‘Finally,’ said Conor and Finn in unison.
‘Where are you taking me?’ she asked, giggling.
‘Sorry, it’s a closely guarded Healy family secret.’ That was Conor’s voice, full of excitement.
‘I just don’t get why I have to wear this blindfold.’
‘There will be no questions please, young lady. We keep the location hidden for your own protection.’ Finn was joining in with the nonsense.
‘Now if you’d be so kind as to duck down?’ She felt a strong hand — almost certainly Conor’s — on her upper back, gently encouraging her to bend down. She followed the instruction and lowered her head.
Even though she was crouching, she felt something scrape against her forehead, just for a second. ‘Eek!’ she squealed.
‘Stay low,’ Finn advised from behind.
Conor’s hand guided her farther down, and even though she had a blindfold on, she had this sense of things closing in around her, as though the light was getting less fierce, and something was about to swallow her up.
‘What is this?’ she asked, her voice small, unsure.
‘This,’ Finn said as he undid the blindfold, ‘is picking up where we left off.’
‘This is making up for lost time,’ Conor added.
They were in some kind of giant bush. It was green and shady. Sunlight dappled through the leaves of the surrounding greenery. It was calm. It was peaceful. It was just like when she was a kid.
‘You made a den!’
‘Course we did,’ Finn said happily. ‘And look, we’ve even got some needles and thread.’
‘We were hoping you might want to make us some leaf necklaces?’
Tammy felt a rush of emotion, so pure and warm and full of goodness. She sat down on the slightly uneven ground, picked up some heart-shaped leaves and the needle and thread, and started to sew. Her body remembered the motion so well. It was like she had never stopped — it was like she was a teenager again.
‘So,’ she said, as Conor and Finn sat down next to her, ‘I think we’ve got some catching up to do, don’t you?’
They both looked relieved, like this was a trick that they hadn’t really expected to pay off.
‘I suppose we do, Tam-Tam,’ Conor said. ‘What do you want to know?’
‘How many girls have the two of you shared?’ she asked without missing a beat. She couldn’t help herself.
‘Zero,’ Finn replied.
‘Not a single one.’
‘So you never shared any of your girlfriends?’ she asked.
The Healy twins looked at each other for a moment, each with a knowing expression.
‘Well no,’ Conor said, slyly, ‘but then again, neither of us ever had a girlfriend since you, so, there wasn’t exactly anyone to share.’
She felt stunned. Could it really be true that neither of them had been with anyone at all? In ten years? Two of the best-looking, kindest people she’d ever met? It felt impossible.
‘You OK there?’ Finn asked. ‘You poked yourself with that needle or something?’
‘Just… surprised, that’s all.’
There was a moment of quiet, then Conor simply said. ‘No-one ever compared to you, Tam-Tam. Not one of them. Not even close.’