Love on the Air

16

‘I’ve done some cool shit in my life, but I think this is the coolest!’ I shouted over the whirr of the seaplane as we marvelled at the bright blue ocean below us.

Leo sat silently on the other side of the narrow aisle, hands on his knees. We were a long way from the quiet, safe luxury of Singapore Airlines First Class, and I supposed seaplanes in paradise weren’t for everyone. ‘You okay?’ I mouthed at him.

‘Yep,’ he mouthed back, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He was still wearing jeans and boots, leaving me to wonder whether he even owned any beach-holiday–appropriate clothing. I, on the other hand, had gone full Crazy Rich Asians and opted for a floral blue Dolce cotton sundress, Chanel sandals and the biggest pair of sunglasses I owned. If I was going to spend a week in the Maldives, I was going to bloody well look the part.

The pilot soon announced our imminent landing, letting us know we were about to get a beautiful aerial shot of our island out the window.

‘Our island?’ I squeaked. I looked across to Tom, my eyes wide, but he simply shrugged.

And that’s when we saw it.

‘Well, fuck me, he’s really done it this time,’ Tom called out, deadpan, as our home for the next five days came into full view. Leo opened his eyes to take a peek, and I watched the colour flush back into his face. A tiny white island, floating like a grain of rice in the most brilliant sapphire sea. In its centre sat a sprawling white house in a grove of vivid green palm trees. A bright blue infinity pool shot out into the blindingly white sand. As we got closer, I spotted a figure on the jetty waving. The lime-green short-shorts were an instant giveaway. Even from the sky, Finley Stark, with his arms in the air and hopping about like an excited puppy, looked like the happiest human who had ever walked the face of the Earth.

‘How do I look?’ Tom called out to us.

‘Perfect!’ Leo and I shot back in unison.

‘Welcome to paradise, you sexy animals!’ Finley yelled out as he ran down the jetty towards us, bare feet sandy, his shaggy hair in a topknot and a thin string of white pearls hanging from his neck. Leo and I stood back, letting the two lovers have their reunion. I cheekily pulled out my phone and snapped a photo as Finley drew Tom into his arms, dipped him backwards and kissed him passionately, paying no mind to who was watching. I was so happy for Tom I could have burst into a million pieces. I had no option but to pull out my phone again a moment later when Finley proceeded to dip Leo back in exactly the same fashion, although this time without the passionate tongue kiss.

‘Finley, this is insane! I don’t have any words! I’ll never have the words! Thank you fifty million billion!’ I said as he pulled me in for a hug and nuzzled his damp hair into my neck.

‘Hey—anything for family,’ Finley whispered back in my ear. ‘I’m so fucking proud of you, kid.’ He kissed me on the forehead, returning his attention to the wider group. ‘Now, shall we start with a quick tour? Actually, it won’t take long. The sand is here. The ocean is there. And that’s the house. We’ve got the master suite upstairs and you two can take downstairs.’ He looked dubiously towards Leo and me. ‘I’m not sure if you are schtuping or not but there are four other bedrooms to choose from so you can have your own rooms, share a room or christen every single one if you like!’

While I was 100 per cent certain that Finley knew we weren’t sleeping together, Leo was less accustomed to his trickery. As was evident by the beetroot colour that had taken over his whole face.

‘He’s joking, breathe!’ I teased, silently devastated over how embarrassed he seemed at the very prospect of sleeping with me.

Leo forced an awkward laugh as the flush on his face subsided. ‘Thank you, Finley. This is unbelievable.’

‘You’re welcome, Mike Tyson. Now, that’s the end of the thankyous, you lot. I understand, my benevolence and generosity knows no end, blah-blah-blah. Now!’ He cleared his throat. ‘The island has twenty-four–seven private security, and I’ve got my own here too, of course, but apart from the chefs and a couple of staff, we’ve got this place to ourselves. So nudity is encouraged, but not required.’

Leo’s eyes grew wide as Tom’s rolled.

‘Oh, and we may be in the middle of nowhere but there’s satellite internet, courtesy of Elon. I’ve made the password ‘fuckdarrenchase’; one word no capitals, should be easy to remember, yeah?’

‘Finley, how the hell did you pull this off in forty-eight hours?’ I asked, my mind still spinning.

