Page 29 of Five Years
“I can’t believe you just followed me. You could’ve tried to stop me,” Leah tutted.
“I was curious to see where you would end up,” Ariana admitted.
They came to a natural halt where a fallen tree blocked their pathway; they turned and headed back toward the lake house.
“The way you shuffled down the hallway with your arms outstretched in your sweet little hedgehog-themed pyjamas.” Ariana unlinked her arm from Leah’s to re-enact said walk.
“I did not walk like that!” Leah laughed.
“How would you know? You were fast asleep.”
Annoyingly, she made a solid point. Leah had no idea how she acted, walked, talked, or looked when she sleepwalked—obviously. Although Grace did record her once about ten years prior; it became a big hit on social media—no joke. She was known as ‘Lunging Leah’ for twelve months after the fact.
Oddly, her chosen movement when she sleepwalked was a lunge. It made for a viral video when she climbed on top of her best friend’s bed and began a workout routine over the top of a very confused Grace.
“I didn’t believe you actually, until that night. I was amazed! I followed you out into the darkness, creeping behind you on my tiptoes so I didn’t wake you. Grace followed me with a flashlight. I was so curious,” Ariana returned her arms to a normal vertical position. “You tried three times to open the gate.” She couldn’t hide her amusement as she recalled the story. “And then you just toddled off into the woods mumbling something about how youused to live in a tree, and you wanted to move back home with your family and build monuments made from hickory sticks.”
“Hickory sticks? I was that specific, huh?” Leah chuckled.
“Oh, absolutely. You were very specific about the wood type; it was clearly important to you,” Ariana smirked.
“We could’ve been murdered!” Leah rolled her eyes. “You let me wander into a forest in the middle of nowhere. We literally could’ve been a serial killer’s next victims—three in one. It was a dream situation.”
“Yes, but if I hadn’t let you walk into the woods, I wouldn’t have witnessed you talking to tiny imaginary bears,” Ariana burst out laughing. “You were petting them.” Her shoulders started shaking with each chuckle; her whole body seemed to move with the rhythm of her laughter as though she had gone back in time, reliving the moment.
“And what did I say again?” Leah played along.
“You said—” Ariana tried to compose herself, “well, you asked them if they would like to come for breakfast in the morning, and if they did, you would serve them a bowl of porridge because your friend Goldilocks told you they loved that.” Ariana was physically wheezing.
The laughter was at her expense, but she didn’t care. Just hearing Ariana’s laughter was worth the short-term humiliation.
The sleepwalking didn’t happen often, not that she knew of, but if Leah came with a disclaimer, somewhere in the terms and conditions it would say, ‘may wander into the night looking for tiny mice-sized bears’—she should really try and get help.
The laughter settled. Leah stole a glance or two at Ariana; she seemed to be contemplating something.
“I’m sorry, you know,” Ariana apologised.
“For what?” Leah’s heart beat a little faster as she waited for Ariana to elaborate.
“For everything. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you...I,” she choked on her words.
“I loved you, Leah.” Ariana sucked in a big gulp of air just as she said loved, which halted the last letter being said and made it sound like love.
“I know,” Leah smiled.
“If I could go back, I—”
Grace catcalled them from the veranda. They were stood a few feet away from the break in the wall that allowed them to cut through to the lake house.
If you could go back, you would what?
What would you do?
They both waved unenthusiastically in Grace’s direction. They were getting somewhere; an honest conversation was long overdue, and as always, Grace had impeccable timing.
“Guys, quick, Dad is trying to do the sleeping yogi pose and now he’s stuck,” Grace cackled.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Ariana rolled her eyes. “Do I need to call an ambulance?” Ariana yelled.
