Page 46 of Forever Summer

I couldn’t avoid him forever; in fact, I thought, squaring my shoulders, regardless of what he had to tell me, it was important for him to know how I felt too. If I was honest about that then I wouldn’t have to be writing soppy ‘what if?’ entries in my diaries for years to come. I had to stop being a coward and lingering at doors; I needed to just put it out there, everything on the table, no more secrecy, even if I was in danger of losing him, straining our friendship. I couldn’t keep going on like this. I had to move on one way or another and the thought of going back to the city tomorrow with all this unresolved and not knowing when I would be back, well, I just didn’t think I could bear it.

Taking in a deep, calming breath, I turned the handle, finding the courage somehow to push it open, only to freeze, stock-still in place as I took in the sight before me.

“Oh, hell, no!”

My blood ran cold, barely believing that there in my bed, passed out, was Megsy Swanston.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

When I had insisted Adam sort this out I didn’t mean for him to put her in my bed; well, his bed. But still, after the way she had spoken to me I didn’t want her anywhere near me, and especially nowhere near Adam. Speaking of, where the hell was he? I guess I should have been relieved that he wasn’t in the bed too, but it still didn’t stop my blood from boiling.

Never a bad word to say about precious Megsy.

Well, I was done. I had done my good deed by hanging out with her before the engagement party, I didn’t have to stand around and be kicked out of my own bed by her. I grabbed my bag, not making any effort to be quiet as I shoved all my clothes back into it, picking up my hairbrush, deodorant, makeup off the dresser. Meg stirred in her sleep, her face twisting as she rolled over, mumbling, “Turn off the light.” I swear to God, if there had been a glass of water nearby.

I zipped up my bag, shrugging it onto my shoulder, and headed back out the door, making sure to leave the light on as I made my way back down the hall in the same direction, ready to kiss this night and the weekend goodbye.

Bless my parents’ predictability: spare key under pot plant saw me sleeping in my childhood room instead of on a park bench. A childhood room that had been quickly converted into a sewing room. I was glad that they were away for the weekend. I really didn’t need the lecture right now in comparing my life to Tess like they always seemed to do. It was quite clear as a case study that, yes, Tess had her life figured out: a sound further education, that led into a great job as a pharmacist, a stable relationship, even well travelled. And here I was, lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling, wiping tears of frustration from my eyes. Tomorrow I would be gone and the way I felt, the burden of the heaviness in my chest had me thinking it couldn’t come soon enough. Despite the rather grim end to my weekend I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, a welcome refuge from the constant overworking of my mind. I was awakened only by the sound of my mobile buzzing next to my bracelet that I took off every night; the combination of vibrating mobile and rattling jewellery had me moving quickly to put a stop to the sound and discover that the name Tess was lit up across my screen and that brunch had well and truly led into lunch.

Oh crap!

“Hello?” I croaked.

“Where the hell are you?”

My mouth felt like cotton, my voice was still crackly from sleep. “I’m at home.”

“Maitland?”

“Hmm? Oh no, no. Home-home, Mum and Dad’s place.” I yawned.

“Well, thanks for telling me, I have been waiting in the bar for the last forty-five minutes.”

I winced. “Sorry, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.”

“Okay, save the story for when I get there, see you soon.”

“No, Tess wa—”

But it was too late. The phone went dead.

“Craaap!” I threw the phone onto my mattress, rubbing my eyes. I didn’t have time for brunch, or lunch, or whatever this was. I had already missed the afternoon bus, and now wouldn’t be able to leave until the six o’clock bus that would have me arriving back in Maitland even later. I was so annoyed with myself.

Ripping the blankets off, I navigated my way past the cane baskets full of material, the exercise machine, and boxes of old videos. Wow, it really hadn’t taken them long to work out a use for my room. I guess they really didn’t count on me coming back too often. Unlike Tess’s parents who had kept their daughter’s room like a shrine to her childhood, mine had completely eradicated any evidence of me at all. Maybe it was just because they didn’t know I would be dropping in, that’s all, that if I had come home with their knowledge, Mum would have surely stocked the fridge with my favourites and put freshly washed linen on my bed. Alas, no; I sighed, opening the fridge to discover a punnet of cherry tomatoes and some ravioli pasta in a container with a bottle of wine on the shelf. Mum would have done the customary cleanout before they went away. Lunch was looking very bleak indeed; the rumbling in my belly told me as much. Since food was obviously not going to be my traditional start to the day I thought I would at least freshen up my rather insipid mood with a nice hot shower, spruce myself up in the hope that I would ditch the attitude somehow by the time Tess arrived. It didn’t work.

“Good morning,” Tess chimed as I opened the door. My hair was all wet and flaccid, my face makeup free, a rare sight reserved only for my nearest and dearest; lucky them.

Tess was holding up a tray of coffee and a paper bag with the very familiar symbol of the lake and hills printed on it, the one anyone would recognise anywhere as her parents’ café in Perry.

Tess lowered the cargo down, her smile falling with it.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t be hung-over?”

“I’m not, this is just my natural sunshine goodness exuding from my being,” I deadpanned.

“Oh dear, you and Adam had another fight?”

“What makes you say that?” I asked, perhaps a little bit defensively.

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