‘Let me guess,’ Tom mused as he took Finley’s hand in his. ‘Knowing this psycho as well as I do, there never even was a Singapore promo trip.’

A cheeky grin swept over Finley’s face, dimples appearing on each rosy, sun-kissed cheek. He’d been found out. ‘Yeah, I booked this months ago.’

‘A-ha!’ Tom dropped Finley’s hand and crossed his arms. ‘I knew it!’

Finley shook his head, still grinning. ‘As a romantic getaway for me and my love over here, I’ll have you know! But then you all went and blew up your careers, so I figured the more the merrier!’

Mesmerised, I grabbed my bag and walked towards the closest bedroom, positioned to the left of the infinity pool. A four-poster, king-sized bed sat proudly in the middle of the room, with a soft canopy above, sheer curtains tied to each post. Glass doors opened onto a private deck, with two deckchairs and a hammock, framed perfectly by two palm trees. Behind the bed was a hidden bathroom, with a deep soak tub and an outdoor shower. I looked through the glass to my right, across the pool deck to the other bedroom, where Leo was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring out at the ocean.

The last time I’d arrived at any sort of paradise, I was running away from my life. But this time it felt like I was running towards a more authentic version of it. I was proud that I had stood my ground with Darren, and proud that I had called Darren out on his bullshit, regardless of the outcome. For the first time in a long time, I was totally at peace. Doing what I’d done hadn’t exactly been the smart option, but I knew it was the right one. And somewhere, somehow, it would lead me to where I was supposed to go. I just had to get through the next week, which, judging by my surroundings, was not going to be difficult.

I opened my small suitcase and had started unpacking when I heard a frantic knocking at the glass door. Tom was jumping up and down, holding his phone.

‘Bitch, you’re not going to BELIEVE what’s happened—’

‘Did Hilary Duff finally comment on your Lizzie McGuire lip-sync video?’ I called out as I kept unpacking.

‘EVEN BETTER!’ he squealed as he pulled the glass door open, scurrying towards me. ‘You’ve gone viral! Twenty-fucking-three million views! And counting!’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Someone from the office put the footage of your fight with Darren online.’

I looked at him, an eyebrow raised. ‘Someone?’

‘It wasn’t me, I swear!’ He held a pinky finger out towards me. ‘It’s got over fifteen thousand comments! It obviously all happened while we were in transit. Tilly Roy shared it—look!’

There it was. Staring back at me from Tom’s iPhone, shared with the caption ‘Go, Alex! #bringdowntheboysclub’.

‘Heaps of celebs have shared it since. The comments are insane. Obviously I just made Finley retweet it too. I hope Mark is shitting himself.’

I scrolled through the comments, tears forming in my eyes straight away. The support was immense. Thousands and thousands of women from all around the world had rallied, and they weren’t just angry for me, they were angry for all of us.

‘I’m gonna go tell Leo his right hook is famous, be right back,’ Tom said, as I rummaged through my handbag for my own phone, which had been off since we’d boarded the flight for Singapore.

I switched it on and connected to the wi-fi, my hands trembling, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Notifications started relentlessly popping up from all my apps, as messages, emails and missed calls registered. My phone was dinging and vibrating as if it was having some sort of seizure. I tried desperately to keep up, squinting at the screen as more and more came through. The thirteen missed calls from my mother alone were enough to make me want to switch it back off again.

And then the phone began ringing. Henry Tan’s name appeared on the screen.

‘Henry! Hello!’ I answered, breathlessly.

‘She lives! We’ve been trying to get on to you forever. You cool? Where are you?’

‘I’m cool, I’m cool. I’m actually on a private island in the Maldives, would you believe.’

‘Oh, fuck, yes! Please tell me you didn’t put that on the credit card?’

‘Ah, no. I’m here as somebody’s guest.’

He gasped. ‘Sugar daddy?’

‘Um, no. A friend’s boyfriend.’

‘Right. Well, are you aware of the fact that you’re pretty much everywhere right now?’

‘I literally found out minutes ago … It’s insane.’

‘It’s brilliant. Firing you would be a PR nightmare. We might not be saying goodbye to that Bondi penthouse just yet.’

‘Who said I wanted a Bondi penthouse?’

