Caught Inside

by Mandi Greenwood

  Instead, she and Chandra had gone to the beach at the bottom of Loch Hill; to the spot where he had dragged Wade out of the sea a few months before. It was the same spot where they'd made up after the trouble with Bliss Anderson. It was a good place, where good things happened for them.

  There was nothing to say. That was okay. They didn't need words. Chandra had reached into his pocket and brought out a jade heart on a silver chain, which he'd hung around her neck. The jade matched her eyes. 'I love you, Ais,' he'd told her. 'Don't forget that while I'm away.'

  Then he had pulled her down onto the sand where they clung to each other, desperately willing time to slow down. Instead, it seemed to speed up as time always does in those situations. It rushed towards the inevitable moment when he'd let go of her and leave and get on a plane and fly far away, and that was exactly what had happened.

  After he left, the days passed slowly. Aisley was determined that she would not sit around and mope, but the weeks dragged by nonetheless. The saving grace was that in his letters, it was easy to tell he loved Costa Rica. Everything fascinated him. She knew she'd been right to encourage him to go.

  While he was away, she experienced a subtle change in the way she thought of their relationship. A shift in the private universe she shared with him. He meant more to her now than ever before, and she found herself thinking new thoughts, adult thoughts, about what their future might be like. She made decisions about things she knew she could only tell him in person, things that were too intimate to discuss in a letter. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and it was a fact … half of her was missing. She wouldn't feel whole again until he came home.

  The time on her iPod read a few minutes before nine. Maybe if she went to bed now she might sleep. Maybe not. It was worth a try. She changed into boxers and a t-shirt, brushed her teeth and got under the covers with her book.

  From beyond her bedroom door she could hear muted voices floating up from the kitchen below. Her dad must have finally returned from the landscaping job he was doing in Jarvis, the next town inland from Seamere. She could hear a woman's voice that wasn't her mother's so maybe they had a visitor as well. Whatever. As long as they didn't disturb her, Aisley wasn't bothered.

  A moment later the voices stopped and she heard the French doors close. The visitor had gone and there was a creak on the stairs as somebody came up them. It would be her mum, no doubt, coming to check on her and beg her to get out of bed and come join the rest of the family.

  'Don't stay up here all on your lonesome, Ais,' she'd say. 'Come and watch some telly. It'll make the time pass faster.'

  Aisley sighed. No thanks. She'd rather just suffer in silence, watching the minutes tick by on her iPod.

  Her door opened and she glanced up as Chandra stepped into the room.

  Right … okay … she was dreaming … maybe she'd fallen asleep after all.

  He crossed the room in two steps, dragging her out of the bed and into his arms. He covered her face in kisses, holding her so tight she could barely breathe. His lips were against her ear making her shiver.

  When he let her go she took a step back and stared up at him, speechless. Stared up at him? Hang on … how was that possible? He was taller than before. That wasn't something you'd notice in a dream. So if this wasn't a dream… She touched his cheek. His skin was soft, warm, and prickly.

  'Omigod you're really here!' she cried suddenly and clapped both hands over her mouth, eyes wide with astonishment.

  He laughed and lifted her off her feet again. 'I'm really here! I can't believe it either!'

  She threw her arms and legs around him and caught off balance, he staggered backwards and they collapsed in a heap on the bed.

  'Omigod, omigod, omigod!' She showered kisses all over his face as he happily submitted to her onslaught. 'But I don't understand,' she said when she stopped to take a breath. 'You're not supposed to be here until tomorrow. What happened? Did I get my dates wrong?'

  'My flight got changed last minute,' he explained. 'It was all a crazy rush and I nearly missed the plane. I got back about three hours ago and then we had to drive home from Melbourne. There was just no time to let you know about the change. You're not pissed off at me, are you? For not letting you know. I mean, you wanted to meet me at the airport and…'

  'Oh yeah, right!' Aisley interrupted. 'I'm so pissed off with you at the moment!' She ran her hands through his hair. 'Are you kidding? This has just become the best night of my life.'

  'Me too.' He pulled a face at her. She pulled one back and they fell about laughing.

