12. It Was Half A Brownie
12
IT WAS HALF A brOWNIE
SETH
When the bus arrives at our hotel in Amsterdam, it hits me that we only have two more nights left on the tour before it ends in London.
When Linc convinced me to come along, I never imagined that the time away would have such a positive impact on me. The break from routine at home has been just what I’d needed to find my old self again, and I know that it was all due to Kylie. This Australian woman who is so full of life has a hold over me, unlike any other woman I’ve met before. The idea of it all being over in a few short days unsettles me in a way I didn’t expect. But I’m so grateful to have met her.
“We need to be back on the bus in an hour to head to the Red-Light District, so be quick, everyone.” Brendan gives his orders, and we all file off the bus, grabbing our bags from underneath and heading inside to get checked in once again.
“I am going to be so happy to see the back of this suitcase, I swear,” Kylie grumbles while she drags her overstuffed suitcase behind her .
I reach over and take the handle from her wordlessly, wheeling both our bags behind me while she gives me a grateful smile.
“So, are we really going to watch a sex show?” Tara asks, looking less than enthused at the prospect.
“It’s not really my idea of a good time, to be honest,” I reply, looking over at Linc, who shrugs.
“No? None of you are voyeurs? I’m shocked,” Kylie says drily, and I look at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Why? Are you into that?”
“Fuck, no!” She shakes her head quickly, and I laugh.
“OK, so what’s the plan then? Do we bail again?” Linc pipes up.
“Yeah, although we should at least see the Red-Light District, I guess,” Tara says with a shrug.
“Of all the people I thought would want to check out women selling their wares in windows, you were at the very bottom of that list, Tara,” Linc says.
Tara smacks his shoulder. “I’m not, asshole! But we’re in Amsterdam, might as well check it out.”
“Does that mean you’re also keen to check out a cafe?” Kylie asks, and Tara pauses, considering her best friend for a moment.
“I mean… sure, why not?”
“Really?” Kylie stares at Tara with wide eyes.
“Might as well give it a go. It’s not illegal here, after all.”
The girls stare at each other in tense silence while Linc and I look from one to the other.
“Um… so are we going to get ourselves some hookers and blow?” Linc asks, breaking the tension when we all laugh.
“Let’s just go for a walk and see where the night takes us, hey?” I ask, slinging my arm over Kylie’s shoulder.
“Sounds like a great plan.”
We get checked in and head up to our respective rooms.
“Should I have offered to share a room with Tara?” Linc asks once we’re in our room.
I shake my head. “Nope. Kylie and I aren’t going there.”
“What do you mean you’re not going there? I assumed you guys had already?” He pauses in the process of pulling his toiletries bag out of his suitcase and stares at me.
“No. We both decided we like each other too much for that.”
“Okay, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” He shakes his head.
I shrug. “It wouldn’t just be a hook-up, and we aren’t able to have a future together.”
“Yeah, but you guys are clearly into each other. From the sessions I’ve been forced to witness, I’m pretty sure the sex would be off the charts.”
“Exactly. Why go there when we can’t have anything more?”
He grabs his clothes and gives me a look on the way to the bathroom. “I still think this is dumb. You guys are thinking about this all too much.”
Once he’s in the bathroom, I flop back on my bed and stare at the ceiling.
He’s likely right, but even without Kylie pumping the brakes on anything further happening, I know that it would be even harder to say goodbye to her if we spent a night together. The last thing I need is to fall any harder for her and have it as a distraction for when I go back to work in a few weeks. My head is finally in a good place, and I feel like I’m ready to get back on the ice. I need to focus on the team again and, once we’re back, put this trip behind us.
Just wish it was that simple, because I know it’s going to be incredibly hard to forget about the bubbly woman who lives half a world away.
It turns out that stoned Tara is hilarious.
Linc guides her along the cobbled street ahead of Kylie and me, laughing at her antics while she weaves all over the place. The pot had hit her in the taxi, so we asked the driver to drop us off a few streets away, hoping the walk might help.
“Has she ever had pot before?” I ask Kylie while we watch Tara giggle at nothing.
“Not that I’m aware of. It’s still not legal in Australia outside of medical use, and Tara has never been one to break the law.”
“It was half a brownie. I’ve never seen it hit someone like that before.”
“I’m surprised you guys didn’t have any. You know, being Canadian and all.”
“What makes you think all Canadians are potheads?” I ask, pulling her close to my side.
