by Blobel, Iris
“Oliver.” She sighed and told her mother about what had happened.
Britt pulled her in closer again as the tears started again. “Promise me you talk to someone. And promise me you’ll be going to Andrea’s wedding on Saturday and catch up with your friends.”
Tamara nodded. “I promise.”
Chapter Nine
A couple of months later...
Oliver settled into his new role as coach for the junior baseball players and felt at home in his new role. He had the friendship and respect from the players and even took a few swings near the end of batting practices. His knee had healed nicely, and he was glad to be in the gym for his regular workout.
The club hadn’t made it to the finals, but the result was nonetheless impressive and encouraging. They’d had a small break, but training for the junior players had started a few weeks later already. The group was a bunch of enthusiastic kids, and Oliver had come to enjoy being with them in such a short time.
His phone buzzed when he made his way back to his car.
“Where are you?” Markus asked.
Oliver checked his watch. “On my way, mate. I’ll be there in half an hour. The man nervous, yet?”
The guys were meeting in the pub for a drink and watching the cricket on the big screen.
When he stepped through the door, Oliver saw Markus and Ty at their usual corner. He clapped on the guys’ shoulders.
“Ready for marriage, yet?” he asked Ty after he’d got himself a beer from the bar.
Ty took a long sip on his beer before he replied. “Ready as I’ve ever been.”
A big grin spread across Ty’s face. All three knew how much he loved Katie and how much he was looking forward to marrying her. Ty’s life was going well at the moment with his upcoming wedding and his successful career in football.
“Sarah mentioned that Katie’s getting a few butterflies,” Markus said.
Ty’s movement stilled as he stared at his friend. “What the fuck does that mean?”
Markus barked into a laugh and shrugged. “Her words, not mine.”
Oliver placed a hand on Ty’s shoulder. “Easy, man. Easy. It means she’s nervous, but really looking forward to the wedding.”
Ty’s eyebrows slanted in a frown. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“My sister had the same thing,” Oliver replied with a shrug. “Trust me.”
After a moment of silence, Ty raised a brow towards Markus. “More of that crap, and I cross you off the list of invites.”
Markus laughed, but before Markus was able to reply, Ty turned to Oliver and said, “Talking of invites. Just giving you the heads up, Katie invited Tamara as well.”
Oliver nearly spilled his beer and stared speechless at his friend. Looking from Ty to Mark and then back again, he wasn’t sure whether they were pulling his leg.
“Tell me you’re kidding.”
Ty sipped on his beer, and Oliver had the feeling his friend took his time to avoid an answer. It seemed he regretted sharing the latest information. When Ty slowly placed his drink on the table and wiped his mouth with his thumb, Oliver nearly exploded with frustration.
“Mate, tell me you’re kidding!” he said again.
Ty drew in his lips before he slowly shook his head. “Nope.”
“For fuck’s sake. Why?”
With a big sigh, Ty leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “The girls have become friends over the last few months.”
Oliver pinched the top of his nose, not really understanding, or believing what he was hearing. “Come again?” he asked.
“You heard me,” Ty replied, obviously not feeling comfortable about the conversation they were having.
Markus placed a hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “Relax. The wedding’s gonna be at St. John’s. A big church. You’ll be at the front, and she’ll be at the back.”
“She’ll be there,” Oliver said through gritted teeth. “You know how many kilometres I’ve run in the last few months and how many sore knuckles I endured hitting the stupid punching bag to get this girl out of my head?” He pointed at Ty. “And he puts her right back in there.”
“Hey,” Ty protested. “Not my fault.”
“Is so. You could’ve been a man and said no.”
Ty shrugged. “They’ve become good friends.”
Banging his beer on the table, Oliver stood in one quick motion. “Something’s come up. Need to go. Will see you—” He turned to Markus. “At the wedding next week.” Then he raised his brow towards Tyson. “I hope I won’t see you there.”
“It’s my wedding,” his friend replied wryly.
Oliver ignored him and made his way to the door. Anger and frustration fought a battle with his emotions as he made his way home. Anger, that a week before his friend’s wedding he found out about Tamara coming to Melbourne, attending the same wedding, and being in close proximity for a whole day. He stopped as he walked into his bedroom. The thought that Tamara was going to be one of Katie’s bridesmaids popped into his head, but he pushed that aside quickly knowing that Sarah was definitely in the wedding party, and he was more than sure that the other bridesmaid was going to be Teagan, Katie’s friend from her hometown in New South Wales. Relief rushed through him, Tamara wasn’t going to be anywhere near him.
And his frustration grew. He’d spent the last few months trying to forget about Tamara. The picture of her on his bed, he remembered how she’d felt underneath him as well as the touch of her skin, and the way his body had responded to her. The news today that he was going to see her again made him crave to feel her against him.
Why hadn’t Ty told him earlier? Why hadn’t he told him of the girls’ friendship at all?
Oliver sighed and threw himself onto his bed. Fact was, though, it wasn’t any of his business who Katie had as her friend. Tired from a busy week and a few beers in his system, he was about to snooze off when his phone buzzed.
