Page 60 of Love, Just In

As soon as I’m safely outside, I hover in a street alcove out of the wind and text Zac.

ME:You were right. Dr Ellison is amazing.

Thank you so much for recommending her. x

He’s on shift, so I don’t expect a reply, but his message appears right away.

ZAC:I’m so happy to hear that. U OK?

ME:Yeah, I’m good. I’m getting a couple of scary tests done, but at least I got Valium for those.

ZAC:Haha, trust you to get the good stuff. Want me to come to the tests with you? As long as I’m not on shift, I will. You know I’m always here for you.

I stare at his message, reading it several times, while a boulder forms inside my chest. Zac’s note this morning made clear that he’s here for me as a friend but nothing more.

Just as it should be.

Instead of replying, I ‘like’ the message and slide my phone into my bag.

Surprisingly, given that I’m still shaken up after this morningandsaddled with Gus for the day, the news story I cover about a new luxury hotel opening goes well—aside from when I lose Gus while the hotel manager’s waiting to be interviewed before eventually finding him checking out the restaurant menu.

My and Lola’s story about the personal ads for dogs also aired today and was so well received that Sydney ran it in their evening news bulletin. Lola and I promise each other dinner at a tapas bar on King Street soon to celebrate.

After I’ve hugged her goodbye in the carpark, I race home. I can think of nothing I want more than a quiet night on the couch with my best friend. Meghan’s away this week covering a surfing championship at Port Macquarie, so Zac and I have planned a lazy evening making dinner and watching a documentary about the history of Japanese food. I’m determined not to ruin it by staring at him like a creep.

Zac’s still out when I arrive, so I rinse off in the shower and change into trackpants and a comfy hoodie. I’m halfway through finishing the puzzle Zac bought me when my phone lights up with a FaceTime call from my parents in Thailand.

I grin at the screen. ‘Hey, strangers.’

They’re sitting on their poolside patio, looking sun-kissed and relaxed. ‘How are you, champ?’ Dad asks me, giving Mum a nudge so he can see me properly.

The question jabs a pin into my chest.

Anxious, terrified, lonely, ashamed.

Swallowing every critical word I toss at myself, I reset my smile and catch them up on life in Newcastle and my role at NRN News.

‘I’ve scored some good stories lately, one of which made the national bulletin. I’ve also been doing heaps of outdoor stuff on the weekends, like exploring the beaches, which are all so close, and there are lots of nice walks in the national park. And I’m slowly making my way through all the op shops and markets, too.’

When I slip in that I’m currently living with Zac, Mum squeals over me before I can finish talking. Dad’s smile is so big it needs its own postcode.

‘Relax, relax, I’m looking for my own place,’ I say, even though I haven’t technically done more than browse a few housemate ads. Alarm ripples through me at the idea that I might have overstayed my welcome. For all I know, Zac’s itching for me to be gone and has been too polite to say anything. That would be very him.

The front door bangs shut, and three seconds later, Zac’s smiling face appears behind mine. Mum and Dad just about lose it. It’s beyond embarrassing, but I tilt out of the screen so the son they never had can take centre stage. He braces a hand on the table in front of me, leaning over my shoulder and answering their nosy questions with an effortless charm that appears made purely to delight my parents. When he holds up Trouble and nuzzles his nose into her fur, Mum and Dad exclaim so loudly it distorts their microphone.

‘OK, give the poor man and his dog some space,’ I whine. Zac chuckles and pulls away, taking his heat and scent with him.

I chat with Mum and Dad a little longer while Zac fumbles around the kitchen, my gaze snagging on his as I exaggerate to my parents again about how well I’m doing up here. I get a little carried away, even telling them that I’m being considered for a prime-time newsreading role, and that I’ve been browsing possible investment properties.Absolute bollocks.

After we say goodbye, I wander over to where Zac’s chopping carrots into tiny cubes, the look in his eye telling me he knows exactly what game I’m playing.

‘What’s with the face?’ I imitate his scrutinising expression while I pull out a stool.

‘Why do you do that?’ he asks quietly.

‘Do what?’

‘Lie to your parents.’

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