Clara's POV:
"I liked you, Clara."
His words resonate in my ears. I know that he expects me to reply. He wants a response but I have no idea what to say to him.
"We were children and I liked you."
I wait for him to continue. He doesn't keep me waiting.
"I didn't know how to tell you. I told my brother about you but he just started teasing me... he wasn't really very helpful."
"Maya said that Jacob used to tease you about me," I acknowledge.
He smirks at me. "He wasn't quite as much of an arse as I was to you."
"That's a relief." I laugh gently, almost flirtatiously.
"But the more he teased me the more I teased you," he says. "Truth is I didn't know the first thing about how to tell you I liked you and then we got into a routine. I teased you, you gave me attention... I couldn't give that up, even once I was old enough to work out how to talk to you."
"Couldn't give it up?" I question him.