Noelle had kissed him! It had been quick, but she had kissed him. His attention turned back to her immediately as she stepped away blushing furiously in classic Noelle style. He smiled and grasped her hand so she couldn’t escape so easily. He reasoned, if she was going to kiss him, she was going to kiss him properly. He smiled with amusement at her blush and pulled her gently towards him, his eyes dropping briefly to her lips as he leaned towards her, the distance between them was closing...

At that precise moment, the trapdoor to the treehouse slammed open with bang and Hope bustled in exclaiming loudly when she saw the mess on the floor, “everything OK in here?”. Both Sabbath and Noelle had turned their heads at the sudden commotion, their concentration broken, the moment lost.

Sabbath looked at Noelle, meeting her eyes with a disappointed smile. He released her hand, “C’mon then, lets go”, he sighed, before turning to speak to Juliana about the broken pot. He looked at Nells to follow him and descended the ladder after Juliana.

“Are we heading off?” José asked Sabbath as he reached the bottom of the ladder. Sabbath turned and nodded, dusting off his hands from the splintery climb, “Yeah, its time to go”, he replied. Juliana took her cue, stowing her headphones into her bag and swinging it onto her shoulder. She sidled up to the boys and smiled. “Lets get going, my papa is expecting me home, he’s probably calling your abuela to find out where I am already,” she simpered. Sabbath turned to face Nells and Hope ready to make his goodbyes.