Page 74 of The Winning Ticket

I can feel he wants to say more, and I know I’m a large part of the reason he’s torn about where he wants to be.

And that both excites and scares the crap out of me.

31

TAKE YOUR SHOT

JAKE

“So, we’re going to shoot stuff?” Chris looks down at the guns on the table before glancing up at the targets further down the field.

“Yep. This was on Morgan’s approved list of things to do.” Will looks at me while we wait for Chris to say anything to indicate whether this event was good for his bucks night.

Behind us, ten other guys from Chris’s work and his touch footy team are hanging around.

“Cool,” Chris says, reaching for the ear muffs closest to him.

Will and I both sag a little, and I’m glad Chris seems to be on board with this. Turns out, organising a bucks night is fucking hard when the bride has banned all the typical activities, like strippers and topless waitresses. Not that I’ve been to that many bucks nights. Or any, actually. Chris is the first of my friends to get married, and Will has only been to one himself, so we were flying a little blind when we threw this all together.

“Do you know what the girls are doing?” Chris asks after he takes his first few shots, and one of his workmates, whom I’ve forgotten the name of, steps up to take his turn.

“Bri said they were going to some spa place, and she’s organised for a high tea somewhere in the city before they hang out at the apartment for a while and head into the city later for dinner and dancing,” I say, taking a mouthful of Fanta, wishing it was beer. We’d not taken into account that alcohol and shooting don’t mix, so we’ve had to settle for soft drinks until we head out for dinner afterwards.

“Sounds fun.”

Will shoots Chris a grin. “Why do you want to know, buddy? Missing her already?”

Chris shrugs and kicks at the dirt a little, shoving his hands into his pockets while Will and I laugh.

“Don’t worry, mate. I’m sure she’s missing you just as much.” I clap a hand down on his shoulder before stepping up to take my turn.

We’d booked a few rooms for the group in the city, but Will and I knew that there was every chance Chris would want to go home with Morgan, who was meant to be staying at the apartment with Bri. They've never spent a night apart since they’d moved in together when they were eighteen. I used to think this was weird and a bit co-dependent, but now that I’ve spent so much time with Bri, I’m jealous. I’d give anything to spend all my time with someone I loved, even half as much as my best friends love each other.

I’m pretty sure my feelings for Bri are coming close, as much as I’m trying to push them aside. Since Bri left my place in Stanthorpe two weekends ago, the ache in my chest when we were apart has worsened. I miss hanging out with her. After breaking down and telling her all about Sam, I’ve been trying to think differently about being out there and dealing with the resentment towards my father that I’ve been ignoring for years. But, if I’m honest, the main reason I’m unhappy out there has nothing to do with Stanthorpe and is entirely because Bri isn’t there. Filling my empty house with her comforting presence, wrapping her legs around me in bed as we cuddle up at night, watching me cook in the kitchen… I have been trying to push aside the fantasy of her sharing that space with me every day - of us making a life together out there.

“Earth to Jake! Take your shot, man,” one of Chris’s obnoxious footy mates yells behind me, and I shake off images of kissing Bri goodbye two weeks ago and fire off a few rounds, not even bothering to aim correctly.

“For a country boy, you sure suck at shooting.”

I roll my eyes as the guy – I think his name is Damien – steps up and takes a few shots himself. I’ve never understood how a guy like Chris has friends who are so different from him, but each to their own. As long as I don’t have to spend too much time with them, I don’t care.

“You alright, mate?” Will asks when I step back over to where he’s standing off to the side.

Chris is a few feet away, chatting to a group of his workmates, and I eye him closely before turning to look at Will. Something inside me snaps, and I realise I can’t handle not having someone to speak to about things with Bri anymore.

“Not really, actually. I haven’t said anything before because Bri doesn’t want Morgan and Chris to know, but… we’ve been hooking up.”

Will’s eyes widen and he looks over at Chris quickly. “Are you fucking serious?”

I shrug while I rub the back of my neck. “Yeah, I’m serious.”

Will jerks his head, and I follow him when he walks further away from the group.

“What the hell, Jake? You know how protective they both are over Bri.”

I sigh and drop my head back, looking up at the sky for a moment. “I know. It was meant to be a friends-with-benefits thing, but I’m finding it harder to remind myself of that lately… I want more. I’m pretty sure she wants more, too, but she’s scared of what Morgan will say. She has been giving Bri a hard time about us being friends… If she knew what was really going on, she’d probably blow a gasket.”

Will is quiet for a while, just looking between me and back over at Chris, who is stepping up to take another turn, blissfully unaware of our current conversation.

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