‘Everybody wants a Bondi penthouse. Anyway, Miriam and I have gone through your contract and neither of us think they’ve got grounds to fire you. I mean all you did was have an argument with a co-worker. We’ve all been there. It’s not your fault someone put it online. Leo might not be so lucky. Remind me to shake his hand if I ever meet him, by the way. What a punch. Hey, I thought you said you’d sworn off having anyone in your bed?’ he teased.

‘We’re not … it was a … misunderstanding.’

‘Disappointing. He’s a good-looking man. Anyway, go enjoy your holiday, superstar!’

‘Thanks, Henry.’

I hung up and saw seventy-two new emails, ninety texts and eighty-five missed calls waiting for me. The onslaught could wait. I switched my phone off, threw it back on the bed and walked out onto the pool deck where Tom was chatting animatedly to Leo, who’d miraculously changed into shorts.

‘Who knew you had knees? And calves?’ I called out as I walked towards them.

‘Twenty-three million views and she wants to talk about your calves. She’s obsessed with you, babe,’ Tom stage whispered to Leo.

‘Oh, shut up! I was just on the phone to Henry; he thinks because this has blown up so much the network would be insane to fire me, so, who knows? I may not be penniless after all.’

‘This is Henry your … financial planner?’ Leo asked.

‘Yeah, but he also has a law degree,’ Tom quipped.

‘I see,’ Leo replied flatly.

‘Drinks are served, castaways!’ Finley’s voice boomed out from behind us as he appeared from inside the house with a tray of cocktails, each looking like its own work of art. I grabbed one that smelled like coconut and had a huge wedge of pineapple stuck to the rim.

‘I propose a toast!’ Finley announced. ‘To Goldie, who even in death appears to be inspiring serious badassery in women, and men—’ he looked towards Leo and winked ‘—around the world.’

‘To Goldie.’ We all cheered as we clinked our glasses and took a sip of the tropical deliciousness, everyone’s eyes fixed on the bright blue sea. Everyone’s but mine. Mine were set directly on Leo who, standing there barefoot in shorts, drink in hand, had never ever looked better.

I stood looking in the mirror four hours later. I was wearing a long lilac and gold Zimmerman dress, my curls crunchy and salty from an afternoon spent hopping between the hammock in front of my room and the warm ocean that lapped at the shore just metres away. I was already becoming myself again, finding space and time in my mind to come to terms with where my life was at and the array of possible outcomes that awaited me on my return home.

Finley and Tom had gone up to get ready for dinner after hours of frolicking about, drinking cocktails by the pool, and Leo had taken a nap. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he had more on his mind than he was letting on. Perhaps he was worried about Tessa and Jack’s visa situation? He’d seemed a little distant, a little distracted. Here, but not really here. I’d suggested he take a nap and he didn’t fight me on it, instead retreating to his room and pulling the curtains closed. They’d been closed for four hours and no one had heard a peep out of him since.

‘Should we wake sleeping beauty? There’s lobster,’ Tom said, leaning against my door. He was wearing a silk Versace shorts and T-shirt set and looked like a white Bruno Mars.

‘Hmm, I don’t know. I suppose I should check on him.’

‘Any excuse to get into his bed.’ He replied, eyebrows raised.

‘Tom! I do not want to sleep with Leo!’

‘Oh, shut the fuck up, Alex!’ Tom snapped, stepping into my room and closing the sliding door behind him. ‘It’s me! You can lie to everyone else, but you can’t to lie to me. I know things are complicated, but—fuck, it’s pretty obvious that there’s something there, Finley and I can both see it. If you can’t be together, I totally get it. Of course I get it. But if you’re just too proud to admit that you want him, or if you’re just putting it all in the “too hard basket” or whatever, then that’s just dumb.’

I stared back at him, shocked. I opened my mouth to reply, and then stopped myself, swallowing my words. In the distance, we heard Finley whistling. Tom peeked over his shoulder, before looking back at me. ‘I’m not trying to be mean, Alex. I just don’t want you to miss out on something that could be really wonderful. Love or fear. Those were his words.’

‘I know, I know.’ I sighed. ‘But in this instance—maybe choosing “love” means choosing to walk away. There’s just so much else at play. And I don’t know if I’m enough to make him want to push through it all. And I can’t rush it. I can’t rush him. I don’t even know if he ever wants to date again, let alone date me. The truth of the matter is—’ I paused, looking out the window ‘—he’s allowed to love Laney, and only Laney, for the rest of his life, and how can I even be mad about that?’

