Skyline

CHAPTER 16

  Olly was stewing.

  He tossed the throw pillow away from himself in agitation and picked up his cell phone again. He tried first one number and then the other as he had for at least ten times in the past three hours and as usual for the past three hours, neither calls were picked.

  He got off the sofa in agitation and stalked to his bedroom. If he could have seen himself, he would have seen that his mien was that off an angry grizzly that had been denied something he wanted very badly.

  He looked around his bedroom like he was looking for something and then sighed as he flopped down on his bed. It was a good thing that it was a solidly built bed because it made an ominous creaking sound and then settled.

  His mind filled with images of Banjo and Ally having a good time in all manners of way. He eyed his bed like it was an offensive object and then sighed again. It was entirely his fault! He could not blame anyone else for his current predicament. Neither could he in all good conscience accuse Banjo of breaking the guy code.

  He had had years to make his move but he had not and Banjo had. Now he was in agony imagining what moves Banjo was currently making.

  He loitered around his house moving listlessly from one room to the other, picking up objects absent-mindedly from one place and depositing it in another in a daze.

  It was the ringing of his cell phone that snapped him out of his daze. He dashed crazily to the bedroom where the sound was coming from and grabbed it off the charging point.

  “Hello?” he panted into the phone.

  “Wow! You must be really excited about my latest shoot. No wait! It can’t have hit the net yet. What’s up bro?” Maggie’s voice chattered down the connection.

  Olly sighed. Though he was always happy to hear from his younger sister, he had really hoped it was someone else or the other.

  “Hah! What a sigh! What’s up?” Maggie asked, concern tingeing her voice.

  “It’s noth...I was expecting a call.”

  “Ookaayy!” she drawled in a way that asked a question.

  “From Ally or Banjo.”

  “A strange pair to be expecting a call from.” Maggie commented. When Olly said nothing else, she began.

  “Are they...”

  “Do you thi...”

  Olly laughed softly while Maggie chuckled.

  “You think they are dating.” She concluded.

  Olly sighed. He had always enjoyed his connection with his sister. He suspected that it was because they were both a bit older than the rest of their siblings and so had been particularly close while growing up.

  “I think he is in love with her.” He said carefully and heard Maggie’s answering gasp.

  “That’s a pretty strong emotion to suspect. Why do you think so?” Maggie asked.

  “I’ve known Banjo for what? Fifteen years or more. We’ve chased after girls together. Partied together. Schooled...so much that we’ve done together.”

  “And?”

  “He...He...” Olly rubbed his hand over his face. “He’s chasing her so intently. He has never done that you know. Banjo would go after a girl and if she even hinted at being too hard to get, he’d just back off.”

  “So maybe Ally is not playing at being hard to get.” Maggie said.

  Olly snorted. “Really Maggie? Ally, our Ally is the definition of hard-to-get.”

  “I didn’t mean that she wasn’t. I just said she might not be taking that route with him is all.”

  “But she is! Banjo said so himself. If he’s to be believed, she’s playing even harder than usual at it! And he’s chasing her Mags! Chasing!” he exclaimed.

  Maggie was silent at the other end of the line for a while and if it wasn’t that he could hear her breathing, Olly would have wondered whether she had dropped the call.

  “Are you upset that he’s chasing after her because it denies you the opportunity to do so now or because you had not thought of it before or you are only just realizing that you’ve always liked her a bit more than as Maggie’s friend...?”

  “I have a headache Mags.” Olly interrupted her.

  Maggie sighed across the line. “You know it does put me in the spot.” she said.

  “You’d rather she be with Banjo than me?”

  “I’d rather she be happy, whoever it is that she chooses to be happy with.” Maggie rejoined.

  “Have you spoken to her lately? Did she mention anything about it?”

  “No. She never did talk about it. That’s why I think they aren’t dating, at least not yet.”

  “Well, Banjo is trying to make that happen. I have been trying to get a hold of either of them all day but they aren’t picking their calls.”

  “Why is it important you get a hold of either of them today?” Maggie asked.

  “Because, they might have gone on a date today.”

  “Really?”

  Olly wished the malevolence of his glare could communicate effectively across the voice call connection.

  “Alright Olly. I’ll try to get a hold of Ally after I drop this call.” Maggie soothed with a chuckle.

  Olly shook his head at himself. ‘Guy! Now your younger sister has to run interference with a girl for you. Sorry o!’

  “Olly?”

  “I heard you Mags. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” she quipped. “So how’s work? Anything interesting happening there?” Maggie asked.

  They spent several minutes catching up on each other’s news and by the time Olly dropped the call, he felt a lot less agitated than he had been when he had picked it. In fact he had a smile on his lips as he tossed the phone back on his bed and made his way to the kitchen.

  Little sisters were the best! And his sister Maggie was the best of them all.