Page 6 of A Slice of You

I took a much-needed gulp of water and kept drinking until there was just a splash at the bottom of the bottle; the plastic crunched in my hand, and I felt the dizziness slowly start to dissipate. Deb was playing DJ with Billy’s phone, which he had attached to an aux cord. Indie music, of course.

The drive home was bearable. Well, just. My stomach and head settled during the six-minute trip. Thank God for water.

Billy pulled into our driveway.

There was an awkward pause.

‘I feel like I should pay after spewing down the side of the car?’ I asked Deb and Seb.

‘No, I’ll cover it,’ Seb replied. ‘Special rates for your best mate. Isn’t that right, Billy boy?’

Billy looked over his shoulder with a grin. ‘Haha. Just shout me a beer or two tomorrow, and we’re even.’

‘Deal.’ They shook hands to seal the agreement.

The headlights shone on the grey-panelled garage door, and I couldn’t have been more relieved to be back at our modern suburban home. I was more than done with embarrassing myself for the night.

‘Thanks for the lift, Billy,’ I said. ‘I appreciate it.’ I gave him a smile and patted him on the shoulder.

‘No worries, Noni. Any friend of Seb’s is a friend of mine.’ He winked.

I listened as Seb and Deb both thanked Billy.

‘You coming in for a beverage, hon?’ Deb asked as she raised her eyebrows at him.

‘Nah, I’ll pass, lovey, but next time, hey.’ Billy ran his hand through his sun-bleached hair, then tapped it against his thigh to the soft music humming from his car speakers.

Once we farewelled Billy, I pushed aside my damp, stripey apron in my handbag and rummaged through it for the keys as we walked up the sleek, grey driveway to the main entrance. The sensor lights came on, revealing the snow-white exterior of the house and grey gable roof. As soon as we were inside, Deb jumped straight onto the red leather couch in the lounge room and kicked off her flats. I flicked on the lights and bent down to pull off my boots.

‘Seb, hang out with Deb for a moment. I need a shower,’ I said and quivered at the thought of what I must smell like.

‘Don’t leave me hanging too long, baby.’ He took a seat on the zebra-patterned armchair opposite Deb.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, twisted off the cap, and then sculled it down. Once the water was devoured, I walked to the bathroom, flicked the light on, and closed the door. And as I caught sight of my reflection, I shook my head at the smudged mascara under my eyes and the frizz on my previously smooth salon-hair.

I sighed and peeled off my uniform, catching a glimpse of my reflection in a matching black bra and undies. A wave of nausea churned in my throat as I flashed back to the awkward toilet paper incident.Could I be any more embarrassing, seriously?I reached for my toothbrush and squeezed a drop of minty paste onto the bristles, then undressed and stepped into the shower. After I turned on the water, steam rose up, and within seconds, the glass was foggy.

Feeling refreshed from the shower, I grabbed my paddle brush and embarked on the challenging mission of taming my mane of curls. Long strokes through my hair hit a snag halfway through.Ouch.Brushing your hair shouldn’t be such a laborious task and should make your hair smoother, not frizzier, right?

Ten minutes later, after I made my hair somewhat presentable, I reached for my black cotton nightie hanging on the towel rail and got dressed. The finishing touch was my berry-tinted lip balm.

‘Naomi? What’s taking so long? Have you fallen and cracked your skull or are you crying again?’ Deb called out.

‘No, I’m not crying. I’m coming now,’ I replied, opening the door and making my way to the lounge room. As I entered, I noticed Deb was lying down and engrossed in texting, while Seb was also occupied on his phone.

‘Hey, she’s back.’ Deb smiled and reached to pull me down next to her. ‘How are ya?’ She put her phone face down on her stomach and didn’t react to the dinging of incoming messages.

‘I’m feeling okay. The shower helped, but, my God, I’m ravenous.’ My stomach let out a loud growl, prompting giggles from me and Deb.

‘Better make a sandwich; bread is super good for lining your stomach.’

‘Good idea. Does anyone want anything?’ I glanced at Deb, then turned to Seb.

Together, they chimed in, ‘I’m good.’

As I made my way into the kitchen, I caught sight of Scott’s ribbed tumbler sitting on the sink. A sudden pang hit my heart, and my stomach churned in response.

‘Deb, can you come here for a sec?’ I called with urgency.

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