Tom took a step forwards, wide-eyed, and hugged me. ‘Right. That makes sense. Sorry, I’ll chill.’

‘Thanks,’ I whispered back. ‘Now, I’m gonna go make sure he’s alive in there.’

‘Okay. I’ll see you in a minute.’

Tom disappeared into the house as I crept over to Leo’s room, gently knocking on the door and bringing my ear close to the glass to listen for a response. When I heard nothing, I hopped onto the sand and walked around to the other side where the screen door was wide open. The gap in the curtains was big enough for me to peer through: first spotting his luggage in the corner of the room, still packed, and then spotting Leo, fast asleep in the foetal position on the edge of the bed.

In a moment of what I can only describe as paradise-induced-madness, I knelt down beside him, and slowly, carefully stroked his head. He breathed out deeply, almost sighing, eyes still closed. And then, without even really thinking, I leaned in and kissed his forehead, ever so gently. He sighed again.

‘My darling,’ he whispered, eyes still closed. ‘Hello, my darling.’ A smile gently washed across his face as he nuzzled back into his pillow and fell back to sleep. My heart jumped into my throat, as if I’d just interrupted a private moment for which I had no right to be present. I felt guilty, and incredibly silly. I quickly pulled back and, as I did so, something caught my eye. Something shiny. There, just centimetres from his face, sitting alone in the middle of the bedside table was Leo’s wedding ring.

I stared at it for a moment, confused. He began to stir again. I crept towards the sliding door, tripping on my hem as I reached for the handle.

‘Hello?’ I heard Leo call out sleepily.

I spun on the spot to see him rubbing his eyes and looking around, a little disorientated.

‘It’s Alex,’ I whispered back. ‘I was just making sure you’re okay. We’re about to have dinner.’

Leo switched on the bedside lamp. ‘Far out, how long have I been asleep?’

‘Uh … four hours or so. But you’re welcome to stay in bed if you want. No rush.’

He sat up, still rubbing his eyes, and swivelled himself around so that his feet were resting on the floor. ‘Was I talking in my sleep?’

My heart leaped into my throat again as I swallowed, trying to find some nonchalance in my reply. ‘No, no. You were sleeping soundly.’

He raked a hand through his hair, perhaps not entirely believing me. ‘Right. Well, I’m actually starving, so I’ll have a quick shower and be right out.’

‘Take your time,’ I replied.

‘Oh and … Alex,’ he called out as I began to turn. I looked at him, eyebrows raised. He opened his mouth to speak, and then caught himself. Silence hung in the air.

‘You okay?’ I prompted, instantly desperate to know what was on his mind.

‘I was just going to say that … you look beautiful in that dress,’ he said, ending in a whisper. There was a hint of bashfulness on his face that I’d not seen before.

I was so taken aback by his compliment that I couldn’t even muster a polite thankyou, and instead just stood there trying desperately to limit the size of the smile that I could feel bursting through my facial muscles. Ten seconds must have passed by the time my legs remembered how to walk, and by the time I got to the dinner table, I was positively flushed.

‘He’s just having a quick shower,’ I said as I sat down.

‘Hey, Alex,’ Finley whispered dramatically.

‘Yes, Finley?’

‘You look beautiful in that dress,’ he said, before he and Tom broke out in giggles.

‘You little shits! Were you eavesdropping?’ I spat out.

‘Babe, we’re in a villa with thin walls, on a dead-quiet desert island with nothing but ocean for miles. We didn’t have to strain our ears that hard,’ Tom quipped, looking positively delighted with himself.

‘Please, don’t embarrass him … or me,’ I begged as I poured myself a glass of white wine from the ice bucket.

‘Okay, my love,’ Finley replied, pretending to zip his mouth and throw away the key, then launching into an incredible story about almost having dinner with Beyoncé. At the story’s crescendo, his eyes flicked behind me and lit up. ‘Here he is! Welcome back to the land of the living, Mr Billings!’

Leo was walking towards us, barefoot, in grey linen shorts and an off-white linen shirt, sleeves rolled up. He’d washed his hair and tied it up messily, a couple of rogue wavy strands tucked behind his ears. I looked at Tom, who widened his eyes back at me. We both knew what the other was thinking, and it was definitely not PG-rated.