  'Aw, Ais.' Chandra took her face in his hands. 'You're even more gorgeous than I remembered.' And then they were kissing again, making up for lost time.

  'You're more gorgeous as well.' She stroked his bristly cheek. 'And when did this happen? When did you start getting all spiky?'

  He rubbed his face against hers. 'Had to happen sooner or later,' he said.

  'You got taller as well,' she accused, full of wonder at the changes in him.

  'I know, right?' He screwed up his nose. 'It was so hot in Costa Rica I never wore long pants and I didn't notice. Then I get home and put some on and they're all too short. See.' He lifted one leg in the air and wiggled his foot, revealing ten centimetres of leg. 'I look like a dick,' he observed.

  'I don't mind if you take them off,' Aisley suggested cheerfully. 'We can't have you looking like a dick, can we?'

  Chandra threw a look of enormous yearning at her and buried his face in her neck. 'Oh god I've missed you!' he growled.

  'I've missed you too. This last day was going so slowly I swear time was moving backwards! And Chandra?'

  'Mm?'

  'Please say you don't have to go home straight away.'

  'After six months? Baby, I am not going anywhere.' He waved a hand at her bedroom door. 'Your dad wants me out of here, he's gonna have to drag me out, kicking and screaming.' He smiled a weary but blissful smile at her.

  Aisley chuckled. 'You look tired,' she said tracing his profile with her fingertip. To be honest, he looked more than tired. He looked completely done in, with dark circles under his eyes, but very happy at the same time.

  'I am tired,' he said. 'I have no idea what time of the day it feels like. We left the village at midnight and it took two hours to get to the airport. Then there was the plane trip with a three hour delay in Los Angeles. I haven't slept properly since…what day is it, anyway?'

  'Tuesday.'

  'It sucked big time.' He touched the heart pendant around her neck. 'Not being able to talk to you whenever I wanted to, which was all the time.'

  'It was a nightmare,' she agreed. 'Even though we wrote, I feel like I missed out on everything you were doing.' She pressed her lips to his forehead. 'I want to hear every single thing,' she told him quietly. 'I want to know what you had for breakfast each morning. And lunch and tea, where you slept and what you watched on telly.'

  'Tomorrow.' He was still playing with the heart.

  'But there must be heaps you want to talk about,' she added. 'What are the people like? The other kids? Was the school very different to ours? I bet it was.'

  'Tomorrow,' he repeated trailing his hand over her shoulder. 'Tonight, I just want to be with you.' Suddenly he yawned such a big yawn that his jaw cracked. 'This is so comfy. Can we lay here forever?'

  'Fine by me.'

  'People can bring us food.'

  'Sounds like a plan.' They both grinned and then he yawned again.

  'I still can't believe you're back,' she murmured. 'Have you talked to Archie yet? Or Stewart?'

  He shook his head. 'Only you,' he said sleepily. 'I couldn't wait to see you, Ais. Mum told me to wait until tomorrow, but there was no way that was going to happen. Finally the woman saw reason and drove me over here.'

  So that was the female voice Aisley had heard speaking downstairs. Chandra's hand slipped lightly down her bare arm, making her shiver.

  'I love you,' he mumbled.

  'I l
ove you too,' she said, watching his eyes slip shut.

  'I'm so glad to be home with you. Sincerely, you'll never know…' His voice drifted off and he yawned a third time. He was falling asleep.

  Aisley held him as his breathing gradually deepened, loving how relaxed and beautiful he was. Loving the fact that he was there at all. Eventually she got up and pulled his shoes off to make him more comfortable. When she lifted his head to put a pillow under it, he mumbled under his breath and she froze, certain she'd woken him. Not a chance.

  For a moment she considered texting Cate and sharing her good news, but then she decided against it. Tomorrow was soon enough to share him with the world. Tonight he was hers alone.

  She crawled back onto the bed and snuggled down beside him, pulling the doona over them both. She knew that she'd have absolutely no problem falling asleep now so she laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

  The sound of his heartbeat was the last thing she heard before she drifted off.

