'Hi,' she called.
'Hey! This is a nice surprise.' He dug one end of the long-board into the sand and sat down, shaking his wet hair all over her like a dog.
'That's freezing!' She held up her hands in protest. 'How can you stand going in the water when it's that cold?'
'Nah, it's brilliant out there this morning,' he grinned. He plucked at his board shorts. 'See. Too warm for a wetsuit even.'
'You're mad.' She held a Styrofoam cup out to him. 'Look. I brought you hot chocolate.'
'Cheers!' He leaned over and pressed his lips against hers, and she tasted salt. He sipped the hot drink gratefully. 'Is it my birthday and I forgot?' he asked her quizzically.
'No. Why do you ask?'
'Because I can't remember the last time you came to the beach to watch me,' he said. 'It's nice.'
'I used to do it all the time.'
'I know.'
'It was really boring.'
He threw back his head and laughed. 'Thanks for the honesty.'
She smiled and hugged her knees as she looked at the huge waves. 'Did you have fun out there?' she asked.
'Most def.' He nodded, his grey eyes scanning the ocean. 'It's really going off. A bit of a shame Chan the Man isn't home yet. He's missing out. But then I suppose after Playa Avellanas, this is going to look like a paddling pool to him.'
'What's Playa Avellanas?'
'Only one of the best surf beaches in the world.' He winked at her. 'And it just happens to be on his doorstep where he's been staying in Costa Rica.'
'That's impressive.'
'Very bloody impressive.' He sipped some more of his hot chocolate. 'He's coming home tonight. Aisley and Archie are going to the airport with Chandra's parents to meet him. They asked me so I reckon I might go too. Make a real welcoming party for him, you know?'
Willa nodded silently, biting back the twinge of jealousy she always felt when Stewart talked about his friends. She guessed they were her friends too, but somehow she never quite fit … like a round peg in a square hole. She'd rather die than admit it out loud, but it was undeniable all the same. She pulled her windswept hair from her eyes and tucked it behind her ears as she contemplated the crashing waves and searched for something nice to say.
'Aisley must be excited,' she managed finally. 'I can't imagine you going away for six months.'
He looked at her. 'Would you miss me?'
'Duh!'
He reached across to kiss her again. 'These last few weeks have been good for us,' he told her. 'Don't you think? No fights, no tears.'
She nodded.
'You look much prettier when you smile.'
'Thanks.'
'You look… relaxed.' He leaned his elbows on his knees and studied her profile. 'And you're not frowning. You usually frown all the time.'
'I do not!' She pretended to throw sand at him. 'Are you done analysing me?'
'Not quite.' Grinning, he put up his hands to ward off the sand. 'When you frown it makes you look kind of creepy.'
'Rubbish!'
'Scary, for real!' He was laughing now.
'Stewart!' She mock-slapped him and he grabbed her arm. Fighting back, she wrestled him to the sand. 'I'll show you scary,' she threatened.
'Go on then.' He gazed up at her face, framed as it was by a fine curtain of platinum blonde hair. 'Give it your best shot. You're dreaming if you think I can't break your puny hold in a nanosecond, woman!'
She smiled. 'You don't seem to be trying very hard.'
'I like being held down by a hot girl,' he muttered. 'Hey. Call me crazy.'
'You're crazy,' Willa said, and she kissed him.
Aisley sat quietly on the sand, listening as Chandra told them all about Costa Rica. She didn't feel the need to add much to the conversation. It was enough just to watch him and enjoy everything about him. She was in a good place.
'How do you say it again?' Archie knotted his brows together with the effort. 'Tam Rinda?'
'Tam …a …rindo,' Chandra said patiently. 'But that's a big place. The village where I was is La Mojica. It's near Tamarindo and it's tiny.'
'Tamarindo,' Archie repeated. He pulled a face. 'How come you say it really good and I make it sound dumb?'
'You're being too Australian,' Chandra explained. 'Tamarindo. Like that. You've got to roll your r's.'
'You've got to roll your arse!'
They stared at each other for a moment and then fell about laughing and Chandra grabbed him in a hug.
'Missed me, right?' Archie beamed.
'A bit.'
'Dreamed about me?'
