Ex, The

by Moriarty, Nicola

  ‘Sure, sure. Four big brothers; how do you reckon Luke’s going to fare?’

  ‘He should be fine. My brothers used to be more over-protective when we were younger, but now that they have their own families, they don’t do the whole “intimidating big brother” schtick anymore.’

  ‘I would have loved to grow up with four big brothers. It sounds like so much fun.’

  ‘Sometimes it was. Sometimes it was awful. Do you know what a house with four boys smells like? Like there’s a small dead animal somewhere but you can never quite figure out where. Which once there was, because Troy tried to do a science experiment on a dead rat he found in the gutter.’

  ‘Yeah, okay, maybe I’m seeing the benefits of growing up as an only child.’

  *

  Luke snaked his arms around her waist and guided her hand to the spoon to help her stir the curry on the stove.

  ‘Now,’ he said, ‘the first thing you need to know about cooking a green curry is that regular stirring is essential. The second thing you need to know is that I’m completely full of it, I know nothing about cooking green curry and this is just an excuse to feel you up.’

  Georgia laughed and elbowed him in the stomach. ‘I knew you were bullshitting when you said I needed to add more fish sauce.’

  ‘You did not! You went ahead and added it. Anyway, to be fair, it was an educated guess.’

  ‘This dinner is going to be terrible, isn’t it? Neither of us knows what we’re doing.’

  ‘Look, there’s a good chance it’s not going to taste like an actual green curry, but who cares, it’ll be unique,’ Luke said with a grin. ‘Hey, meant to tell you, I’ve booked the truck to move my stuff for the weekend after Melbourne.’

  ‘I can’t wait. The sooner you’re away from Cadence the better.’

  ‘And I told her that I was moving out.’

  ‘How did that go?’

  ‘Pretty much as well as can be expected. First, she tried to guilt me, saying that she’d end up out on the street because she wouldn’t be able to afford the rent on her own, so obviously I told her I wasn’t leaving her in the lurch and I’d keep paying my share until our lease is up. For a second I thought she was okay, but then she started crying and begging me not to move. It was horrible.’

  Georgia felt a strange mix of sympathy for Cadence and satisfaction that she was hurting, considering what she’d been doing to Georgia these last couple of weeks.

  ‘How did you handle that?’

  ‘Basically, I told her if she really still cared about me then she’d stop stalking you . . . then she switched from tears to rage and I legged it the hell out of there.’

  ‘Wow. Do you think she needs professional help? She sounds seriously unstable.’

  ‘Yeah, I agree. I have tried to bring up the idea of her going to talk to someone before, but she’s shut me down. Maybe I’ll try one more time before I move. Because once I’m out of there, I’m cutting ties. I feel terrible about it, but I have no choice. I can’t take her anymore.’

  ‘Agreed. Here, taste this.’ Georgia held a spoonful of the curry sauce out to Luke and he leaned in. She cringed at the expression on his face. ‘Oh my God, it’s really bad, isn’t it?’

  ‘No, it’s, umm, it’s super flavoursome.’ His voice had risen several octaves though and Georgia laughed.

  ‘You’re a terrible liar.’

  ‘I am not; flavoursome is the exact right description.’

  Georgia tasted it herself. ‘Holy shit, that’s the worst thing I’ve ever tasted.’ She lurched to the sink and rinsed her mouth out under the tap.

  ‘Yes, but you can’t argue that it isn’t flavoursome, can you? I just didn’t specify which flavours, that’s all.’

  They binned the curry and ordered in. When they sat down on the couch with a glass of wine each to wait for their dinner, Georgia heard her phone beep with an email. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the sender: Cade.s8758@gmail.com. For some reason, it didn’t even click that Cade could be short for Cadence, so she opened it up, thinking it would probably be junk mail. When she saw the photos in the body of the email, her chest constricted. They were of her and Rick leaving the gym after the spin class the previous day. One was of the two of them standing together and laughing. Another was of Rick giving her a hug goodbye; one where she’d obviously leaned back in to hear him say something. They were taken from a distance and out of context, which made it seem like there was something more intimate going on between the two of them. The graininess of the images seemed to make them seem sordid somehow. She immediately remembered that feeling she’d experienced while she was walking to her car, the sense that she was being watched. Clearly she’d been right.