“My father. Of all the Canadian things he rejected, he definitely embraced the pot. It drove Mum mad over the years, but he’s a surfer as well, so it’s just ingrained in him now.” She shrugs, appearing unbothered.
“Have you ever tried it?”
“A few times when I was a teenager, but I didn’t really like it. How about you?” She looks up at me, no judgement showing anywhere in her eyes.
“Same as you. And I can’t do it with work, anyway.”
“Oh yeah. I doubt anyone wants their physio to be stoned.”
I know I need to tell her the truth about my job, but then, we’re never going to see each other again, so what’s the point at this stage?
I’m saved from yet another deflection when Tara stumbles and Linc catches her before she can hit the ground.
“We definitely need to get her home,” Kylie says, moving towards her friend and taking her other arm.
I follow the three of them, my mind elsewhere, while we make our way back to the hotel.
The following morning, Kylie meets us alone in the lobby .
“No Tara?” Linc asks, and Kylie shakes her head while she slips her arms around my waist.
“No, she’s a bit under the weather this morning. I told her I’d come back and check on her at lunch.”
“I guess we better save the Anne Frank Museum until this afternoon. She was looking forward to that,” Linc replies and Kylie nods.
“Sounds good. Anything you guys want to check out? I know nothing about Amsterdam.”
“Neither do we. But if we check out those flyers over there, I’m sure we can work out some things to do.” I point over to the front desk, where the usual tourist information stand is set up with a thousand flyers.
We wander over and begin checking out the different things to do and soon come up with a plan - a canal boat ride, the Heineken Museum, and, just for fun, the Museum of Sex.
Several hours later, after Kylie emerges from the Museum of Sex gift shop with a few bags and a grin on her face, we start the walk back to the hotel to get Tara.
“What are you smiling about?” I ask, noting the gleam in her eye.
“Oh, I just found some hilarious souvenirs in there that I can’t wait to give Tara.” She pulls out a t-shirt and holds it up against her body.
I squint a little as I try to read the different fonts. “I got gay married at the Museum of Sex, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt and a very messy divorce,” I read out loud with a laugh. “Nice.”
“Right? And I got her a packet of penis straws.”
“Of course, cause that’s something everyone needs,” Linc replies, his expression serious.
“Correct. Now, hopefully, she is functioning enough to leave the hotel room. ”
Once we arrive back at the hotel, Linc and I wait down in the lobby again while she goes to collect Tara.
“Bud, are you sure you don’t want the room for you and Kylie tonight?” Linc asks again once Kylie is out of earshot.
“I promise, I don’t need the room. We talked about this already.”
“I know, but I still think you guys need to give in to your lust and have a magical night together. It’s the last night, after all.”
“Do you need to get laid? Is that what this is about?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“I have indeed sowed my wild oats on this trip, so this is entirely about your needs, not mine.”
“Sowed your wild oats? With who?” As far as I knew, he hadn’t been with anyone on the trip.
“On my night out in Rome, I may have met a stunning Italian woman who helped me blow out the cobwebs, with the help of her very attractive boyfriend,” he replies with a shrug, and I shake my head.
Only Linc could be so casual about a threesome with a hot Italian couple.
“Of course you did. Well, I’m very happy for you, but I don’t need the room. Kylie and I are fine as we are.”
Thankfully, I’m spared his reply by the return of Kylie, this time with Tara in tow.
“Hey Sunshine, looking a bit pale there,” Linc says with a grin.
Tara shoots him a dark look. “Not a word.”
Linc pretends to zip his lips, and Kylie giggles.
“Shall we go check out the Anne Frank Museum now?” I ask, jumping in before the conversation can escalate.
“We indeed shall, thank you, Seth.” Tara nods in my direction.
I salute her. “Happy to help. Lead the way.”
And I once again follow the three of them, trying not to think about Linc’s pointed words .
That night, after the last group dinner, we head off in search of one last club. By tomorrow night, these two women will no longer be our partners in crime, and we are days away from returning to our normal lives.
I’m not sure I’m ready for reality.
“You okay?” Kylie asks, bumping my shoulder while I stare at the empty glass in my hand.
I put the glass down on the table and slide my arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close. “Yeah, just feeling nostalgic, I guess.”
“Already? We still have all day tomorrow together, on a bus, then a boat, then another bus. Plenty of time to snuggle,” she says with a smile, cuddling into my side and looking up at me while she places a hand over my heart.
“You’re right.” I lean down to kiss her tenderly. “Let’s make sure we have plenty of snuggles.”