'Let's not get carried away.' Chandra shoved Archie aside and turned to the others. 'Have you guys heard of Tamarindo?' Lucan nodded, and Aisley knew from his letters, but nobody else had.
'Well,' Chandra continued. 'If you're ever in the neighbourhood I highly recommend going there, because it's magnificent. And La Mojica is very cute, but so small. When you come out the front door your neighbour is right there.'
Freya screwed up her nose. 'Ooh, I don't think I'd like that.'
'You get used to it,' Chandra told her.
'So, let's get down to the important stuff.' Archie rubbed his hands together and adopted his appalling Mexican accent again. 'Were zere lots of hot girlz, signor?
Chandra shrugged. Cate rolled her eyes. Archie dropped the Mexican.
'Well, there had to be some hot girls,' he said. 'Right?'
'Not as hot as what I had waiting at home,' Chandra said with great sincerity that won him a beautiful smile from Aisley.
'Pfft!' Archie wasn't satisfied. 'That answer bites and I will not accept it. What about at school?'
'College,' Chandra said. 'After you turn fifteen you go to college over there.'
'Right. College. Whatever. Answer the question.'
'Dunno what to tell you, man.' Chandra spread his hands. 'To be honest, I didn't notice.'
'Bollocks.'
'It's true.'
'So, what was college like?' Practical Lucan changed the subject. 'Nothing like here, I'm guessing.'
'Damn right,' Chandra told him. 'No new tech lab, if you get my drift.'
'No tech lab at all probably.'
'No,' Chandra said. 'In the cities it's better, apparently, but where I was is quite a poor place and the buildings are really rundown. For the first few days I couldn't cope. It was so noisy and confusing. I swear I just wanted to jump on the next plane and come home. The only thing that stopped me was that Santiago Vargas, whose house I was staying at, teaches at the college. Having his support was a big bonus for me. Made it much easier to settle in, believe me.'
He sighed and leaned back on his elbows to stare out at the sea. 'Sincerely. It's such a beautiful part of the world, and the people are awesome. They are so friendly. They don't have much, but they'll give you everything.' He shook his head. 'It makes you feel really humble.'
'The family you stayed with sound nice,' Aisley said. 'That's good. It'd be awful to be so far from home and have to stay with mean people.'
'Oh, the Vargas family are brilliant,' Chandra assured her. 'Santiago and Luciana. Their eighteen year old twin sons, Lorenzo and Mateo … there is nothing, I mean, nothing those two guys cannot do on surfboards. It's like second nature to them. They taught me some epic tricks, but beside them I felt like a real Barney.'
'Barney?' Freya lifted one eyebrow.
'Beginner.'
'Ah.'
'Do either of them have girlfriends?' Archie couldn't help himself.
'Yes.' Chandra surprised him. 'Lorenzo has a thing going on with the girl next door. Alejandra.' He rolled the name off his tongue with great skill, making them all hoot appreciatively. 'Only problem is, her father is a demon when it comes to his daughter, and he's promised Lorenzo he'll kill him if he sees him hanging around her. He'll cut off his balls first, of course, and then he'll kill him after that.'
'Ouch!' Archie turned pale.
'Ah, that's not fair,' Freya sighed. 'How
do they ever get to spend any time together?'
'Well, they kind of sneak around,' Chandra shrugged. 'That's hard to do in a place as small as La Mojica, so it sort of takes the shine off.'
Cate snorted. 'I feel their pain,' she grumbled. 'My dad is just the same.'
Archie was still riding his exultant high. 'Since when did you take a guy home to meet your old man, Costa?' he laughed.
'Well, unless you're blind as well as ignorant,' Cate said pompously, 'you may have noticed that Drew and I have been dating for over three and a half months now.'
Archie's euphoric bubble popped and his smile faded. 'Oh I noticed,' he said. 'But you've mistaken me for someone who gives a shit.'
'Why do you have to be so obnoxious?' she snapped.
'Why do you have to be so gullible?' he snapped back.
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'Nothing,' Archie lay down with his arms behind his head and crossed his legs at the ankles. 'Like I said, I could give a toss.'
Cate ignored him. She looked at Chandra instead.