He ignored it. Instead of leaving a message, the person called again. When the phone buzzed again, he knew he wasn’t going to get a rest so he answered without looking at the display.
“’Ello,” he said sleepily.
“Olly, darling, it’s Katie here.”
“Katie, if you call me Olly again, or even darling, I’ll hang up.”
He heard her big sigh, but didn’t feel like an apology. Oliver didn’t like the nickname, nor did he like being called darling. And Katie knew!
“I’m truly sorry.”
“So you should be.”
When he heard Tyson in the background mumbling some words, a smile tugged at his lips.
“Listen, Oliver,” Katie said, her voice nearly breaking. “I’m honestly sorry. Yes, Tamara and I have become good friends over the last few months. I was stupid thinking I could meddle with your business—”
“Sweetcheeks, I’m not sure whether I wanna know where this is heading.”
“Don’t interrupt, okay? This is bad enough already,” Katie said. “Anyway, I stopped meddling, and we still called each other and along the way have become good friends. I invited her, and she declined. So there was no reason for me to say anything.”
“What happened?” he asked just above a whisper.
“Her uncle’s birthday is in a few days, and he’s having a family get-together. She’s coming over with her parents.”
Oliver rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Eric had told him about his birthday a few weeks ago. It’d come up in a conversation when his ex-coach was talking about future plans, and Oliver’s plans to move into the role of coaching the senior players. But even he hadn’t mentioned Tamara’s visit to Melbourne.
“She thought it wasn’t a good idea, because of you, but—” She paused.
“But what?”
Katie didn’t reply and stayed quiet for a moment too long.
“But what?” he asked again, this time with a bit more gruff in it.
“Well,” she began. “It’s my
wedding, right?”
He nodded, but quickly added. “Right. Where are you going with this?”
“I’m sorry that it’s going to hurt you, I truly am sorry, but it’s my wedding,” she whispered. “And I’d like Tamara to be there as well.”
There was a long moment’s silence. “How is she?” he asked.
“If I tell you, you won’t be angry with me anymore, okay?”
It was such a girl’s demand. He liked Katie and had since he’d first met her. She was such a down-to-earth person who wouldn’t give a damn whether Ty was earning shit-loads of money or was one of the best players in the AFL game. Katie had moved to Melbourne from New South Wales and made it her own home. She didn’t just ‘move in’ with his friend. He admired her for that.
“I was never angry with you, but with Ty. He should’ve told me.”
Oliver was sure he heard a small sigh of relief.
“It wasn’t his fault. He did want to tell you, but when Tamara declined I told him not to bother.”
“You owe me!”
“I’ll happily grant you a dance with the bride on Saturday.”
Barking out a laugh, he sat up on his bed. “She’s not gonna sit next to me.”
“No,” she replied. “And she’s doing well. I don’t want to say too much, because you might get to talk to her—”
“Over my dead body,” he interrupted.
“You’re such a man.”
“I certainly hope so.”
Oliver heard Ty in the background and knew these two had plans for the rest of the night.
“I’d better go. Love you, Olly.”
At the sound of the word Olly, he hung up, but a smile tugged at his lips. Only Katie was able to wrap him around her finger as she did. Olly. A shiver ran down his spine. Nobody ever called him that, and she knew very well that he was allergic to the name.
Only a few more days until he’d see Tamara again. The thought was enough to ignite the fire within him to full flame again, and he had no idea how to get through the next week without going insane.
***
Tamara’s heart was pounding so hard against her chest. She needed to take a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. It’d been a little bit over six months since she’d parked her car in front of this house. It hadn’t changed. The late summer season had turned the leaves from a bright green into a burning red or dying yellow. She loved the play of the colours.
With another deep sigh, she stepped out of the car and walked towards the front door. Like last time, the sign ‘Enter at your own risk’ made her chuckle. Biting her lip, she reached out for the doorbell and pushed it.
Her gaze was glued to the ground, counting the little ants walking across. As much as she tried to listen to any sounds from inside, she wasn’t able to. The pounding in her chest lessened with each deep breath she took. About to knock at the door, she startled when the door opened suddenly, but froze when Oliver stood in front of her wearing only his pants.
He slowly raised his eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.
All she was able to say was a quiet “Hi.” Her voice sounded weak even to her own ears.
Oliver still stood there in silence.
“Can I come in?” she asked.
Looking past her, he hesitated a moment, and she was sure he was trying to find the nicest words, or not so nice words, to tell her no. But he moved back to open the door for her.
Tamara stepped past him, yet stopped when he didn’t budge after he’d closed the door behind her.
Turning to him, she said, “Katie’s invited me to her wedding.”
“I know,” he replied, but offered nothing else.
Although she knew she didn’t deserve a welcome with open arms, seeing him so closed up hurt inside. He still didn’t move, and her gaze went down the hall to the chest of drawers where they’d kissed before making love in his bed for the first time. Tears welled behind her eyes.
“Would you like me not to go?” she asked.
His shrug nearly did her in. The silence between them lengthened and was making her uncomfortable. Was he that angry with her that he didn’t care about anything?
She straightened. “I get it. You’re angry. And rightly so.”
