6. Theo
My stomach sunk as I watched Audrey drift out, far further than I expected her to go. And as I looked around to see if anyone could help, I realised I was alone; someone who wasn’t by any means athletic, and grew up in an area where the water was too cold to actually enjoy swimming. But I didn’t have time to worry about my own capabilities, as I watched Audrey’s head bob up and down while she was carried away. For all I knew, I was her only chance of reaching the shore again. My stomach felt like it was full of lead, and I worried it was going to make me sink as soon as I stepped into the formidable liquid, thinking of what I would do if this went wrong. Goddamn it.
I didn’t bother using up time to take off my shirt or trousers, I just kicked off my shoes so that they wouldn’t get stuck in the sand, then ran in, head-first. The cold water felt harsh on my toes as they sank into the wet sand, and by the time I was neck-deep in water, I realised just how deep it must be where Audrey was struggling. “Audrey! Swim sideways!” I called out, trying to coax her out of the rip, but she continued ducking under the water, and then I heard her start to splutter. Shit. My arms moved faster, paddling through the choppy water. If I got swept up here, I might be stuck in the waves just like her, and we’d both be done for. “Audrey!” I called again, trying to capture her attention. This time she heard me, and knowing she wasn’t alone in the water must have reminded her that the only way she was getting through this was to get back to the shore. I was glad; the current was hard enough to fight against, but being hit in the head by her trying to stay afloat would’ve been the end of me. “Try and swim over here!” I begged, needing her to escape the rip—to come off to the side of it, even just a little. It would allow her to grab onto my hand so I could pull her away… then I’d have a whole other task to worry about: keeping us both afloat.
“I’m… trying!” she said, her voice shaky and gargling as water spluttered from her mouth. My heart thumped nervously, hoping she still had enough power to push through. I reached my hand out, and with a few moments of struggle, worry clear on her face, she was able to grab it. I pulled her across to slice through the current, and then it was up to us to make sure we wouldn’t slip back into the rip again. Once the rip released her, I held her above my shoulders, towing her back to the shore as best as I could. Still in a panic, she thrashed around, and water fell into my mouth as my head fell under. But despite the struggle, and even though my muscles were burning, we were getting closer. Then soon enough, it felt like a miracle when our feet touched down on the sand. I curled my toes into it like it was the most glorious feeling in the world.
“We made it.” I sighed, checking on her behind me. She took a few steps out, before sitting down, lurching from the water deep in her lungs. “Are you okay?” I asked, patting her back to help get the fluid out. We weren’t in the water for too long, but it was enough to make us feel exhausted. With my adrenaline pumping, I realised how much was really at stake here, and I felt like if I moved my hand away from her, she’d be in trouble again.
Audrey took a few moments to regulate her breathing, then finally, she looked back up to me. “I’m okay. Thank you, Theo,” she started. “I shouldn’t have made you go in after me like that.”
“Would you have preferred I left you out there on your own?” I asked, showing how ridiculous the idea would have been. I knew she didn’t mean it that way, but my jaw clenched at her point. Of course, I was going to help, in any way I could.
“No, you’re right. I’m sorry anyways.” She raised up from the ground, heavy limb after heavy limb stomping in the sand, and I hugged her. I squeezed her tightly, to show her how much I cared, and how in that moment, I never wanted to let her go again. We’d already built a connection over these last few days, but now we had a formative, life-endangering experience linking us together, and I realised no matter where my life took me, I wouldn’t forget about what just happened.
“Don’t be,” I said, meaning every word. She didn’t need to feel concerned about me thinking any less of her, when she’d made one silly mistake. That’s when she made her move, reaching upwards to kiss me, and my heart melted. It was brief, and over before I could even react, making me feel like I just wasted one of the most important moments of my time in Australia. Audrey gathered her dress from the beachside, and once she put it on again, water droplets seeped through the material. “Where to, now?” I asked, feeling nervous that the night was coming to an end.
She looked around for a little while. If I was her, I probably would’ve wanted to call it quits then and there, but she was more determined than me. Audrey turned my way, as if she made up her mind. “Can you take me back to yours?” My chest tightened with anxiety, but I wasn’t going to make something out of nothing. Before I answered, she added, “I don’t want to be alone right now.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “Follow me.”
We walked the sandy shores back in the direction of Lucy’s café, where my rental was just around the corner. I’m glad I liked to keep things tidy, but I still went through a checklist in my mind, making sure the place was ready for her to visit. Dishes? Done. Laundry? Done. Fridge stocked? Nothing but an unopened tub of ice cream, but that would have to do. I knew I wanted to impress her, but maybe Audrey was the type of person who’d rather roll with the punches instead, especially after a night like this. As we walked along, I let my hands wander over to hers, and she reciprocated, entwining her fingers in mine. It was sweet, subtle, and sent a swarm of butterflies to my stomach. Then, my front door came into view.
