Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Bryce
When I get back to Matt’s place Kylie is in the kitchen, making dinner. When she sees me come in, still damp from my swim, she pulls a few more sausages from the fridge.
“No,” she says, when I start to protest. “I’ve already made loads of potatoes and salad. Just chuck these on the barbie and then there’s plenty for all of us.”
“Nice.” I grab the sausages and head back out through the sliding doors to the patio, where the barbecue is already smoking, a delicious scent of roasting meat in the air. I drop the sausages on the grill and head back inside. “Need a hand with anything else?”
“No,” she says, “I’m all right. Grab yourself a beer. Matt is down at the shops, but he’ll be back soon.”
“Righto.” I grab a beer. “You want one? Or a glass of wine?”
“Um, no.” Kylie busies herself stirring a pot of something on the stove, but there’s something in her voice. I straighten up, suspicion curling in my stomach.
“Kyles?”
She loves a beer. And I’ve never seen her cook a meal without a glass of wine to hand. Yet there’s none to be seen on the expanse of pale granite countertop.
“Is there something you need to tell me?” Suspicion changes to excitement, laced with a slight hit of bittersweet sorrow.
Matt is my best mate and, if my suspicions are correct, his life is about to change in a massive way.
I couldn’t be happier for him. At the same time there’s that feeling of our paths diverging, in the way that happens sometimes in life.
“No.” She still stirs the pot, but there a curl of a smile on her lips.
“You were drinking cocktails at the pub the other night.”
“Was I?”
“Holy fuck, Kylie.” Realisation crashes over me. Easiest way in the world to drink a non-alcoholic drink and have no one know about it. “How long? And I am so, so fucking happy for you both.” My voice breaks.
She stops stirring and turns to me. “Eight weeks. We found out a week ago.” Her eyes are bright with tears, her smile so wide it’s like sunshine. “And—”
Whatever she’s about to say is lost in the bear hug I sweep her into, swinging her around. Then, horrified, I put her down. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry. I don’t want to hurt you.”
She punches me in the shoulder. “I’m pregnant, not made of porcelain, you dick,” she says, affectionately. “Hug me all you like.”
So I do. I love this woman like a sister. She makes my best friend happy and is just about the coolest chick I know. My bittersweet sorrow slides away, and all that’s left is pure joy for her and Matt and the little life they’ve created.
“This kid is going to have all the best surf stuff,” I say. “Uncle Bryce is going to—”
“Uncle Bryce? What the fuck, Kyles? Did you tell him?” Laughter laces the words as Matt comes into the kitchen, putting a canvas bag of groceries on the counter.
“Didn’t need to.” Kylie goes to Matt, sliding her arms around his neck. “He figured it out for himself.”
“I told you no one would buy that fake cocktail thing,” Matt says with a grin, wrapping his arms around his wife. He bends his head and kisses her, his eyes closing, and as the two of them sway together, I recognise it.
The spark. The thing that brings them together, that makes them work so well as a couple. I wonder why I’ve never really noticed it before. They come apart, smiling at each other, and my chest hurts just looking at them. It’s beautiful.
“Mate, I could not be happier for you both,” I say, grabbing Matt in a hug. “Genuinely the best news.”
“Thanks, man.” He looks a bit shell-shocked, to be honest, but in a sort of teary joyful way, and I get it. This is big news. “You’re going to be godfather, I hope.”
I resist the urge to do a Marlon Brando impression. Tears prickle the back of my eyes, and I hug him again. “It’s an honour. I’ll teach him, or her, all my wicked ways.”
“Speaking of,” says Kylie, slanting a glance my way, “how are things with the lovely Claire?”
They know, of course, what the deal is between us. And now they’re going to give me shit when I tell them how it’s changed. But I don’t care. Despite my worry for Mum and Millie, today has genuinely been an awesome day. And it’s mostly down to Claire.
“So … er, I kissed her.”
Matt rolls his eyes and grabs himself a beer. “Oh yeah.” He pops the top and takes a sip. “And then what?”
“And then we agreed we’d like to get to know each other. Properly.”
Kylie shoots a raised-eyebrows glance at Matt. “Get to know each other? What, in the biblical sense?”
Matt snorts, taking another swig of his beer.
“No. I mean … shit, of course I’d like that – she’s fucking stunning – but no. Actually, you know, spend time together. Like you guys do.”