  Archie was stretched out on the sand with his arms crossed behind his head. He watched through half-closed eyes as Cate and Freya made their way across the beach towards him. 'Thank god she hasn't got Boy Wonder with her,' he muttered. 'Praise the heavens.'

  'I didn't know you were religious,' Lucan said. He put his hands in his pockets and leaned back against a rock face.

  'I'm not,' Archie said. 'But I know a miracle when I see one.'

  'It is unusual to see Cate without Drew these days,' Lucan admitted.

  'Damn straight!' Archie sat up and brushed the sand from his shoulders. 'Like I said. A miracle.'

  The two girls arrived and Freya collapsed next to Archie. She crossed her legs, lotus style. 'What's up?' she inquired, looking from one boy to the other and back again.

  'I thought you might know,' Lucan replied, but Freya shook her head.

  Cate stood on one foot to pull her sneaker off, then swapped feet and repeated. 'I have no clue either,' she said upending her shoes and pouring sand out of them. 'Ais texted me first thing this morning and …'

  'She said be on Cariad Lili Bay Beach at eleven,' Archie interrupted. 'She has a surprise. Yeah, I know that already.'

  Cate pursed her lips. 'It's rude to butt in.'

  'Tell someone who gives a flying fart,' he replied mildly.

  She bristled. 'Omigod, what is your problem lately?'

  'Hey, no problems here.'

  'Yeah, right!'

  Archie glared. 'Like you care anyway!'

  Freya clapped her hands together three times like a teacher disciplining her class. 'Settle, you two!' she barked. 'It seems Aisley sent us all the same message.' She grinned suddenly. 'It's exciting, isn't it?'

  Lucan smiled at her from where he stood at the rock face. 'There was nobody about in the kitchen up at Sheldon's Seat when Archie and I walked through,' he said. 'The trapdoor was open and waiting, but it looks like the Brannon's are out.'

  'Oh, Mr Brannon is there now,' said Cate. 'He was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee.'

  'What did he say to you?' Lucan asked.

  'He said hi.'

  'Profound,' muttered Archie. Cate ignored him.

  'He didn't tell us what was going on though,' Freya said. 'He just kept reading the paper, and we went down the tunnel.'

  'It's much easier coming down the tunnel since Mr Brannon put those lights in, isn't it,' Lucan commented.

  'Oh, much,' Freya agreed cheerfully. 'I don't feel like I'm about to plunge to a horrible, painful death with every step I take, now.'

  Archie sighed. 'So I guess we just wait then,' he said. But no sooner were the words out of his mouth than Cate squealed, making him jump.

  'Omigod!' she yelped. 'He's back!'

  The others watched, confused, as she ran off. A second later they realised what she was on about.

  It was Chandra! Chandra was Aisley's surprise. He'd just come out of the cave with her. Archie's face lit up and Lucan beamed. Freya laughed and clapped her hands like a little girl.

  Meanwhile, Cate flung herself at Chandra, almost knocking him down. 'Omigod!' she cried again. 'You're back!'

  'Hi, Cate.'

  'It's so good to see you! You look great.'

  'You do too. Did your hair get longer?'

  'Yep. Did you get taller?' She took a step back and looked him up and down.

  'Yep! So good to be home! And to be honest,' he said. 'I couldn't stand to be away from Archie any longer. It was killing me.'

  'Yeah, right!' She smirked at him. 'And our Aisley here had nothing to do with it? You didn't miss her at all, did you?'

  'Who? Her?' He grunted. 'Nah, of course not.' Then he made a liar out of himself by exchanging a look with Aisley that was hot enough to blister the surface of the sun.

  Archie arrived. 'Hola, amigo!' he cried in a terrible Mexican accent as he leapt on Chandra. 'Aww man, are you a sight for sore eyes!'

  While Chandra got hugged and pummelled by the others, Aisley explained to Cate. 'His flight was rescheduled and he turned up at my place after I sent you that text. I thought I had to be dreaming when he walked into the room.'

