her.

      Phil: And what about Rosie?

      Alex: I’m not sure.

      Phil: Well then, I don’t see a problem here. If you were in love with Rosie and not sure about Sally then you’d be in trouble. Marry Sally and forget about the goddamn silence.

      Alex: Once again, you’ve put my life into perspective, Phil.

      Dear Rosie,

      I am so sorry about what happened. You didn’t have to leave Boston so soon; we could have worked this out … I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Sally before you got here but I was waiting until you met her and had got to know her – I didn’t want to tell you over the phone. Maybe I should have …

      Please don’t distance yourself from me. I haven’t heard from you in weeks. It was wonderful seeing you … please write soon.

      Love,

      Alex

      To Alex, or should we say Dr. Alex!

      CONGRATULATIONS! GIVE YOURSELF A BIG PAT ON THE BACK … YOU MADE IT!! WE KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!

      Congratulations on graduating from Harvard,

      you genius!! Sorry we couldn’t be there, Love Rosie and Katie

      You have an instant message from: ALEX.

      Alex: Rosie, I wanted you to be the first person to no that I’ve decided to become a heart surgeon!

      Rosie: Great, does it pay well?

      Alex:

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