'Well anyway,' she told him. 'I know just how Lorenzo and Alejandra feel. Whenever Drew comes to mine, my dad looks like he wants to run him over with the lawnmower.'
'He should!' Archie muttered. 'Do us all a friggin' favour!'
'O…kay…' Chandra looked awkwardly from Cate to Archie and then back again. Freya and Aisley studied the sand.
'Anyway,' said Lucan, diplomatically changing the subject. 'You'll have to stay in touch with your host family. Sounds like you've made some good friends there.'
'Absolutely,' Chandra nodded. 'They're the best. Especially Santiago. Such a top bloke! He took us to Playa Avellanas every weekend and whenever else he could spare the time. It was never too much trouble.'
'Playa Avellanas? A casino, right?' Freya guessed.
'No,' Chandra laughed. 'It's a surf beach.'
'Well, it sounds more like a casino to me.' Freya was obstinate and Chandra moved on.
'Playa Avellanas is the most amazing surf-beach I've ever seen,' he said. 'The swell is terrifyingly huge. I'm talking hard-core. You head out there on your board not sure if you'll make it back alive but you could care less …oh man, it's so cool!'
'You sound like you could go back right this minute,' Aisley said and Chandra studied her so intently that she blushed.
'One day for sure,' he said. 'But for now, it's good to be home.' He sat up straight and pulled her easily into his lap. 'Come with me?' he asked. 'When I go back?'
'Say the word and I'm there. Just don't try to put me on a surfboard, okay.'
'Never say never.'
'They're dangerous for unco people like me,' she protested.
'You're not unco,' he assured her. 'You're graceful.'
'On dry land maybe, but definitely not on a surfboard.' She pulled a face, making him smile. 'Yours flips up when I try to get on it. Every single time! Last time I almost knocked myself out! Remember?'
'Practise,' he murmured, amused.
'Nuh uh.'
'Last weekend,' he continued. 'Santiago took us to Santa Teresa to surf. It took most of the day to get there but it was worth it. It was so great. That was only a couple of days back but it feels like a lifetime ago.'
'You miss it,' Freya said. 'That's only natural.'
'Yeah, I know,' he agreed. 'Funny, but while I was there, all I wanted to do was come home. Now, if this girl here came with me I'd go back in a heartbeat. Life is simple there. It'd be a great place to live.' He looked at Aisley again. 'Thanks for talking me into going. Mrs Herald knew what she was doing, getting you in her corner.'
Aisley leaned her head against his shoulder. 'You're welcome,' she said.
After lunch, Chandra decided he probably should do the right thing and go spend some time with his family. After all, he hadn't seen them in six months either.
'Mum texted just before,' he told Aisley as she walked with him to the bottom of Loch Hill. 'She told me the grandparents are coming for tea to welcome me home. And the aunties, the uncles, the cousins …' He chuckled. 'Want to come with?'
Aisley pushed her hands into the pockets of her denim shorts. 'I think I'll skip this time,' she said. 'No way am I ready to get scrutinized by the extended family yet.'
'Are you sure?' he said. 'My grandmother cooks a mean chicken vindaloo.'
'That's spicy, isn't it? I'm not good with spicy.'
'The way she cooks it, damn, girl! You'll be breathing fire.'
She burst out laughing. 'No really,' she said. 'I'd better not come.'
He put an arm around her shoulders as they walked on. 'My family aren't that scary,' he said then he hesitated. 'Well …except for my grandmother. Oh, and my auntie … but especially my grandmother. You're right and I totally understand.'
'I'm sure they're lovely,' Aisley smiled. 'But this is your first family night. I don't want them thinking I'm hogging you completely.' They reached the bottom of the hill and stopped walking. She looked at the little surfboard on the leather choker around his neck.
'This suits you,' she said, gripping the silver charm between her fingers.
'Of course it does,' he said. 'You picked it.'
She impulsively threw her arms around his neck. 'It's so good to have you home,' she said fiercely.
'It was so good to be able to stay with you last night,' he whispered in her ear. 'To be honest, I think I died and went to heaven this morning.'
'This morning was…' She shook her head. 'I don't know if a word even exists to describe this morning.'
He pulled her closer. 'It was wonderful,' he said. 'What a homecoming!'