  Below the photos was a message.

  You fucking slut, you think you can steal my boyfriend and then cheat on him? How do you think he’s going to feel when I show these photos to him?

  She felt Luke’s hand touching her arm before she even heard him speak. ‘Georgia? What’s wrong? What is it?’

  She looked up. ‘Cadence took photos of me,’ she whispered. Oh God, what was he going to think when he saw them? They looked so wrong.

  ‘What the hell?’ He reached for the phone and Georgia held it back.

  ‘Wait, let me explain . . .’ she began.

  He frowned. ‘What do you mean? Why would you have to explain?’

  ‘It’s just that . . . these photos, they’re not what they look like. She’s got it all wrong.’

  He gently extricated the phone from her grip. ‘Trust me. Whatever it is, it’s going to be okay,’ he said.

  She watched his face as he looked at the email. Even though she knew there was nothing at all to hide from him, a part of her was still afraid. Would he think there was something more going on?

  ‘It’s not what it looks like,’ she tried again.

  Luke looked up at her. ‘You know what it looks like to me? It looks like you’re leaving the gym with a mate and my psycho ex is trying to turn it into something it’s not, and I’ve seriously had enough.’ He handed the phone back, stood up and ran his hands through his hair. ‘I can’t believe this. She’s completely violated you. This has to stop. She cannot get away with this.’

  Georgia felt a wave of relief. ‘So, what do we do?’ she asked.

  ‘Go to the cops? Report her?’

  ‘But you haven’t moved out yet.’

  ‘I know, but I’m about to. Besides, at this stage I’m thinking the restraining order would be more for you than me, wouldn’t it? You’re the one she’s taking photos of. I’m terrified of what she’s doing to you, of what else she might be capable of. We need to make her stop, and so far, she won’t listen to me.’

  ‘I guess. It’s just that a restraining order feels so serious . . . It makes it all so . . . real. Is this actually happening? Is she properly stalking me? It’s so surreal.’

  ‘I get what you mean. Look, if you want, I can try again to talk to her, to reason with her, and we can wait until after the move before we take this to the cops . . . It’s up to you.’

  ‘Okay. Let me think about it.’

  The buzzer for the front door went and Georgia jumped.

  ‘It’s okay, babe, it’ll be the food.’ He gave her hand a squeeze and then went to get their delivery.

  *

  Georgia looked in the rear-view mirror for what must have been the fifteenth time. When her eyes slid back down, she had to slam her foot down hard on the brake as the car in front slowed for a red light.

  She needed to concentrate. But was that the same red car that had been behind her on Quakers Hill Parkway? Or a different one? She couldn’t be sure. The light was still red so she risked another look in the rear-view mirror as the offending car rolled up behind her.

  It was a woman driving. Blonde hair. Giant dark sunglasses. Could it be Cadence? But reconciling the photo she’d seen of her with the tiny reflection in her rear-view mirror was impossible. The light went green
and Georgia crossed the intersection. She changed lanes and checked the mirror. The car behind changed lanes too. But that didn’t necessarily mean anything, as this lane would be ending up ahead.

  At Windsor Road, she turned right. So did the red car.

  At Showground Road, she turned left. So did the red car.

  Her breathing rate increased. She changed lanes. So did the red car. She changed back. So did the red car.

  Okay, she’s following me, she’s absolutely, without a doubt, following me.

  What was Georgia supposed to do now? Drive straight to a police station? Go running inside shouting for help? She was overreacting. This was silly, anyone could be taking the same route as she was. These were all main roads.

  Georgia decided to make an unexpected turn off onto a quieter street up ahead. If the red car followed, then she would call that proof. She indicated late, took the turn a little faster than she would have liked, then looked behind her. No one. The red car was gone.

