Chapter Thirty-One #2
‘You don’t need to apologise. I’m the one who’s sorry.
I never should’ve lost my temper with you.
I should’ve been there for you.’ Ellie pulled away, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
‘I wanted to come and see you, to make it up to you, but I thought maybe you needed space and I didn’t want to be the annoying friend who doesn’t know when to take a hint. ’
‘Are you kidding? I love being annoyed by you.’
Beth was completely serious, but Ellie snorted and waved her in. ‘Come on. Let’s not stand here blubbering. Come inside.’
‘Here,’ Beth said, handing Ellie the flowers once she’d shut the door. ‘Yellow roses are a symbol of friendship.’
‘Aww, they’re beautiful!’ Ellie said, burying her nose in the bouquet. ‘Whose garden did you pinch them from?’
‘Nobody’s! I got them in Margaret River.’
Ellie looked up from selecting a vase out of the hallway cabinet. ‘You drove forty minutes, there and back again, just to get me flowers?’
‘Nope.’ Beth held up the gift bag and pointed to it. ‘I had other business to attend to while I was there.’
‘Ooh, intriguing.’
Ellie arranged the roses in the vase while Beth grabbed a couple of wine glasses from the kitchen and filled a bowl with strawberries, then they curled up on the couches in the front sitting room.
‘Remember the first real conversation we had in here?’ Beth recalled the day she’d scarcely been able to move after hours of gardening. Gosh, it seemed so long ago now.
‘Yeah, that was the day I predicted we’d become best friends.’
‘And I thought you were being facetious.’ Beth popped a strawberry in her mouth.
Ellie laughed. ‘I still don’t know what that means.’
‘I thought you were teasing me, basically. But, Elle, it turns out there’s a reason I’m no good at telling whether someone’s being genuine or not.
’ Beth didn’t hold back. She told Ellie how, after she’d learned of Pru’s suspicions about Rosie, she’d discovered the similarities between personality disorders and autism, and her research had subsequently taken a diversion.
‘It’s crazy, Elle. I forgot I was reading to try to learn more about my mum, because the more I read, the more I realised just how many autistic traits I have.
I mean, I’m one hundred per cent certain I’m autistic.
’ It felt good to say it. Since her chat with Hana, she’d really started focusing on her strengths and was on her way to owning her newly discovered identity.
Ellie’s jaw dropped. ‘No way! You’re neurodivergent? Me, too! I’ve got ADHD!’
‘You do?’
‘Yeah, I was diagnosed as a teenager. I still struggle with certain things, but learning about how my brain works definitely helped. Speaking of which, you’re torturing me with that present!
’ Ellie jabbed a finger at the gift bag still sitting at Beth’s feet.
‘I can’t believe you’ve made me wait this long. ’
‘Jeez, you’re so impatient,’ Beth teased but grabbed the present and sat beside Ellie.
‘Excuse me,’ Ellie huffed, ‘it’s a symptom of my ADHD. Don’t diss the disability, Bethany!’ She grinned, though, and reached eagerly for the gift like a kid at Christmas.
Beth held her breath as Ellie pulled out the picture frame and flipped it face up. Ellie stared at the photograph, the seconds ticking by as she drew her brows together. ‘That’s Noah and me as kids, but who—Oh my god! Is that you?’ Ellie’s gaze flicked up, her eyes wide and questioning.
Beth nodded. ‘My dad brought me to Karlup for his mum’s funeral. I don’t remember, but apparently, I met you and Noah that day.’
Ellie stared at the photo, clearly speechless.
‘It was always meant to be the three of us, Elle. You, me and Noah.’
At that, Ellie promptly burst into tears—not quite the reaction Beth had been expecting.
‘Hey.’ Beth shuffled closer. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing, I just … oh god.’ Ellie fanned her face and stared up the ceiling. ‘I just don’t think you know how much your friendship means to me.’
‘Oh, come here.’ Beth’s vision grew blurry as she hugged her best friend. ‘I love you, Ellie. More than you’ll ever know.’
‘Love you, too, Bethie.’ Wiping her tears away, Ellie sniffed and held up the photo. ‘So, does this mean what I think it means?’
‘Uh, I’m not sure. You’ll have to tell me what you think it means.’
‘“It was always meant to be the three of us”, that’s what you said. So if you came to apologise to me, does that mean you’re going to fix things with Noah?’
With a sigh, Beth collapsed against the couch. ‘I want to, desperately. But what on earth could I say that would ever make up for the way I hurt him? And what if he rejects me again? He sent me away the last time I spoke to him.’
‘Well, yeah, that might’ve had something to do with the fact you tried to throw cash at him. Just leave your money in your pocket where it belongs and be yourself. Honestly, Beth, he’s so in love with you, it doesn’t matter what you say as long as you make the effort.’
Be yourself.
When she’d first arrived in Karlup, Beth hadn’t known who she was, let alone how she should behave in order to be that person.
But after everything she’d learned recently, she was slowly gaining a better understanding of who she was meant to be.
Who she wanted to be. And with that in mind, she formulated a plan to bare her heart and soul to Noah.