‘Sorry to keep you waiting, kids,’ Leo said as he pulled out the chair next to me and sat down. I subtly checked his finger and saw the wedding ring was still absent. ‘I’m not sure what happened; I think the week of travel caught up with me. I don’t know how you do it, Finley.’

‘Vitamin B shots in my arse and a very, very talented Japanese masseur who travels with me everywhere on tour,’ he replied matter-of-factly.

I didn’t realise it at the time, but that night a core memory was created. In years to come, I would often remember the taste of the lobster, the cool buzz of the wine and the sound of my friends’ laughter. I never wanted that dinner to end; I never wanted these friendships to end. I looked at Tom and Finley, so totally free and at peace with how they felt about one another now, and desperately hoped to God that it would end well for them. And, of course, I wished the same for Leo, who more than anyone I knew deserved happiness and peace.

Once the lobster and wine had been consumed and the plates cleared, Finley held up his hands, his green eyes twinkling. ‘I’ve got a surprise for you all.’

I gasped. ‘Oh my goodness, is it a private island in the Maldives?’

‘Smartypants,’ he sang back. ‘I can’t tell you. But you’ll know when it happens.’

Tom scrunched up his face. ‘How will we know?’

‘You’ll just know.’

‘And when is it happening?’

‘Soon. Now, no more questions. Why don’t you two take a little walky-walky?’ Finley looked at Leo and me, making walking movements with his index and middle fingers, like some sort of half-pissed Play School presenter.

I looked at Leo. ‘I suppose we’d better do what he says.’

Finley gave a satisfied wink as the two of us walked across the front of the house towards the sand.

‘So … is Henry your boyfriend?’ Leo asked as we stepped off the deck and onto the warm sand.

I let out a loud laugh. ‘Henry? No! Why would you think that?’

Leo brushed his hair off his face and shrugged. ‘Well, he’s come up a lot today … and you said you’d been seeing him.’

I suppose I could understand how he’d made the assumption, but I was mortified that he thought I’d been seeing someone when in reality all I’d been doing was pining for him.

‘I meant I was seeing him for financial advice!’ I said. ‘We’re just friends. He and his sister are handling all the Mark stuff for me. She’s some badass lawyer.’

Leo’s face relaxed. ‘Right. That makes sense. Sorry.’ He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed.

We walked side-by-side in comfortable silence for a minute or two, my mind still mulling over his assumption.

‘Tessa rang this afternoon.’ He cleared his throat. ‘She had some news.’

‘Is everything okay?’

‘Everything is fine. Everything is actually great. Their visas were approved today.’

‘Leo!’ I squealed. ‘That’s fantastic!’ I reached out and grabbed his elbow. ‘They’re going to love it here! Well, not here. Back home, I mean.’

‘I’m pretty sure they’d love it here too,’ he replied.

‘Who wouldn’t?’ I said, looking out over the moonlit ocean and then back at him. He looked nervous. ‘What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy!’

His pace slowed. He took a deep breath, and as I stared back at him I could see his hand was trembling. A sense of foreboding immediately hit me.

‘I know, I’m sorry. I am happy. It’s … Jack,’ he replied, looking at his hands and then at me. ‘I promised him that when the visas came through, and we knew that we’d all be in Australia together, that I would do something.’

‘Right,’ I said. ‘Can you tell me what it is? Or is it, like, an uncle–nephew secret?’

‘Well, that’s the thing.’ We both stopped walking as he faced me. ‘The promise relies entirely on me telling you something.’

An overwhelming fear hit me as the words came out of his mouth. Was he about to tell me that he’d met somebody in London? Was that why he’d taken his ring off? My insides started to tremble, and a wave of nausea hit me. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself.

‘Oh,’ I whispered, trying desperately to sound relaxed as I braced myself for what was coming. ‘Whatever you have to say, I can take it.’ I swallowed. ‘I promise.’

He nodded his head, his face illuminated by the tiki lights along the shore, and closed his eyes for a moment. I focused on the sounds of the waves lapping nearby on the sand, counting them as I waited for some sort of reprieve from his excruciating silence.

And then finally, his eyes were open and staring directly into mine. ‘I’m in love with you, Alex,’ he finally whispered.

A quiet gasp escaped my mouth. I brought a hand up to cover it.