  She pulled over and calmed her breathing. Then she slammed her hands against the steering wheel. For fuck’s sake, she didn’t have time for this. She was supposed to be going home, grabbing the bag she’d packed the previous evening before her night shift and then heading straight to the airport to meet Luke. Fuck Cadence. Fuck her for making her feel this way. If she didn’t have to get down to Melbourne for her brother’s wedding, maybe she’d go and confront her right now, tell her she couldn’t take it anymore. Tell her that it was time for her to let go of Luke, that she had to move on.

  But the truth was, it was only the adrenalin talking. She couldn’t do that. Could she?

  THE ELEVATOR

  Georgia’s lungs burned, she was gasping for air. ‘H-hey,’ she said. ‘Can you . . . please, can you just let me out of here?’ She was trying to keep her voice as calm as possible; maybe if she pretended that this was no big deal then Cadence would snap out of it.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Georgia placed her hand on Luke’s knee and he instantly stopped jiggling it up and down.

  ‘Sorry, didn’t realise I was doing it again.’

  ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’

  They were seated by the window at Gate 27. Their flight to Melbourne was due to board in the next ten minutes.

  ‘Yeah, I’ll be fine.’

  ‘You should have said something sooner. We could have road-tripped it instead.’

  Luke shrugged. ‘No one wants to drive twelve hours when the trip can be done in ninety minutes.’

  ‘I feel so bad though.’

  Luke put a hand over Georgia’s, which was still placed on his knee. ‘Seriously, you shouldn’t feel bad.’

  Georgia couldn’t help but feel impressed that he was still trying to reassure her, despite the fact that he was shaking with nerves right now.

  ‘So, you never fly for work?’

  ‘All on the road. They have other reps interstate so I’ve only ever needed to travel within New South Wales.’

  ‘Did something happen . . . to make you afraid? Or you’ve always been bothered by planes?’

  ‘Nothing happened. Just a grown man with an irrational fear.’

  A message came over the PA system. ‘Attention all passengers travelling with Virgin on flight VA565 to Melbourne. We’ll commence boarding shortly. Please familiarise yourself with your row number.’

  Luke’s knee began to dance again under Georgia’s hand and she squeezed it.

  ‘Honestly, I’m giving you an out right now. I can go to this wedding on my own if you like. I’m serious — I don’t want to force you into this.’

  Luke’s leg fell still again and he looked up at Georgia and gave her a crooked smile. ‘And be forever known as the boyfriend who chickened out on meeting your family because I’m too afraid to fly? It’s okay, I can do this.’

  Georgia leaned in, kissed him then pulled back. ‘Okay, just tell me if you need anything at all.’

  ‘You’re so fucking sweet.’

  ‘Don’t you forget it.’

  Luke’s phone lit up on the seat next to him and Georgia saw him glance at it and then groan.

  ‘Cadence?’ Her voice became terse. She hadn’t told Luke about the incident on her way home from work this morning yet. As soon as she’d met Luke at the airport she’d realised something was up with him, and when she’d found out it was a fear of flying, she’d immediately put all thoughts of Cadence out of her mind to focus on making sure Luke felt okay. But here she was, interfering with their lives yet again. God, she wished Cadence would leave them alone. Enough was enough; why was it so hard for this woman to accept that her relationship with Luke was over? What was it going to take?

  ‘Yep. It’s her.’

  ‘What does it say?’

  He put on a funny announcer-style voice. ‘Today, Cadence will be playing the part of the victim.’ He sighed. ‘The same old stuff — how could I do this to her, how could I hurt her this way. I’m so sick of it.’

  ‘That reminds me, what colour is her car?’

  ‘Why? What happened?’

  ‘This morning, driving home from the hospital, I thought she might have been following me.’

  ‘Shit, really?’

  ‘No, no, I mean, yes, I was worried about being followed, but in the end, I don’t think it was her. I was being paranoid. It was just this red car I thought had been behind me for a while, but then I wasn’t even sure if I was imagining it.’

  ‘So, it was red?’ He looked worried.

  ‘I take that to mean she does drive a red car?’

  ‘Yes. Did you catch the make? Or the number plate?