Heat comes to my face, and I cover it by taking a gulp of my own beer. Why do I feel like a kid caught with their hand in the lolly jar?
“Like … Matt and I do?” Kylie has stopped stirring whatever she’s making, standing with the spoon in her hand like some sort of domestic goddess statue. “Holy shit, Bryce. Are you telling me she’s going to be your actual girlfriend?”
I shrug. “I guess. I dunno. We’re just going to see where it goes.”
“‘See where it goes’?” Matt laughs out loud. “Mate, it usually goes to bed when it comes to you.”
“Hey!” I can’t deny I’m a bit stung by their response, though I suppose they have cause.
It’s pretty much been a revolving door of women for me over the past few years.
Probably always has been, to be honest. There have been a few people I’ve dated for a while, but no one who’s stuck.
No one who’s ever made me feel the way Claire does.
I’ve only known her for a week, but it feels as though my life has changed irrevocably in some way, and things will never be the same again.
“What’s the plan then?” Kylie glares at Matt, who’s still chuckling into his beer. “You taking her out somewhere?”
“Yeah. She has to work tomorrow, then we’re going for dinner.
I thought maybe that Greek place might be nice.
” Claire blushed when I asked her, then threw her arms around my neck to kiss me again once she’d said yes.
It was a wrench to leave her at her house, to be quite fucking honest. But I want to do this properly, fuck knows why.
“Yeah, it’s lovely. Matt and I went there for our anniversary.
Good food. Quite romantic as well.” Kylie winks at me.
She goes to lift the heavy saucepan full of water and potatoes, and both Matt and I lunge towards her.
“Pssht, out of the way you two,” she says, elbowing past us to the sink where she tips the pan, letting the potatoes roll into a metal colander. “I can lift a saucepan.”
“Kyles.”
“Matt.” She turns her head and gives him a kiss. “As I told Uncle Bryce here, I’m pregnant, not made of porcelain. I’m not at a point where I need help lifting things yet.”
“Furniture,” I say.
Matt and Kylie both look at me like I’ve grown an extra head.
“You shouldn’t be moving furniture around. I’ve heard pregnant women do stuff like that, some sort of nesting instinct.”
Kylie bursts out laughing. “Bryce, my love, if I need a fucking chair moved, I’ll call you, all right? Now, go and get that meat off the BBQ and we can eat.”
Matt and I both grab plates and head outside. The sausages look good – browned and crispy with their skin starting to split. But as I go to pick them up, Matt stops me.
“Any news?” His blue gaze is serious, now. He knows my shit, knows it better than anyone.
“Yeah.” I rub the back of my neck with one hand. “Mum reckons things are okay, but you know what she’s like. I don’t know. She seemed to think it was all good, but I’m going to go back up there. I’ll take Claire with me, too, so she can meet them.”
“Yeah, you need to check on her yourself.” Matt is silent for a moment.
“I’ll come with you, if you need me to.” He was there when we moved Millie out of her old place, and I still remember the tears in his eyes when he saw how she’d been living, the broken-down furniture, the dried food stuck to plates in the sink, the drug paraphernalia everywhere.
“Thanks, brother.”
He says nothing, but claps me on the shoulder. Then we collect the sausages and head inside.
Claire
How can it only be lunchtime?
I swear to god this is the longest day ever.
The shop has been busy, customers collecting orders as well as making purchases.
I checked my phone during a lull, sure it must be almost lunch time.
But it was only half ten. I had two messages.
One from Joss, confirming I was going to meet her and Sal for lunch, and the other from Bryce.
Can’t wait to see you. Meet you at the shop at 6.
I can’t wait to see him, either. Which is why this day seems to be taking twice as long as normal.
Plus I don’t know what I’m going to say at lunch.
I’ve decided to go with a white lie. After all, Bryce and I are kind of legitimately seeing each other now.
No one needs to know it started as some sort of dating deal.
At noon I lock the door, putting the little sign in place saying I’ll be back at one.
Then I hurry down the street to the café where I’ve agreed to meet Joss.
Sal isn’t here in person, as it’s too far to drive for lunch, but apparently this is so important she’s decided to dial in, her cheery face waiting on Joss’s phone when I get to the table.
Joss has already ordered, cheese toasties and lattes in takeaway cups, plus a basket of fries sitting on the table.