‘I wanted to tell you that night when we were dancing at the Ivy, but when the moment came I couldn’t find the words. Then I had to go back to London, and I didn’t want to tell you until I knew I wouldn’t have to leave you. So I spent every second of my time there trying to figure out a way home. To you.

‘When I lost Laney, I felt like my life had hit a dead end. And I’d accepted that—it was the price of loving so deeply, and I was at peace with it. Honestly …’ He paused. ‘And then you walked into the bar that day, with your bright dress and your shopping bags and your gin martini and your incessant chattering … and I eventually realised that it was you all along. You were the bright light that had always been waiting for me on the other side of that miserable darkness.

‘I understand if you want to go and live your amazing, colourful, happy life with someone carefree and easy because I know you don’t need me.’ He paused again. ‘All I can hope for is that you want me. And that you believe me when I say that I love you. And I’m here. And I’ll never leave you wondering again.’

A loud bang cracked through the sky above us, shocking us both. Fireworks. Finley’s surprise.

I took a step forwards towards Leo, reached up and gently traced my fingertips along his lips. I remembered my new year’s wish on the shores of Malapascua. How I had begged the universe for another chance. How I’d promised myself not to let love get in the way of my future, never for a moment thinking that maybe good, proper, real love was a part of it.

‘You … love me?’

‘I do, Alex, I do. Very much,’ he replied quietly.

I slowly leaned forwards and rested my forehead on his chin, breathing him in for a moment before looking back up at him through grateful tears. ‘I think I hoped you did all along.’

And then finally, my lips were on his. Slow and deep at first, then quickening as I finally let myself disappear into him. Nobody had ever kissed me the way Leo was kissing me, as if his entire life depended on it, as if he’d wanted to do this since the moment we met.

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me towards him until it felt like every part of us was touching, until I could feel his heart beating strong in his chest against mine. His hands in my hair, his scent enveloping me, my heart echoing the explosions in the sky.

I felt weightless, like all the fear I’d been carrying around had suddenly disappeared from my shoulders. I had been so scared of loving Leo. So scared I might not be enough for him. And I’d been scared that he might never be able to love me back after everything he’d been through.

The sky continued to erupt in loud explosions above us as I looked up at him, my cheeks wet. ‘I’m tired of being scared,’ I told him softly.

His eyes were ablaze with understanding, his whole face soft and open. ‘So am I.’

And so I cast it all into the ocean. I sent my fear and my disappointment and my grief into the sky, shooting it off inside makeshift fireworks as I felt my pain explode above me. Big, beautiful colours burning bright and hot and then disappearing into complete nothingness.

I willed it all out. I kissed him some more. And finally, I let the door of my heart swing wide open.

‘I love you too,’ I told him, between kisses. ‘Very much.’

As the fireworks ended in one final thunderous explosion, I looked into Leo’s honey-coloured eyes, the last bits of falling light illuminating his perfect face. There in his arms, I knew that I was forever safe.

There was no fear left. All that was left was him. And deep in my heart, deep in my bones and skin, right down to my fingernails, I knew.

I knew that I wanted to love Leo Billings for the rest of my life.

‘Do you think Goldie secretly always hoped we’d fall in love?’ I asked the next morning, my fingers tracing patterns on his bare chest as the warm morning breeze came off the water and swept gently through Leo’s room.

Leo looked up at the ceiling contentedly. ‘I know for a fact that she did.’

I sat up on my elbow, resting my chin on his shoulder. ‘What? How?’

‘She called me from Switzerland,’ he replied, weaving one of his fingers through my curls. ‘We spoke the night before she passed. I think that, with everything that happened with Laney, she wanted me to hear it from her. She wanted to make sure I understood. Before she hung up, she asked if we’d fallen in love yet.’

I gasped. ‘That cheeky minx! What did you tell her?’

‘I told her that I was working on it. And then I packed my bags and came home. That bit was her idea too.’

I buried my face in the pillow, too happy and overwhelmed to speak. Then I looked at him again. ‘So this was her plan all along?’

The corners of Leo’s eyes crinkled, and he leaned down and kissed the top of my head. ‘I think so, yeah. She said she always knew we’d hit it off. That if anyone was gonna get me out of my funk, it would be you.’

‘Goldie fucking Miller.’ I sighed blissfully. ‘What a woman.’