  Aisley had woken to find Chandra curled like a spoon against her back, his soft breath close to her ear. Honestly, if she'd dropped dead right then it would have been so worth it.

  Minutes later, the sun shining through the window woke him too and when he saw her beside him, he broke into an enormous smile. 'Hey, you're not a dream,' he murmured.

  She shook her head, no.

  'I thought I was still in Costa Rica.'

  'You're home. How do you feel?'

  'Great!' He stretched and then looked around, realising where he was. 'Am I seriously in your bed?'

  She nodded.

  'Well then it must be a dream,' he insisted running his fingers through her hair.

  'Do I feel like a dream?'

  'Better than any dream. How come your parents didn't kick me out last night?'

  Aisley didn't answer. She kissed him instead, starting something she knew they couldn't stop. Five minutes later there was scarcely a button or a zip left fastened between them as one by one, their clothes ended up on the floor beside the bed.

  Finally, with a monumental display of willpower, Chandra put both hands on her shoulders and held her at arm's length. 'We have to stop!' he gasped.

  'No. We don't.'

  'Yes, we do! We can't do this!'

  She gave him a crooked smile. 'You don't want to?'

  Chandra's eyebrows shot up. 'Of course I want to!' He lifted the doona, his eyes travelling over her body before bouncing back up to her face. He dropped the doona and let his fingertips trail gently down her cheek.

  'Ais,' he said, solemn all of a sudden. 'Of course I want to. But this is serious stuff and if I force you into it, then I really am that sleazy guy Bliss was trying to make me out to be last year.'

  She gazed warmly at him. 'I know you far better than that by now, Chandra,' she assured him. 'Nobody's forcing anybody here. I love you and I want this to happen.'

  The expression on his face was so stunned and so funny that she couldn't help it. She burst out laughing and had to slap a hand over her mouth in case she drew attention from the rest of the household.

  He laughed as well. 'You don't think I'm a total creep?' he asked. 'I've been back in the country for two minutes and all I want to do is make love to you.'

  'That's beautiful. Not creepy.'

  'You're amazing.' He whispered the words, his lips against her ear.

  'So are you.'

  'What about … shouldn't we use … you know?' His question was awkward but she knew what he meant.

  'It's safe.' She pressed her face against his neck. 'I'm taking … that is, I was thinking about this a lot while you were away so I started taking … precautions. It's okay.'

  He drew back and looked into her eyes. 'I love you so much,' he told her and then he pulled her close again. After that, they didn't ne
ed to talk anymore.

  Freya broke away from the group around Chandra and threw her arms around Aisley. 'What a great surprise, Ais! And look, the A team is back together.' She laughed. 'If only Mr Briskett could see us now!'

  Archie overheard and he high-fived Freya.

  'Yes!' he hissed, happier than Aisley had seen him all year. She remembered him sitting on the beach back in February, complaining that he hoped when Chandra got home everything would go back to normal… like last year. She knew what Archie really wanted was for everything to be as it was pre-Drew King. That was impossible of course, but for now at least, he could make believe that was the case. As if to prove the point, he bounced over to Cate and smacked a big kiss on her cheek.

  She shook her head. 'You're unbelievable,' she told him.

  'Thank you.'

  'I didn't mean it like that.'

  'You don't have to hide your feelings for me, Cate.'

  'Good, because I'm not.'

  He rested his chin on her shoulder, batting his eyelashes furiously at her until she laughed good-naturedly and shrugged him off. Archie turned his face up to the sun and grinned.

  Chicken Vindaloo

  Willa sat on the surf beach and scanned the ocean. There was an enormous swell happening and quite a few surfers were out there. She wondered which one was Stewart and she didn't have to wait too long to find out. He soon emerged from the waves, scooping his board up under his arm when he reached the shallows.

  As he gazed back out over the water she tried to read his expression, as was her habit. Was he happy? Was he sad? He glanced her way a moment later and did a classic double-take when he saw her sitting there on the sand. She hadn't told him she was coming. He waved and she waved back.

  As he jogged up the dunes towards her, she decided he looked happy. Better still, he looked happy to see her.