  ‘I’m not really sure. Hatchback . . . maybe a Toyota, but don’t quote me on that. I didn’t get the number plate.’

  Luke winced. ‘Could you see the driver?’

  ‘I got a bit of a look when we were both stopped at a light.’

  ‘And did it look like her? I mean, I know you’ve only seen a couple of photos, but . . . if you had to guess?’

  ‘Hard to say. She had big sunnies on. But she was blonde.’

  ‘Jesus Christ. I mean, I don’t know, I guess blonde chicks driving red cars can’t be that rare . . . but she does drive a hatchback. Maybe it’s a complete coincidence?’

  But he was shaking even more now and Georgia realised this news had really freaked him out. Maybe she should have waited until after the flight to tell him.

  ‘I feel awful,’ he added. ‘I’m so sorry.’

  ‘You don’t need to be sorry, this isn’t your fault. She’s the one with the problem. Anyway, it probably wasn’t even her.’

  They waited to board until the very end of the line was trickling through the door and the flight attendant gave Georgia a knowing smile as she scanned their tickets. Luke’s dead-white face and iron-fisted grip on his ticket was a total giveaway.

  ‘Is he okay?’ she asked.

  Luke’s mouth was clamped shut but he nodded, and Georgia smiled back. ‘We’ll be fine.’

  ‘It’ll be over before you know it.’

  The first time Georgia had flown down to Melbourne was when Marcus was moving there. She’d offered to go with him and help him find a place. The two of them had traded scary movie titles with aeroplane-based plots as they boarded.

  Snakes on a Plane.

  Castaway.

  Red Eye.

  Flightplan.

  Black Hawk Down.

  That one doesn’t count, helicopter, not a plane. Plus, it’s a war movie. I win.

  She couldn’t remember why they’d started doing it, but Georgia had thought it was funny at the time. Now she felt guilty. What if someone nearby had a fear of flying and their conversation had made them even more terrified? She certainly wouldn’t be offering to play that game with Luke right now. She imagined what it would have been like if Marcus were with them. He was a great brother, but he wasn’t particularly sensitive. He’d be giving Luke hell. He’d probably start shaking in his seat and pretending the plane was g
oing down. His idea of a hilarious prank. She hoped her brother was going to treat Luke well when they arrived. He used to be quite adept at chasing her boyfriends away when he wanted to. A skill she’d taken advantage of when she was younger and had wanted to call it quits with a guy without having to break up with him herself. This time, though, she really wanted him to behave. Provided they made it through this flight, of course.

  *

  At Melbourne Airport, Georgia suggested Luke go into the bathroom and take a few minutes to wash his face and recover before they walked out of the arrivals gate and met Marcus. He’d actually coped really well, although he’d gripped her hand for almost the entire flight and his face was still a little grey. She leaned against the wall and checked her phone while she waited, their carry-on bags by her feet.

  There was a text message waiting for her from Amber.

  Hospital boring without you. Hurry up and come back. Take photos of your hot brothers for me.

  Georgia tapped out a reply. AMBER! FFS, they’re all taken!! Hey, turns out Luke terrified of flying. I feel awful.

  Seriously? See this is why you should have taken me to the wedding instead.

  ‘Who are you texting?’

  Her head snapped up. ‘Shit, you scared me.’

  Luke laughed. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you. I’m all good now.’

  ‘It was Amber. Hassling me again about my supposed “hot brothers”.’ Georgia slipped her phone into her back pocket and realised she maybe shouldn’t have told Amber that Luke had a fear of flying without checking if he minded people knowing first.

  ‘I thought Amber was gay.’

  ‘Bi. Or actually I think she calls it sexually fluid.’

  ‘Ah. So, I just turned my phone back on too. Want to place a bet on how many voicemails and messages Cadence left me while it was off?’

  ‘Two hundred and forty-six.’

  ‘Ha. Take away the two hundred and you’d be close enough.’

  Georgia took a steadying breath before replying. As angry as Cadence was making her, she didn’t want to take it out on Luke. ‘Unbelievable.’ She reached down to pick up their luggage but Luke beat her to it.