Chapter 7: Flames That Don't Die Out
Rikki arrived back from Perth late a few nights later. She tossed her bag to the side and flopped down on her bed, knowing sleep would take her away soon. The trip had gone well but she found herself longing to get back to Liv and Zane. Rikki was surprised at that, she didn't think she would become so attached to the pair. She had told Zane she was arriving late and he asked if she still wanted to do a lesson the day she got back. Considering she would have the whole day to recover, she didn't think it would hurt for her to give the lesson that afternoon. Rikki curled up in her bed, brainstorming what she would work on with Liv later that day as she felt sleep take her away.
Rikki didn't bother setting an alarm, she usually woke up pretty early even without one. Given how late she got back, she thought she would sleep until the late morning or early afternoon. She felt the sun shining in through her sheer curtains and felt well rested. She stretched in her bed and reached for her phone to see what time it was. It read nearly 2:00 back to her.
Rikki shot up out of bed. There was a 2 hour time difference between Perth and Gold Coast, Perth being 2 hours behind. Had she changed her phone back to Gold Coast time? If she hadn't, it was almost 4:00 and she was almost an hour late to her lesson with Liv. Rikki didn't bother showering, changing quickly into a clean set of clothes and running out the door. She also didn't bother to check any other clocks on her way out. She was positive she was late.
Rikki did her best to weave through traffic quickly but safely. Her car also read 2:00 back to her but her car was connected to her phone. Whatever time her phone said would be the same on her dashboard. After what felt like hours, she finally made it out of the Gold Coast traffic and was driving in Zane's neighborhood. She parked her car in the driveway and ran up to the door, knocking and ringing the doorbell multiple times.
"Rikki?" Zane said once he opened the door. "What are you doing-"
"Sorry, I'm late." Rikki said as she pushed past him.
"Late?" Zane asked. "What are you talking about?"
Rikki finally looked at another clock beside her phone. All of the ones in Zane's home read 2:00. She had switched her phone back, or it switched itself.
"Sorry." She said with a chuckle. "There's a two hour difference in Perth. I wasn't sure if I set up phone back so I was worried I was late."
"Oh." Zane said. "Well, I'm glad you made it."
"Yeah," Rikki replied. She couldn't figure out if Zane was happy to see her or not. Maybe it would be safe for her to go. "I guess I'll be back at 3-"
"No!" Zane cried, a bit louder than he intended to. Rikki looked at him, surprised. "I-I mean, you're already here. You're welcome to stay."
"Okay." Rikki nodded. Zane swallowed a lump in his throat. He couldn't remember being so nervous around a woman since he first met his wife.
"I'm just finishing some work upstairs." Zane said. "You can come with me, if you want."
"All right." Rikki nodded with a charming smile. Zane smiled back and lead her up the stairs to his office. It was modest in comparison to what his dad had. Hannah had previously used the extra room for writing. She said the view from the room was the best in the house and Zane couldn't argue. When she passed and he decided to work from home, he converted this room into his office by simply adding a desk, chair and laptop. The shelves were still filled with her books, written works and photo albums.
Zane took a seat at his desk chair as Rikki followed him into the room.
"Sorry there's no where else to sit." Zane said. "I recently changed this room over to an office."
Rikki nodded as she was drawn to the shelves. Zane watched her gently touch the spines of Hannah's journals before shaking her head slightly and turning back to Zane.
"What do you do, anyway?" Rikki asked.
"Surprisingly enough, I'm the president of my Dad's company." Zane said. He saw Rikki's eyes go wide.
"Oh," She said. "I'm sorry, I guess I didn't expect you to go into the family business."
"That's fair." Zane chuckled. "It wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I left for Oxford."
Rikki shut out a painful memory that arose of her crying in his arms on the floor of their shared office at the cafe and of contractors taking down the sign while she could only watch and he was halfway across the world.
"What changed?" Rikki asked as she leaned against a wall.
"Liv did." Zane said. "My wife, Hannah, and I had her just after our first year there. We ended up graduating but just barely. Any dream I had before Liv came second to her as soon as I held her. I just wanted to provide the best life I could for her. Hannah and I didn't get any great job offers after college and we figured our best option would be to come back here so I could work for my dad."
Rikki nodded along. It was the first time Zane had mentioned his wife or Liv mentioned her mother. She noticed Zane didn't refer to her as his ex-wife. They were still married then? Rikki had been over to the house at multiple times and multiple days but had yet to meet Hannah.
"Where is your wife, by the way?" Rikki voiced her thoughts. "I haven't meet her in the time I've been coming here."
Zane's demeanor changed quickly. He seemed sad. He typed a reply to a message he just got on his computer and Rikki sat in the corner, quietly and awkwardly.
"She died a few months ago." Zane said with a sigh. "Brain cancer."
