Chapter Ten
When I woke up that morning, the first thing I did was roll out of bed, get changed, and grab my camera. When I looked in the mirror, I realised that I had a huge ridiculous grin on my face and I felt the happiest I'd been in ages. So without much further thought, I jumped in my car and headed towards the rainforest.
On the outskirts of town, there is a protected rainforest area that plenty of tourists visit. The atmosphere is perfect for taking pictures and the limited lighting really adds affect. So I made a donation and then traipsed through the forest, taking photos and swatting mosquitoes. It was worth it in the end because I got some beautiful shots that I could definitely add to my portfolio for university.
"Where have you been?" I blinked, closing the front door behind me and glancing at my mum. She was sitting in the kitchen, wrapped in a robe. I wandered over to her, trying to work out why, the second I'd gotten through the door, mum had yelled at me.
"I went to the rainforest to do some photography," I said when I was closer to her.
"Bullshit! I've been worried sick. I thought to myself: Oh, she hasn't been sneaking out anymore; she's actually been sleeping at home. But here I find you creeping through the door with dirty clothes and mussed hair. What do you have to say for yourself?"
I was actually speechless. I glanced down at what I was wearing: faded jeans and an old shirt. Okay, so I hadn't exactly worried about what I was wearing this morning and some of my clothes were a bit dirty from creative photography in the forest (photography could involve a lot of squatting and lying on the ground). I ran a hand through my hair and found a leaf.
"Mum, I was seriously at the rainforest. I've been working on my portfolio for uni, just in case I want to do photography," I said.
My mum gave me a doubtful look.
"So how come I haven't been seeing you until night time? What have you been doing in the afternoons?"
"Hanging out with my friends," I told her with a 'duh' expression on my face.
"Well, I want to meet these 'friends'." She stood up and came to stand near me. She sniffed my shirt and then my hair and finally stepped away from me. "I'll let you off this time, only because I can't smell any alcohol. But if you so much as break curfew again…"
"Mum, I don't have a curfew," I reminded her.
"Well, I want you home all night, every night, unless you ask my permission to go somewhere first," she said. "I don't like getting worried when I don't know where you are."
"Mum, I have been home all night for the last few weeks!" This was so frustrating.
"Fine, but I want to meet your friends. You can invite them over for a barbeque tonight. We're going to have a celebration for your father's engagement."
"What? Isn't it a bit soon for him to be getting engaged again?" I asked as my heart started hammering in my chest.
"It's true that we only signed the divorce papers a few weeks ago, but we were separated for a while before that. About a year, I think it was. If he wants to get married again, I don't have a problem with it," she said. But I was sure she did have a problem with it. The way she avoided my eyes and spoke to the floor just proved this.
"Fine. I'll invite my friends and attend. But I don't know if I have it in me to actually congratulate him," I stated.
"Good. Now go tell your sister."
It was funny how family could ruin your good mood. I'd been all happy and tingly this morning just thinking about the day before. I could feel Alex's lips against mine and I could imagine running my fingers through his hair. I'd never felt as good as I'd felt this morning. But then my mum had pulled me down from cloud nine without even considering my feelings. I knew she had proper reason to suspect that I'd been out drinking, but it sort of felt like she should know that I'd been changing my life. It was so obvious to everyone else, but she couldn't see how I'd changed.
Old friends of my family had been rocking up all afternoon for the barbeque. I thought it was kind of weird that we were having a celebration at my house, but my mum seemed to like having get togethers, even if they were for other people. It was good to know that she could still consider herself as my dad's friend.
Finally, Kate and Jeremy showed up. I greeted them out the front of my house and went through a great deal to introduce them to my mum. Lots of middle aged people with nothing better to do would stop me and tell me stories about when I was little. I nearly screamed in frustration while Kate and Jeremy stifled their laughter. Finally, I managed to drag them over to my mum, who was looking at the grill like it was a foreign creature.
"Mum, these are my friends, Kate and Jeremy."
"Nice to meet you," Kate and Jeremy both mumbled politely.
"Well, hello! It's nice to meet you too," my mother said cheerily. I could see her assessing them subtly, trying to decide if she liked them or not. She seemed surprised at how polite and nicely presented they were. But she knew not to judge people just by their covers. Who knows, Kate and Jeremy could be drug crazed teenagers!
After a moment my mum seemed to relax, obviously deeming Kate and Jeremy as suitable company for her daughter. I rolled my eyes and dragged Kate and Jeremy to a group of chairs haphazardly placed on the yard.
Will arrived next, and I had to go through the whole introduction to my mum again. We all sat out the back, talking and gossiping while the adults did exactly the same thing. My dad had arrived with a shy Jane and he'd introduced her to everyone. My sister seemed to be slowly getting over the shock of my father's announcement and was swimming in the pool with her best friend from school.
"Okay, so no offence or anything, but isn't it a bit weird that your mum is having an engagement party at her house for her ex?" Kate asked.
"I know, right? I think she's trying to prove a point. Like she's not affected at all, or something like that. It's stupid, but I suppose it's better then them ignoring each other and always fighting," I said.
Kate shrugged. "Adults…" she sighed, as if this explained everything.
"Smile!" my sister said as she raised my camera to her eye and took a photo of us.
"What are you doing with my camera?" I exclaimed, clenching my fists. "Do you have any idea how much that is worth?"