“So, this is it?” she asked, looking over the commercialised front yard with a mix of real and fake plants, trailing all the way to my front porch.
“My humble abode,” I confirmed. “Do you know the person who owns this place?” I asked, trying to smoothen the tension as we walked through the door. The lights flickered as I turned them on, and when I spun back around to her, she was closer than before.
“I don’t think so,” she wondered, and I watched a crease form ever so softly across her forehead. “A lot of people buy investment houses around here, without ever having the courtesy of stopping by.”
“Makes sense, I did feel the emails back and forth were slightly vampiric, as if they were wanting to take my money and my blood.”
“Maybe even your soul along the way, but we don’t know for sure, so don’t get your hopes up,” she quipped.
“I love the way you do that.” My teeth were on display from my open smile.
“Do what?”
“How you go along with my antics. It’s flattering, yet humbling at the same time. You’re hijacking my jokes and making them better.”
“Well,” she said, brushing against me. “I love when you do that.”
“What?”
“When you’re being honest. I’m not used to it, and it’s unpredictable, but I’ve already started to enjoy your perspective on things.”
“Are we being nice to each other?” I asked, breathing against her lips, knowing how badly I wanted to kiss them all over again.
“We wouldn’t want that, would we?” She smirked, before stepping away. I took the cue, knowing now would be the perfect time to improve the ambiance of the room, and maybe add a bit of a distraction. Since the rip, my adrenaline was still running high, and I guessed hers must’ve been as well… but she was coping, either by pushing it to the back of her mind, or trying to forget it entirely. I found my way to my rental’s ‘complimentary sound system’, which really ended up being a portable CD player and a catalogue of albums that had no thematic consistency whatsoever.
“What’s the verdict, ‘70s rock or early 2000s disco pop?” I asked, sorting through the pile of busted up CDs.
“I’m feeling disco pop,” she decided, passing me a disk that I hoped would sound something like Kylie Minogue’s glory days. Though as soon as the track started, I realised how wrong I was.
“Great choice,” I teased, but kept the jarring beat playing almost out of respect, before we went off to the kitchen. It wasn’t as nice as Lucy’s, though I imagined that Lucy’s food interests made the kitchen a big deciding factor when it came to choosing her own rental. Mine was quaint but functional. I pulled out the tub of ice cream and some bowls for us to use, but we decided to dig in from the container all the same.
“How do you think I’m doing?” I asked. “I feel like tonight will be memorable at the very least.” I knew entertainment was usually her responsibility, especially when working for Henry, but I also wanted to see if we could recover from what happened earlier.
She took the cold spoon out of her mouth. “You’re doing pretty well. If you want something else to do with your days, maybe I can hook you up with Henry for a gig of your own.”
“I have worked events before, so at least that should help push my resume forward,” I joked. Somehow that felt like a secret I was trying to keep, and I wasn’t sure why. Admitting the fact wouldn’t send me on a one-way flight home, so I shouldn’t be afraid of talking about it. Still, it was part of everything I tried to leave behind. If that part of my life found its way into this one, it”d remind me that one day, I”d have to choose between them.
“It’s strange,” she stated. “This is the first piece of knowledge I’m actually learning about your life in England. Are you purposely trying to distance yourself from there? Or is it just something you don’t think to talk about?”
I pursed my lips, feeling a little caught out. I had a good relationship with my parents though, and it sounded like it must’ve been better than her family experience. “A little bit of both,” I admitted. “But my distance is caused by someone else’s expectations, and that’s something I needed to escape from.”
“I feel kind of jealous right now.”
“Why’s that?”
“I obviously don’t want to minimise your situation,” she started. “But I’d kill for even a little bit of expectation from my family, aside from being expected to stay out of their way.”
“That’s fair.” I nodded “I guess we’re never too pleased with the hand we’re dealt, are we?”
“It’s why I don’t look back, and keep my head in the future.”
It was funny, because my fears were the exact opposite. I wanted to go back in time, where the responsibility of life was off my shoulders. Yet somehow, no matter where we both wanted to be, we were here in my apartment together, staring into each other’s eyes. “Personally,” I said. “I’d like to focus on the now.”
Softly, I moved closer to her. Then like earlier, just before she stepped away, my breath was on her lips, but this time she stayed. I took one of her hands in mine, using my other arm to bring her closer, and we kissed. Our mouths were debating with each other, as if we kept bickering about what the best approach to life was. And then it turned fiercer, with Audrey’s hands snaking around my back, deepening the kiss further. I’d fallen for this girl—I knew it then and there. We moved together, and before we knew it, our hands were grasping at each other’s clothes, rushing to remove them. I guided us to my bedroom, and paused, waiting for her to give me a signal to take things to the next level.
“I want you, Theo,” she said, and without hesitation, I was hers.