"Oh," Rikki replied. She didn't know why she hadn't thought of that. She felt stupid now. Why would anyone want to talk about their dead wife? Their recently dead wife. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's okay." Zane said. "I reckon it was bound to come up eventually. I'm glad I was the one who told you and not Liv. She took it really hard, you know. She really shut off and I was worried I wouldn't get her back. And then she became a mermaid and I…"
"Zane, it's fine." Rikki said. She felt like an idiot for saying anything. "You don't have to-"
"Then you showed up." Zane said. Rikki was taken aback. Why would he bring her up? "You show up and talk to her and you just… get her. I haven't seen her this happy in a while. I suppose I owe you one."
Rikki smiled to herself before looking back at him. "Between everything I did for you when we were teens to now, Zane, you owe me for eternity."
Zane smiled at her. Another message came through his computer and Zane groaned.
"What is it?" Rikki asked. She knew how bad days at work were. She would leave if needed.
"Nothing, it's just… the company puts on a gala of sorts every year. My dad has always spoken at it but since this is my first year as president, he wants me to take over. I can give the speech but I'm no good at writing. If only I had-"
"I can help." Rikki cut him off.
"You can?" Zane asked.
"Yeah," Rikki rolled her eyes and stepped away from the shelves. She scanned a section Zane knew to be his wife's rare non-fiction section. Rikki pulled a book out and plopped it in his lap. Zane looked down at the book. He remembered seeing the title, Hannah probably left it on the dinning table with the bag covering the bottom. It was something about the journeys of a treasure hunter and noted it was a best-seller. He scanned down the book to see valuable items such as statues, jewelry and paintings in the sand. He continued further down to the bottom of the book. Where he knew the author's name to be was written 'Rikki Chadwick'.
"You have a book?" Zane asked, placing the book on his desk.
"Yeah," Rikki chuckled. "I can't say I wrote all of it but certainly a decent portion. I make speeches all the time too. Quite frankly, I'm the best help you could have."
"Great, well… thanks." Zane said. "Let me just tell my dad Rikki Chadwick is going to help me write a speech. I'm sure he'll stop stressing out after that."
Rikki laughed at him again. "How is your dad? And your friends?"
"My dad is doing well." Zane said. "He's enjoying retirement, although he stays on my ass at all hours about work. He retired in Sydney so it's nice having him at an arm's length. As for my friends, Nate and the guys. Well, I didn't really connect with them again when I got back. I had Hannah and Liv to worry about and I wasn't sure they would understand my new responsibilities."
Rikki nodded. She supposed Nate wouldn't be able to understand not going on a dirt bike ride because his wife needed help with a baby. Nor did Rikki think Nate would enjoy hanging out with a baby. She knew she would have hated it.
"What about you?" Zane asked. "How is your dad and your friends?"
"Dad's good." Rikki said. "I was able to save up enough to help get him out of the trailer park and into a home. He still works odd jobs but he's happy. As for my friends, I don't really talk to anyone either. I figured I'd lose contact with Emma and Lewis when they left and I haven't talked to Cleo or Bella since… that full moon."
Zane put his head down, remembering the look from the horrified girl he thought he might have a chance to get back. He was surprised when she fled from his room.
"I recall you having one more friend." Zane said with a cheeky smile. "What about my best mate, Will?"
It was Rikki's turn to take a sharp inhale. Zane looked at her with concerned eyes. Did something happen with them? Something worse than what Rikki went through with him? Worse than what she went through with her friends?
"You didn't hear?" Rikki asked, softly. "Will died four years ago."
Zane's face dropped. "Rikki, I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's okay." Rikki said. "You lost your wife and I lost a friend. We've just been through shit, right?"
"Yeah, I suppose so." Zane nodded. "But we don't have to talk about this depressing stuff. We should be in a good mood when Liv comes back."
"Right, yeah." Rikki nodded. "She's an amazing girl, you know?"
"Yeah," Zane replied. "She's just like me though."
"In case you didn't realize, I liked you when you were a teen." Rikki said.
"Not all the time." Zane teased. "I only ever received hate or love from you."
Rikki laughed. "Yeah I suppose so. I did like you and I like Liv. Being around you guys has been great really… especially since…"
"Rikki?" Zane asked after a moment.
"Hm?" She asked looking back up to him. "Oh, well I was just going to say, I just broke up with my boyfriend of… I don't know may how years. He was the first relationship I had outside of you and he cheated on me with one of my roommates. It sucked, I blamed myself for a lot of it. He cheated because I wouldn't open up to him. Anyway, being with Liv has given me a new purpose. A new drive that I just love."
Zane smiled at her, standing from his chair. "We're beyond grateful you're here. Also I should add any bloke who cheats on you is an idiot. I should know, I'm the founding club member."
They shared a laugh before Rikki looked into his chocolate, brown eyes. Eyes she could still get lost in. She shook it off, still not knowing where he stood in regards to his feelings for her. It wasn't a major concern of hers at the moment anyway.