Even though he only raised one eyebrow, Tamara knew she had his attention.
“I was scared, Oliver. I had lost my husband, and I was scared that falling in love with another man wasn’t the right thing to do. Not within such a short period of time.” With only a few steps, she made it to the chest of drawers to grab a tissue before turning back to him. “No one told me that falling in love is okay. I wasn’t able to cope with the guilt that I enjoyed sex with you more than with…with—” After a small sigh, she whispered. “Jason.”
She pulled out another tissue and stepped closer. Regrets overwhelmed her. “You need to understand, I had envisioned a future with a husband and children. Dreams of a small house with lots of children running around. Then this dream burst like a bubble, and it hurt so much.” She sighed and met his gaze. “I’m truly sorry I hurt you. If I could undo it, I would in an instant. But I can’t. I can only offer you my apologies.”
Oliver still didn’t move, and his face didn’t give anything away. Only at this moment did she realise how much she had hurt him. She knew the words she’d spoken months earlier in Perth had been hurtful, but seeing his empty eyes made her aware of how much pain she must’ve caused him that day. Adjusting the bag over her shoulder, she stepped next to the door. She was conceding defeat.
“Considering you haven’t replied with a no, I will attend the wedding.”
Oliver opened the door, and she walked to her car. It took her a lot of willpower not to look back as a sensation of intense nausea and misery swept through her. As soon as she slid behind the steering wheel, she started the engine and drove off. She needed to get away, needed to feel some distance from Oliver. If only she’d known a few months earlier what she knew now.
There was a small park close by, and Tamara parked the car and sat in silence for a while. Watching the children at the playground, she imagined a life with a husband and little children. She’d always wanted children. Jason had wanted to wait, so she had channelled all her energy and passion into her career.
A thunderstorm rumbled in the distance. Occasional lightning lit up the edges of the clouds. The trees swayed in the breeze, and mums gathered their children and left the playground. She grabbed her phone and dialled Katie’s number. The phone rang a couple of times before an electronic voice prompted Tamara to leave a message.
“Hi Katie. Tamara here. Apologies for the back and forth, but I wanted to confirm that I’d be delighted to be part of your wedding this weekend.”
Leaning back, calm spread through her as the final decision had been made. No more turning back, otherwise Katie’s seating would be out of order. Nothing drastic, but big enough to upset a bride-to-be.
***
Oliver slid down the door and pulled his knees to his chest, burying his head between them. Leaving Tamara behind in Perth had been hard, ignoring her today had been close to unbearable. The words she’d said, the pain in her voice, and her look of tired sadness had almost undone him. He’d understood, but at the same time had wanted her to tell him all this when he’d been in Perth.
The last few months had been busy for him with the rehabilitation of his knee as well as the process to gain accreditation as a baseball coach. Erik had been a great help. So had Markus and Ty. Life had settled into a comforting everyday rhythm, and Oliver’s mind was slowly getting used to his baseball career being over. He’d met a few girls during his Friday nights out and flirted shamelessly with the pretty ones, but none kept his interest for too long. Soon he’d become bored with them all.
Letting out a long breath of frustration, he stood and walked through the rooms to close the windows. The breeze had picked up and lightning lit up the dark clouds in the distance. When he walked into his bedroom, the picture of Tamara lyi
ng on his bed rushed through his head.
He still loved her.
The phone buzzed and snapped him out of his reminiscing thoughts.
“How are you?” Oliver asked Ty by answering the phone.
“Things are getting a bit tense here. The days before the Brownlow Medal evening were nothing compared to this. Teagan’s coming tomorrow. Not sure whether I should move in with Grandma Hazel or not.”
Oliver laughed. Katie’s friend, Teagan, was a great girl, intense and caring, but you never knew what to expect the next moment.
“I can’t bake like Hazel, but you’re more than welcome to put up camp here for a few days.”
“Could that be considered grounds for divorce?” A chuckle escaped him before Ty’s tone grew serious. “How are you, mate?”
Oliver had enough emotional chit chat so he said, “The way you sound, better than you.”
His friend knew him better though, it seemed. “Still pissed about the Tamara situation?”
“Nah. It’s Katie’s wedding, and by all means she’s allowed to invite whoever she wants to.”
“That sounds unusually mature of you.”
Laughing, Oliver moved the phone to the other ear. “I was a bit taken aback when you told me, is all. I didn’t know those two were friends. Didn’t think they even knew each other.”
“Can’t help you with that one, either. They met the day you went fishing with your dad, and the girls came for cake at your place.”
“Honestly, I couldn’t care less.”
“She’s still playing with your heart?”
Twenty-something years of friendship could sometimes be a curse. This was one of those moments, when Tyson knew him too well. Oliver hated it.
“That’s a load of crap.”
“Of course it is,” Tyson replied, his voice filled with sarcasm. “Anyway, Thursday night, eight o’clock at Mark’s place. No stripper, no girls, no getting me into trouble.”
Oliver laughed. “You’ve become such a boring soul since you’ve been with Katie.”
“You’d better behave or I sit you next to Tamara myself.”