CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR #3
The second item was an antique painting by an artist whose name I didn’t recognise, and everyone gasped and clutched their paddles with fierce grips.
Twelve thousand dollars later, there was another round of applause.
I couldn’t believe each item was going for thousands of dollars.
I bit my lip to prevent me from speaking and wondered if I should find some rope to tie my arms to the table.
Did Corey even have thousands of dollars?
Remembering the logos on his clothes and the glistening watch on my wrist, I decided he did in fact have thousands of dollars.
The fourth item had me reaching for my paddle, arm in position.
‘No, Nora,’ he groaned.
‘Yes.’ I stared at Corey, my eyes and mouth wide enough that he rolled his eyes and told me to ‘have at it’.
A fourteen day, all-expenses-paid holiday for two in the Northern Territory during the dry season, including business class air fares, a 4WD to visit Kakadu, Litchfield, and Alice Springs, all bundled up with luxury accommodation.
Before I could even lift my arm, paddles all around me were in the air.
This was a numbers game, and I was a damn expert.
As the bidding increased, the number of paddles in the air decreased until only one remained.
Me.
I received an enormous round of applause, and an even louder groan from Corey. He leaned in close, his half peppermint, half citrus scent creating our own little bubble of magic.
‘Nine thousand dollars?’ He raised an eyebrow.
‘You’re such a generous man.’ I smiled.
‘I’d better be on that plane next to you, considering I’m the one paying for this.’ He leaned in close enough for his breath to tickle my neck.
‘Sorry, I plan on taking this gorgeous rock I found at the park the other day.’
He rolled his eyes.
‘It’s smooth, and large, and it even has these glimmering flecks when the sunlight hits it just right.’
‘Nora,’ he interrupted.
‘Yes?’
‘Shut up.’ He laughed.
‘Who knows, you might even have your body back by then,’ I whispered, disappointed at the thought of missing out on the trip.
Corey nodded, staring at the wall behind me. ‘I’ll make you a deal then. No matter which body we’re in, we go together.’
My heart warmed at the thought of being with Corey in my own body, even if he didn’t mean it intimately. I held my hand out, and his warm palm clutched mine as he shook it. ‘Deal. Two weeks from now, we sip champagne in the sky on our way to the top of Australia.’
I couldn’t stop smiling as we pulled out our phones and added an alert in our calendars. Relief softened my shoulders knowing we’d spend more time together, even once we’d switched back. I’d gotten so used to having him around, I couldn’t picture myself without him anymore.
‘I’ll wait for you at the airport.’ He grinned.
Once the last item had been auctioned off, people left their seats for the dance floor. At the edge of the crowd, Oliver twirled Diane, her nasally laugh echoing above the wealthy chatter of holidays in Italy and boarding school fees. From the corner of my eye, a figure stumbled closer.
‘Oh no,’ Corey groaned.
‘Corey, Corey, Corey,’ Ben slurred.
‘Ben, come back here.’ Steven stormed over, his daughter in his arm, his wife’s short legs racing after them.
Ben didn’t stop walking when he reached me, and his shoulder ploughed into my chest. I wasn’t experienced with this sort of brotherly drama and couldn’t gather my thoughts quick enough to respond.
‘That’s too far,’ Steven yelled from behind him.
‘He’s too far.’ Ben stabbed his finger into my chest.
A silver gown swished next to us.
‘That is enough,’ Vivienne hissed. ‘We are at a charity event in the public eye. Do not cause a scene.’
Ben raised his hands in the air with a scowl like an escaped prisoner, realisation dawning on him that he’d gone too far. He stepped back, bumping the table behind him.
‘Whoops.’ He reached his hands behind to lean on the table and steady himself, grabbing the tablecloth and slipping to the floor on his drunken legs.
Plates smashed, drinks spilled, and fire erupted where the candelabra met the alcohol.
‘Ben!’ shrieked Vivienne.
‘Fire!’ squealed a voice in the crowd.
People screamed and ran for the exit.
‘We can put it out, it’s not that big.’ I grabbed the wine bucket at the side of the table and poured the ice over the flames, putting out almost half of it instantly. ‘Quick, go grab some more from other tables before it spreads.’
Steven passed his daughter to his wife and raced to the other tables with Corey. One by one, we threw the ice over the flames until they were completely extinguished. The smoke hadn’t made it to the detectors, the sprinklers hadn’t activated, the night could be saved.
‘It’s out, the fire is out,’ Vivienne called cheerfully to the noisy crowd still making their way to the exit.
‘Mum, I’m sorry.’ Ben lowered his head.
‘Sorry isn’t going to cut it,’ Craig barked, storming over.
He grabbed Ben’s arm and dragged him through the side exit with enough force and lack of empathy that Ben struggled to stay on his feet.
My heart pounded in the cage of this unattainable life.
It was too much. I couldn’t spend the rest of my days struggling through the chaos Corey had mastered.
I glanced at the downturn of his lips. The frown he didn’t deserve.
The music started back up and hesitant feet pattered back to the dance floor where Oliver and Diane dominated the middle, arms wrapped around each other.
‘Well, I guess something good has come out of tonight.’ Corey gestured to them.
‘Yeah, but, my brother?’ I scrunched up my nose at Diane’s choice, then laced my fingers through his and tugged him forward. I wanted to forget the drama with Ben and the shitty feelings that swamped us each time we saw his family. ‘Dance with me.’
Softened bodies, a warm embrace, an escapement from the harsh reality we tried to ignore. I closed my eyes and held Corey close, ignoring the strange sensation of holding my own body against this large one. I tried to think about nothing more than the calm taking over Corey’s face.
Surviving required losing myself in these small moments.
These small moments with Corey.