"I'm just glad to be here." Rikki said.
Zane took a few paces so he was closer to Rikki. He smiled at her before running a hand down her arm. When he reached her hand, he grabbed it and pulled her into him, holding her in a hug. Hannah was a bit shorter than Rikki, he could kiss the top of her head when she leaned into him. Rikki still fit perfectly under his chin though. Zane's back faced the door so he wasn't to know what stood behind him and what that teenage girl thought of her recently widowed father sharing an intimate hug with her mermaid mentor.
Liv yelped as she closed her locker door. She was still debating on telling Leah about her new mermaid identity and their friendship had been strained since their incident in the hallway. Liv was keeping to herself these days so she wasn't expecting anyone standing behind her locker door, much less the cute, new boy.
"Hey," he said, smoothly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"No, it's fine." Liv said as she readjusted her hold on her books. "What's happening?"
"Not too much." He said. "You have Ms. Campbell for first period, right?"
"Yeah." Liv replied, nodding her head.
"Well, I was erm….," Drew started. He suddenly looked nervous. "I was wondering if I could walk you there? I have her first period too."
"Yeah, sure." Liv replied. He didn't have to tell her what his first period was, she knew. "That sounds great."
"Cool." He said as the pair began walking down the hall. Drew had started the interaction so Liv expected him to start a conversation with her too. Suddenly, the boy was so much confidence seemed nervous.
"So…," he started. "What's your deal? Do you play into the 'I'm too cool for everyone so I'll just be by myself' lifestyle?"
"What?" Liv asked with a laugh. That didn't sound like her at all.
"I just couldn't help but notice you're by yourself all the time." Drew shrugged. "And you wear a lot of old pop punk t-shirts and black. I just figured that was your style."
"Oh, no." Liv said. "No, that's usually not me. My life has just been flipped upside down lately."
"Really?" Drew asked. "Do you mind if I ask what happened?"
Oh, you know, just usual teenage struggles and now I'm a fish, Liv thought. "My…. mum passed away a few months ago. That was tough. And now it's just me and my dad so…"
"Are you sure it's just you and your dad?" Liv heard from a locker they had just passed. The locker door shut and revealed Lily Keller, potentially an even bigger bitch than her older sister. Liv, Lily and Leah had been the best of friends when they were younger, the three 'L's as they called themselves. Then, Lily started falling behind in diving compared to Liv and Leah. She became jealous and broke off their friendships. Liv was reminded of a time when she was closer to Lily than Leah. Then again, they had lived next door to each other all of their lives. A part of Liv knew nothing good would come from an interaction with Lily but a part of her wanted to know what she meant.
"What are you talking about, Lily?" Liv asked, stopping with Drew by the other girl's locker.
"You must be the new guy!" Lily said, turning her attention to Drew. "I'm Lily, Liv's neighbor."
"Drew." He said in reply. Liv could tell he was a tad uncomfortable with the current situation.
"Lily, what are you talking about?" Liv repeated when she saw Lily making eyes at Drew. Although Liv could guess Drew wasn't interested, something about it made her want to smack Lily across the face.
"Nothing." Lily replied, shrugging her shoulders and turning her attention to Liv. "I've just been seeing a different car in your driveway quite a bit is all."
"Oh, that's Rikki." Liv replied. Where was Lily trying to go with this? "She's um… an old friend of my dad's."
"Looks more than friendly according to my mum." Lily said as the three starting walking down the hallway. "She said she saw a blonde girl hugging your dad the other day. Mum thinks they're dating."
"What?!" Liv exclaimed. It was as if Lily was trying to convince her two plus two equaled five. Rikki and Zane dating didn't make any sense. Besides, Liv's mum had just passed away, her dad wouldn't move on that quick… would he?
"Mum thinks it's gross that your dad would move on so quick." Lily said.
"Maybe you and your mum shouldn't make assumptions then." Drew butted in.
Lily was somewhere between a laugh and loosing her breath. Liv looked at Drew as if he was her hero. She didn't mind standing up for herself or her friends. Leah had no spine so Liv found herself defending her friend constantly. Things had changed since her mum died though.
"I've got to run to the pool before class." Lily said. "I'll see you guys later."
Liv and Drew watched as Lily walked the other direction. Liv had a feeling Lily didn't really have to go to the pool, she was just so off-put by what Drew had said, she needed an excuse to leave. Liv and Lily used to have play dates with their mums all the time, Lily was as close to her mum as Liv was hers. Any poor talk about her mum was damn near inexcusable.
"That's why I don't talk to anyone." Liv told Drew. "But thanks for that."
"Don't mention it." Drew said. "What she was implying was fucked up. I doubt your dad is hanging out with a woman behind your back."
