John carried Donna's bag to the platform before he set it down and started looking around, hoping the train would already be there. His sister had been looking at him all the way to the train station and so far he had been able to evade the subject.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Donna finally asked, eyeing him expectantly.
“No, I don't,” he replied sharply, “Because there is nothing to talk about.”
“Ha!” she exclaimed, “The fact that you knew what I meant means there is something to talk about.”
“There isn't. Clara is a friend. That's all,” he said, staring at the board announcing incoming trains. Damn, the one to Glasgow was 5 minutes late.
“I don't usually sleep on a small sofa all snuggled up to my friends. And I'm not stupid, I saw the way you two look at each other and I saw how flustered you were after the kiss. You can't lie to me, John. Remember Nancy?”
“I told everyone that I just helped her with her school homework!” John said defensively.
“Yes, and everyone knew you were lying. At least after mum found the condom wrapper in your room. And for the record, I could tell by your face the first time you brought her home.”
“Well, I was 17,” he replied, “I wasn't very smart back then.”
“Yeah, and you're not very smart now,” Donna laughed, “At least not when it comes to hiding your feelings.”
“Don't you have your own love life to worry about?” John asked angrily. He knew that Donna was currently single after her divorce and he probably shouldn't have mentioned it, but he really wanted her to stop talking about Clara. Things with her were complicated enough, especially after last night and he hadn't even had time to think about it properly.
“I am single, and happily so – for the moment,” Donna explained, “But you, dear brother, aren't. You're head over heels in love with that girl. And it looks to me as if the feeling is mutual.”
“Clara has a boyfriend. I don't want to get into the middle of that, not again. I've done love triangles and it never ends well.”
The train rolled into the station and Donna sighed.
“Think about it, John, before you make both of you miserable.”
“I'll call you,” he replied coldly and turned away as soon as Donna had stepped on the train.
John knew that he could have told Donna about Alex being his son. It would have stopped her from trying to meddle with his love life, but then he would have listened to a long sermon about how stupid it was of him to just move on the same street and trying to befriend his son – an endeavour that was failing as it was. His growing feelings for Clara only complicated the matter further. He knew he should just stay away from her, but that was the one thing he simply couldn't do.