“Hey, Sal.” I sit down, stuffing a fry in my mouth while I gather my thoughts. “Thanks, Joss, you’re a legend.”
Joss leans in, an uncharacteristically serious look on her face. “Tell. Us. Everything.”
“We need updates,” Sal chips in, from the phone. “Have you done the deed, yet?”
“Sal!” I squeal.
Joss starts giggling, and my tension eases.
I love these girls so much. And I’m glad I don’t really have to lie to them anymore.
If things work between Bryce and I, then we’ll probably keep seeing each other beyond the end of the month.
And if they don’t, we’ll part ways just as we agreed.
My chest feels tight at the thought of the second option, though.
“Still no cherries popped,” I say, taking a bite of my toastie. It’s excellent, the toast buttery, cheese oozing between the slices. “We’re just getting to know each other,” I continue, once I can speak.
“Kissing? Has there been more of that?”
“Yeah.” My face heats up and I grin. Both girls squeal. People are looking at us.
“And…?”
“And what? We’ve been swimming; he took me to a thing in Torquay yesterday, and we’re having dinner tonight.”
“Oh, we saw the thing in Torquay.” Joss grins. “Genuinely, though I am jealous with every bone in my body because he is a fucking sex god, I could not be happier for you, Claire-bear.”
“Agreed,” Sal says. “We love you, and we’re thrilled you’re finally with a real man.”
“Uh, he’s definitely that,” I say, blushing even more as I finish my toastie. I need to get back to the shop soon. “I hope things work out.”
“I hope you get to go for a ride on Bryce’s massive … surfboard,” Sal shrieks, giggling. Then she covers her mouth, glancing sideways. “Shit. I gotta go. I have a meeting I forgot about.”
She hangs up, leaving Joss and me both laughing.
“What is she like?” Joss shakes her head. “Seriously though, Claire. I hope you do shag him, and put Simon out of your head for good.”
“He’s not in my head.” It’s not a total lie. “Not when I’m with Bryce, anyway.”
“I still can’t believe you’re dating a world-famous surfer. Fuck me, Claire. You’d better set me up with one of his friends, is all I can say.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I say. “I do have to get back though. What do I owe you for lunch?”
“It’s on me, mate.”
We both get up, grabbing our coffees. We head outside, and Joss wraps me in a one-armed hug. “So happy for you. And I’ll kill him if he messes you around.” She kisses me on the cheek then heads off, waving, in the direction of the pharmacy.
I watch her go, warmth in my chest. I’m so lucky to have my friends.
Finding myself essentially alone in the world was a shock to say the least. Mum and Dad and I were a complete family unit, happiest when spending time with each other.
When I was a child, they were my entire world.
Even once I moved out for university, I still came home on weekends to see them.
Losing them almost destroyed me. There’s a saying that grief never gets any smaller; rather, life around it gets larger.
And that’s how I’ve found it to be. I still miss them as much as I ever did.
I wish they were here so they could meet Bryce.
I’m sure they’d like him. But I have a life now, and it’s a pretty good one, thanks to them.
So, I treasure my memories of the time I had with them, because I know what a gift it was.
It’s in a reflective frame of mind that I head back to the shop, unlocking the door and stepping inside.
Something crackles beneath my feet and I look down to see an envelope which has been pushed under the door while I was out.
I frown, picking it up and carrying it over to the counter with my coffee.
My name is on the front of the envelope. I almost throw it in the bin straight away, but then I decide to open it. Maybe it’s not from Simon.
But as the card slides out, so do a bunch of dead rose petals and a crushed spider. I squeal, throwing the whole thing away from me. I do not like spiders.
The card has fallen open.
I can crush you just as easily
The words are scrawled, ragged against the white paper. Anger boils up in me. How dare he? Who the fuck does he think he is?
Fighting back tears, I sweep the whole lot into the bin.
I’m shaking all over. Did he come here to deliver it himself?
Thank god I was at lunch. Or maybe he sent one of his friends – he knows plenty of people in the area – and maybe they waited until I went out.
Maybe they’re watching me right now. I thrust my middle finger up, just in case. Then I realise how mad that looks.
But I’m furious. This is crossing a line. I go and retrieve the card from the bin, careful the spider is no longer in it. On the front is a skull, white against a black background. What an absolute arsehole. I tuck the card in my bag. Evidence, just in case. I wish Bryce was here.
This afternoon cannot pass quickly enough.