Leo and I stared at each other in happy silence for another moment or so, then I sat up. ‘I suppose I’d better turn on my phone and face the onslaught. Are there robes or something in one of these cupboards?’ I asked, pulling the sheet across myself.

‘Well, Finley did say nudity was encouraged,’ Leo replied, smirking as he slipped out of bed and checked the wardrobes. I was too distracted by the sight of his naked body in the sunlight to notice him throwing a robe towards me. I hopped out of bed and slipped it on, standing on my tippy toes to kiss him. ‘I’ll be right back.’

I slid the glass door open and checked that the coast was clear before scampering over the pool deck to my bedroom, which I suspected would go unused for the next four days. Once inside, I quickly brushed my teeth, washed my face and grabbed my mobile phone, then headed back out. I was halfway across the deck when I heard someone clearing their throat, and looked up to the balcony where Finley and Tom were holding their yoga mats.

‘Care to join us, or have you already had your fill of downward dog for the morning?’ Tom called out, followed by raucous laughter from Finley.

‘Namaste, boys,’ I sang out.

The smiles on their faces said it all. I waved happily before popping back into Leo’s room and sliding into bed next to him again.

‘So, I just got an email from Victoria Milligan.’

‘What?’ I nuzzled in closer, trying to get a good view of his screen.

‘Yep. We’ve been summoned by Mark. Nine am Friday. The day after we get back.’ He looked at me, totally unaffected. As if it were a routine dentist appointment, as opposed to a meeting that would determine the future of our careers.

‘How do you seem so chill about this?’

He let out a contented sigh. ‘Well, I just spent the night making love to Alex York on a private island in the Maldives. So I’ve hit the jackpot. Nothing that weasel says to me could make me believe otherwise.’

‘Making love? Oh God, that’s like the sexual equivalent of the old thumbs-up emoji. Please never refer to us having sex that way ever again.’

Leo threw his head back and laughed. ‘Okay, I promise.’

I leaned in and kissed him on the lips in quiet disbelief that I got to do that now. Kiss Leo any time I felt like it.

‘Well, on the phone yesterday, Henry said he and Miriam had gone over the contract with a fine-toothed comb and seem pretty confident that, legally, they can’t fire me.’

‘They still might fire me .’

‘I say we just spend the rest of the trip squeezing every ounce of hedonistic pleasure out of this holiday before we need to fly back. Let’s just go all-in and enjoy ourselves in blissful ignorance.’

Leo crawled on top of me, kissing my forehead, my lips and then my neck as he whispered, ‘If blissful ignorance includes a repeat of last night, as soon as possible, then yeah, I’m in.’ He lowered himself under the covers, untying my robe and moving his lips from my neck to my breasts, my stomach and belly button as I melted back into the bed, then gently opened my legs. For a moment I wondered if anybody else in the history of the universe had ever been this happy.

Alex York, 7:00 am: We’re in love and we had sex and it was the best.

Missed call, Vanessa Blake, 7:05 am

Missed call, Vanessa Blake, 7:05 am

Vanessa Blake, 7:06 am: CALL ME!

It wasn’t until the taxi pulled up outside May and Billy’s at 8 pm on Thursday night that either of us remembered that I lived with my mum’s sister and her husband and we would therefore now have to deal with either the fanfare that would come with announcing we were a couple or pretending we weren’t and sleeping in separate rooms. Both seemed exhausting. I hadn’t even stepped out of the taxi when I spotted May on the front porch, chatting on her phone, grinning like she’d just won the fifty-million-dollar Powerball. She quickly hung up and started to wave.

‘She knows,’ I said to Leo as I stared through the passenger-side window at the house.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Look at her! She’s sick with anticipation! Bloody Tom’s given her the heads-up, I bet you. She was just on the phone, no doubt giving Mum a play-by-play. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s put rose petals on my bed.’ I looked at him seriously. ‘I am so sorry if she’s put rose petals on the bed. I promise I will get my own place soon.’

Leo laughed as he opened the car door and made his way towards the boot where the taxi driver passed him our bags. I skipped ahead towards May. ‘Please, I beg you, don’t make a thing out of this,’ I pleaded as I hugged her tight.

She brought her mouth to my ear as she whispered, ‘I knew from the second I laid eyes on him.’

‘You did not!’ I whispered back, rolling my eyes.

‘I did so, ask Billy! Anyway, I won’t embarrass you. I’m not a regular aunty, I’m a cool aunty!’