'I wanted to make it memorable.'
'It was certainly that! I'll never forget it, that's for sure! And we definitely need to pick up where we left off.'
'Preferably,' she giggled. 'When Wade is a thousand miles away.'
He laughed as well, remembering how they'd been lying in each other's arms enjoying the afterglow … their first time … a special moment ... when Wade bashed loudly on Aisley's door as he went past, brutally killing the mood.
They'd frozen, as if someone had hit the pause button, staring at each other in alarm, dead sure he was going to burst in on them! Fortunately he didn't. He just walked on by, blowing obnoxious raspberries as he went.
'The further away he is the better,' Chandra agreed.
'Or I get a lock on my door,' she said.
'Or that. Yep.' He lifted a curl off her face and tucked it behind her ear. 'Hey, Ais? No regrets? I mean, about this morning?'
'Nope.' She smiled gently and took his hand. 'Absolutely not. Quite the opposite actually.'
'Good.' He squeezed her fingers warmly. 'Because this morning was perfect for me too. It was all so … I dunno … natural. How corny is that?'
'Not corny at all.'
'It's just that I feel like I've known you forever. For my whole life.'
'I suppose you could say we're soul mates,' she said.
'Yes! Exactly!' He looked delighted at the idea. 'When I was away it was like I was… I dunno… hollow inside.' He screwed up his nose. 'Crap! I'm getting more freakin' clichéd by the second!'
Aisley laughed. 'It's fine,' she assured him. 'And I know what you're trying to say because I felt just the same. That's kind of what I meant by soul mates. When you were away it was like I'd lost half of me.'
'See. You sound beautiful.' He rested his chin on the top of her head, proving just how much taller he'd grown. 'I sound lame.'
'You really don't,' she said truthfully. She laid her face against his neck and breathed in the familiar smell of him, feeling him press his lips to her hair. Neither of them wanted to be the first to pull away after being apart for so long but eventually he really had to go. His mum sent another text to tell him his scary grandmother was waiting.
She stood and watched him head towards Seamere West where he lived. He walked backwards for a while, acting like a clown and making her laugh. When he rounded the bend out of
sight she slowly climbed the hill back up to Sheldon's Seat.
Along Came Sammy
Meanwhile, somewhere in England
'She gettin' a job or what?'
Neve overheard Darren's question as she lay in her bed in the tiny box room. It was very late and Sammy had just got home from his evening shift at the convenience store. She buried her head under the duvet but she heard Sammy's answer all the same.
'She will! Give her time.'
'It's been month's aw'ready!'
'She out there every day,' Sammy growled. 'She got a job all lined up at Sainsbury's, anyway. Goin' down tomorrow to see the man. She'll get it.'
'What? Like how she got the job at the off-license?'
'The girl's too young for that.'
'Didn't matter when she was at the pub. She told 'im she was eighteen an'all.'
'Give her a break.'
'An' in the meantime we feed her and keep her …'
Neve flinched at a sudden crash. Sammy had dropped a plate on the kitchen floor and it smashed. 'Sheeit!' he complained. 'I liked that one.'
Neve sat up in bed and stared at a movie poster on the far wall. My Own Private Idaho, starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. It was Sammy's favourite and he'd watched it with her only two weeks ago.
She chewed her lip anxiously. Maybe it was time to move on after all. It didn't pay to get too comfortable and she certainly didn't want to be the cause of Sammy and Darren breaking up. She could hear sniffing and then an enormous snort as Sammy blew his nose. He was crying.
'Aw darlin'.' That was Darren. 'Don't get all teary on me.'
'Whatchu' expect?' Sammy said his voice breaking. 'Whatchu' want me to do? Throw her out in the street again? You know what'll happen to her, a girl who looks like that. She ran to get away from that shit and you want to put her right back in it? You really want that on your conscience? On your heart? 'Coz I don't.'
'I don't want that,' Darren said grudgingly.
'She a good girl.' Sammy blew his nose again. 'Not her fault she comes from rubbish.'
'Aw'right.'
'She'll get the Sainsbury's job.'
'I said aw'right! Here, let me clean that up. You're all thumbs and you'll cut yourself.'
Caught Inside Page 4