"Tell me about your family" Hannah said.

"What about them?" Sacha blinked.

"Whatever. Everything. Whatever."

"Why?"

"Because I'm in the mood to hear it."

"Are you okay?"

"Fine. Talk." Hannah smiled. "Isn't that what people do over tea? Talk?"

"Okay." Sacha swirled the tea around in her cup, playing for time. She couldn't quite understand why Hannah had been so curious about her family, ever since they moved in together. "Well, my sister you know" she started. "She's a few years younger than me - I guess you know that too. She's . . ." Sacha tried to find the right words. "She's always been more social than me. She's like my mother, really. She was always the one when we were kids who had the big birthday parties, all that kind of stuff."

"Your parents didn't give you birthday parties?" Hannah asked, shocked.

"No, no not at all - they tried really hard to! Especially my mum. I was just never that into it. Couldn't see the point, really. All that fuss - what for?"

"It's a celebration!" Hannah said.

"I guess so" Sacha replied, without much conviction. "I usually just prefer to be by myself."

"I've noticed."

"Yeah. Not Kate, though. She's always had more friends than me. She was the one who spent all her time on the 'phone when we were living at home, she was the one who went out all night. It was nice. Took the pressure off me."

"Pressure?"

Sacha smiled. "Nah. I'm just kidding, really. The parents were okay. But you know how they are: 'When are you gonna get a boyfriend, Sacha?' It can drive you mad."

"Tell me about it."

"Yeah, well, I guess you'd know more than most. But with Kate running around being a teenager our parents spent all their time worried about her instead. Plus she's always had boyfriends, so, you know . . . That was nice for my dad. I think maybe he would've liked to have a song. He's looking forward to having grandkids."

"What, he's talking about that already?"

"Well, not to me." Sacha laughed. "I think they might've given up on me. Kate's the big hope, as far as that kind of stuff's concerned. You know she's already had one marriage proposal?"

"What, Kate? Your little sister Kate?"

"I know! A bit over the top, huh? She turned him down, flat. Still, that's her." Sacha took a sip of her tea. "She's the one the boys go for."