Emily just giggled and ran away. At least she'd dried herself off after being in the pool before touching my camera.
"So, where's lover boy?" Will asked when he saw me glancing towards Alex's house. I shot him a look that didn't faze him in the least.
"You should go get him. He's missing out," Kate piped in.
"He might feel excluded," Jeremy agreed.
I looked back towards my fence and felt butterflies in my stomach. He was just beyond that ugly fence, probably playing his guitar. Or maybe he was with his mum. Or maybe he was sitting in his chair, listening to the festivities coming from my house. I sighed.
"I'll be right back," I said as I made my way towards my back fence.
When I poked my head over the fence and surveyed his backyard I was surprised to find that he was sitting in his chair, playing his guitar. It was just like I'd imagined.
He looked up and smiled when he saw my face. I grinned at him, gripping onto the fence with all my might.
"Well, are you coming over or not?" I asked with a teasing tone.
"I didn't think I was invited," he replied, putting his guitar down and giving me a flirtatious look.
"Of course you are. You have to meet my mum. She's worried I've been spending all my time with bad influences."
"Aren't I a bad influence?" he asked.
"The worst," I replied.
He smirked and then stood up. He leapt the fence easily and in no time at all he was in my yard, looking more handsome than ever. He surprised me by taking my hand in his and giving me a warm smile. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach and a tingly sensation that was shooting down my spine.
I led him to my mum and introduced Alex. She looked at him for a long time, taking in his old jeans and beaten motorcycle jacket. These were the things I found sexy about him, but my mother obviously didn't. I could tell she didn't like the look of him and I wondered if she would ever be able to accept him.
Before long, Alex and I were around the side of the house where it was quiet and deserted. We were making out and it felt better than anything else in the world. We were close – closer than we'd ever been to each other – and it seemed impossible to get any closer. I could feel his heart beat through his shirt and could smell his scent. Everything about him was amazing and just made my blood run hot.
But then my sister came running around the corner and caught us making out. Then she promptly started taking photos of us as 'evidence' (her words). Then Alex and I were laughing and she was still taking photos.
"Dinner's ready!" she yelled when she was done with the camera.
Slowly, Alex and I made our way towards the dinner table out the back. We were holding hands again (which didn't escape the notice of Will, Kate and Jeremy) and I was feeling happy, like every other time I was with Alex.
However, my good mood came crashing down when I had to sit and listen to my dad raving about his new wife right in front of my mum! Everyone was around the table eating the sausages and steak that had been cooked on the barbeque. I could see my mum trying to ignore my dad, but it was obvious that she wasn't succeeding.
"We're going to have a huge white wedding - but not in a church. We were thinking that we could get married along the beach. Or maybe even in a park, with flowers and everything," my dad was saying to a very fat man who used to baby-sit me when I was a toddler.
After another ten minutes of non-stop talk about the wedding, I couldn't stand it.
"Shut up!" I yelled. The whole table went silent at my angry outburst.
"Rose?" my dad asked, taken aback.
"Stop talking about your wedding when my mum is sitting only a few feet from you! Do you think she appreciates you talking about another woman when you used to love her? I can't believe you're being so inconsiderate!"
Everyone stared at and I felt my face flush. But I didn't care. I wanted him to know how I felt.
"You only signed the divorce papers a few weeks ago and already you're getting married!" Jane looked appalled and so sad. But I had to get this off of my chest, no matter who I hurt. "I'm not happy, dad! I just want things to go back to how they were. I want us to be a family again."
So quiet that no one but Alex (who was sitting next to me) could hear, I said, "I'm sorry." Because I knew this outburst was a result of the guilt I felt for breaking them up in the first place. This whole thing was my fault. I just wished there was something I could do about it.
"Rose, that's enough!" my mother said, her face red. I was surprised. I wasn't expecting her to be the one to scold me.
I stared at her for what felt like a long time. She looked genuinely angry – and not at my father, but me.
I turned my back on the table and walked away, head held high. I made it to the back fence and jumped over, expecting Alex to follow me. I slid down the fence until I was sitting on the ground, my knees to my chest. I buried my head in my knees and waited for something to happen.
Alex wasn't far behind me. When he saw me huddled on the ground, he sat next to me and wrapped his arms around me. I didn't cry. I'd already cried too much in front of him. But I did allow him to soothe and comfort me. After a while, when the moon was high in the sky and everything was dark, I could finally sit up straight.
The guests from my house had long gone and I couldn't hear a thing from next door.
"I don't want to go home," I told Alex, staring straight ahead.
"Come on," he said, helping me up. Then he was leading me into his house and giving me one of his oversized shirts and some boxer shorts. He pushed me into the bathroom and told me to have a shower.
When I came out, fresh and feeling a little better, Alex smiled and pulled me into his warm embrace. I pressed against him, finally understanding what it felt like to have someone that understood you completely. It was like we'd been together our whole lives instead of only a couple of days.
"Did you want me to set up the guest bedroom for you?" he asked after a while.
I shook my head, then moved to his bed. Once I was comfortable, I smiled up at him. "I want to sleep right here."
He climbed into bed next to me and wrapped me in his arms. Soon we were cuddled up to each other and he was humming in my ear, sending me to sleep. For once I didn't need to have sex to feel better about myself. Just being in Alex's company was enough to lighten my mood and make me happy. I drifted off to sleep in his arms, listening to him sing the lyrics he wrote for me.