‘The Mean Girls line gets you officially off the hook. Touché, May,’ I replied, as I kissed her cheek.

Seconds later, without saying a word, May had wrapped Leo in the tightest hug known to man, letting go only after I suggested he may be running out of air.

There were no rose petals on the bed; she had, however, changed my sheets and placed a chocolate on each pillow. When Leo spotted them and held his up towards me, I laughed so hard I cried. Maybe that Bondi penthouse wasn’t such a bad idea after all …

Ordinarily I would have spent hours choosing the perfect ‘fuck you Mark Holdsworth’ outfit for our meeting, but that morning I was too happy and content to care. In what I could only describe as an act of defiance, I wore a black Prada tracksuit, which to be fair cost over two grand, but was still a tracksuit. I teamed it up with chunky fuchsia Balenciaga sneakers and my hair in two perfect space buns on top of my head and no make-up. If Mark Holdsworth was going to treat me like a child, then I may as well dress like the coolest fucking child on the planet. I didn’t bother bringing a handbag. His boring-arse office didn’t deserve one.

Leo and I made out in the elevator up to Mark’s floor, which would have served as the perfect antidote to any pre-meeting nerves—if I’d had any. Minutes later, we were sitting outside his office. Victoria was tapping busily away at her keyboard, but she shifted her head slightly towards us and flashed me a brief wink from one glinting eye.

‘You know, Victoria, you should be running this place. I reckon you know more than all of those old guys combined,’ I mused out loud in her direction.

‘Tell me something I don’t know,’ she replied, without taking her eyes off her computer screen.

Leo was called in first, leaving me to wait alone. I pulled out my phone and checked the rant video one last time. It had reached forty million views. Beyoncé had even ‘liked’ it, which had rendered Tom mute for four and a half minutes due to the fact that he was in the background of the video for three seconds and she now ‘knew he existed’. I’d had journalists from all over the world reach out, begging for comment; I’d been invited to be a guest on dozens of podcasts and gained one hundred thousand Instagram followers.

It only strengthened my resolve.

Less than five minutes after he walked in, Leo opened the door and raised his eyebrows at me, holding it open for me to enter. ‘You got this,’ he whispered as I passed, closing the door behind him as he left. I’d expected him to stay, so I stared at the door for a moment or two after he’d shut it before directing my attention towards Mark, who was in his usual spot. I plonked myself down in the chair opposite him, crossed my legs and grinned sarcastically.

‘Well, let’s make like P!nk and “Get The Party Started”, Mark,’ I said confidently.

Visibly confused at the reference, Mark removed his glasses, folded them up and placed them next to his keyboard. He clasped his hands together, closed his eyes and sighed. It all seemed a little dramatic, to be honest. The last time I’d sat on this side of his desk he’d been dismissive, high on his own power. This time, he looked resigned. Defeated.

‘Alex, I’ve got two documents to show you.’ He opened his eyes and passed two manila folders over the desk towards me. ‘The first is a letter from me. An apology for my behaviour, which I hope you’ll accept. The second is an amended version of your contract, which stipulates that no changes or additions will be made to the talent line-up of the show for the duration of the current two-year contract. Should you be happy to sign it, you can do so at your leisure. The board would like to make it clear that you have their full support, and they’re proud to have such a strong, talented woman at the helm of the breakfast show. Do you have any questions?’

Henry was right. The company really wanted to avoid any bad PR, which suited me just fine. At this point, I could have been humble in the face of Mark’s defeat, but false humility had never exactly been my thing and I couldn’t let the moment pass without a little friendly advice.

‘For you? No. But I would like to say one thing.’

Mark looked back at me apprehensively. ‘Go on.’

‘I hope to God your daughters have someone looking out for them in this world the way Goldie looked out for me, and the way I try to look out for my team, because I’ll tell ya what, Mark, with bosses like you, they’re sure as hell gonna need it.’

And with that, I grabbed the documents and stood up. ‘Looking forward to working together well into the future,’ I said. He twisted his face into something that almost resembled a polite smile and watched me leave. ‘Oh, and I’ll have Goldie’s old office, thanks. Not much privacy at my desk,’ I called out over my shoulder.

I didn’t look back, but I could almost hear the steam escaping his nostrils. Checkmate, Mark Holdsworth.