Page 3 of Meet You in the Waves
“They’ve met me once,” I laughed.
“Exactly. And they fell in love with you, little charmer,” Dane answered, roughing my hair with his hands. “Must be these gorgeous curls and your big innocent eyes.”
“Go home with Dane’s family,” Dee cut in, concern in her eyes that I would be spending Christmas alone. “I’ll be there in a week too and it will be just like old times.”
“I mean, if you’re sure your parents won’t mind,” I said, uncertain about crashing a family moment but desperately wanting to at the same time as a sense of hope started filtering through me.
“Of course they won’t mind,” Dane assured me.
“Can you at least call them first and check?” I pleaded. “I won’t be offended if they just want to be with family.”
Dane let out a laugh. “Sure, if it will make you feel better but my folks have never been like that. It’s definitely no big deal. Please come.”
“As long as you check with them I will,” I agreed, a smile spreading across my face as that sense of relief flooded through me. Five weeks would have been an awfully long time to spend banging about Sydney on my own. Add in the fact that I’d already given up all my shifts at The Local Brew until term went back. I wouldn’t have been able to afford to stay here regardless. “Thanks, man.”
“Don’t mention it,” Dane returned with a grin. “We’re going to have the best summer break ever. It’ll be awesome.”
“Yeah. Can’t say I don’t mind the idea of seeing your coastal home I’ve heard so much about.”
“Oh, just a word of warning,” Dane added as he stood and held out his hand for Dee. “My asshole brother will be there too. Can’t avoid it really but we’ll just have to ignore him as best we can.”
“I’m sure your brother has far better things to do than hang out with the two of us,” I laughed.
I had never met Dane’s old brother but I knew they didn’t get along. I didn’t know the back story but Dane had mentioned him enough times to give me a fair idea of what to expect. A twenty-two year old surfing bum with no prospects and even less ambition about summed up Dane’s feelings on the matter. I had no reason to believe otherwise.
At least, that was what I told myself as I stepped into my bedroom to repack my suitcase for a trip to the South Coast. Those jumpers would definitely not be needed as I added in my flip flops, a few extra pairs of boardies, t-shirts and a tube of SPF.
Yep, maybe this sudden change to my holiday plans would not be so bad after all.
CHAPTER 2
ajay
It was the scent that hit me first, a hazy salty tang in the air that melded perfectly with the sound of seagulls cawing in the breeze and the waves crashing in the near distance. A haze of salty sea mist rose into the air along the stretch of grassy sand dunes.
The Tempe family’s big white beach house was one of those magical places where the summer was endless and the days long. At least that was what it looked like as it sat bathed in the afternoon sunshine, the large, double-hung windows reflecting the brilliant golden glow.
I stepped out of Dane’s BMW, my suitcase in tow as I stared up at the house he had grown up in that looked like something straight out of Hampton’s Dream Homes.
The solid three hour road trip from Sydney along the Grand Pacific Drive down to the South Coast was tiring and I stretched my aching limbs, breathing in that fresh coastal air. Dane and I had taken the slightly longer scenic route rather than the highway which had added a little more time but was well worth it for the stunning vistas and the road that carved a path right along the cliff face of the Pacific Ocean.
Esperance was one of those charming seaside villages scattered along the coast with white sandy beaches filled with lagoons, secret coves and hidden inlets, and encased by leafy green national park on the other side. It was the kind of place that had a bustling local produce market, boutique shops, art galleries and amazing cafes and restaurants that catered mostly to tourists.
Having grown up in relative seclusion down in Tasmania, I had never been to this part of the country before. I had always felt like Sydney was too big for a country boy like me but out here on Dane’s South Coast I felt like I could breathe again. Here where the white sands and aquamarine waters rose into the infinite horizon while oversized trees filled the atmosphere with oxygen. The air was warm and humid and I loved it already.
I sucked in a few lungsful of pristine air as Dane rounded the car and opened the boot. He handed me my guitar case as he pulled out his bass and the two of us strode up to the front wrap-around verandah to his family home.
Dane’s mum, Linda, was already at the front door, a huge smile on her face as she took in her youngest son. I knew Dane didn’t get down here to visit his family all that often, one thing we had in common with each other. But at least his parents were still in the same country as him for Christmas – well, at least for another day.
Dane drew his much smaller mum into a big hug before she turned to me, a welcoming smile on her face. They were so alike, Dane and his mother, both with big smiles and matching dark hair and dark eyes.
“You’re very welcome, Ajay,” she said as I stepped onto the front doormat.
“Thank you for letting me stay,” I offered, bending down to give her a quick one-armed hug.
“Anytime,” she beamed at me. “I’m sorry to hear your stepdad’s mum is not well. I hope it’s nothing serious.”
“Thanks. I haven’t heard any updates but I know my mum was worried.”