"Well, I know Rikki." Liv said. "She's… a family friend and I know we've been having her over a lot but everything between her and Dad has always been platonic."
Or had it? Liv remembered the air of silence when Rikki first turned up at their house. She remembered how heavy the atmosphere had been. She ignored it at the time but was there a possibility they had more than friendly feelings for each other? Now, they were giving each other intimate hugs for the neighbors to see. Who knows what they were doing behind closed doors? No, that was impossible, Rikki was there for Liv, not Zane. There was nothing going on. There couldn't be anything going on.
"Hey, I wouldn't even think about it." Drew told Liv, grabbing her shoulder and forcing her to look at him. "Lily's just trying to get in your head, that's all. Don't give her the satisfaction."
Liv couldn't help but smile. Not only was Drew cute, he was strong, caring and sweet. Why a guy like him was wanting to give her the time of day was beyond her.
"You're right." Liv said on an exhale. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Drew said, releasing his hand from her shoulder. "Let's go to class then, shall we?"
Liv took a seat next to Drew during first period and found it easy not to focus on the possibility of Rikki and Zane being more than friends. That didn't mean she was focused on class. She kept an arm over her notebook so Drew couldn't see what she was writing as she drew hearts with their names inside. She felt so silly doing this but she was truly happy. At the least, she hoped she could have Drew as a friend.
Second period came and Drew went to different class from Liv. Lilly Keller did not. Liv knew Lily was whispering about her with her friends. Liv cornered herself in the back of her class as she willed the image of Rikki and Zane kissing out of her head. Liv briefly caught eyes with Leah at the front of the class. Leah gave her an apologetic look and Liv sighed as she continued doodling mindlessly in her notebook.
As the day continued, Rikki and Zane's relationship in Liv's head continued to get more serious. Soon, she saw Rikki moving in with them, her dad proposing, Rikki standing in front of him in a white dress and the pair telling Liv she was getting a sibling. Liv tried to reassure herself. Drew was right, her dad wouldn't start dating another woman without telling her at the least. Still, Liv wondered if he would consider her feelings at all. Zane was still young, it was fair if he did want to start dating eventually. Her mum hadn't been gone for six months yet, parts of Liv were still processing her death. She wasn't ready for a stepmother yet.
The final bell finally rang and Liv bursted out of her final class period. She didn't notice she hadn't closed her backpack all the way and that a few of her notebooks had fallen out until she heard someone calling her name.
"Liv!" He said, running after her. Drew was about the only person she would give the time of day to at the moment. She smiled as he ran to her.
"You dropped this." He said, handing her the notebook she had left open to the page she had been drawing hearts and their names on in first period. Liv blushed as she quickly took the notebook.
"Thanks." Liv replied as she held it to her chest so he wouldn't see it.
"How are you?" He asked.
"I'm fine." Liv said with a smile she hoped was reassuring. "You're right, Lily's just trying to get into my head. It doesn't make any sense."
"Yeah, well I heard Lily's going to miss diving practice." Drew told her. "Someone put green dye in one of her hair products last period."
Liv could barely hold back a smile. She let out a small laugh. "Wow. I wonder who did that."
"Beats me." Drew replied. "Do you do art, by the way? You're drawings are really good."
"You saw them?" Liv asked.
"Yeah," Drew replied with a laugh. "I especially liked what you did at the bottom right of the page. Anyway, if you're not in art, I really think you should be."
Liv smiled at him. He had that effect on her, it seemed. She couldn't remember ever feeling this way about anyone. It excited her but scared her at the same time. She never thought about doing art. She had a few of her drawings displayed at functions when she was in primary school but she never thought to pursue it any further. She was always so enthralled with diving she didn't have time for much else. Now, art seemed like a good hobby to take up.
"I've got to go." Drew told her. "I'll catch you tomorrow."
"See you." Liv replied as Drew dashed down the stairs at the front of their school. Suddenly, Liv remembered what he said. I especially liked what you did at the bottom right of the page. She frowned trying to remember any distinct features she had drawn at the bottom right of the page. She pulled her notebook away from her chest to see what he was taking about. She had doodled in pencil so she could erase any mistakes but at the bottom right was text written in blue ink and handwriting that didn't belong to her.
'Text me sometime if you want. (02) 9515 5163'
Liv felt herself blush again, knowing only one person could have written that. She made a note to text him once she got home. She had just taken a step down the stairs when she heard her name again. She was surprised to turn around and see Leah.
"Leah," Liv started. "Shouldn't you be at diving practice?"
"We have a few minutes before it starts." Leah shrugged. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry about Lily Keller."
"Yeah, well…" Liv started. "What are either of us going to do? Neither of us have had much of a spine recently."
"Right, yeah." Leah responded with a down look. "I guess I'll catch you later."
Liv nodded as Leah dashed back up the stairs. She caught sight of a small green bottle in Leah's backpack. One they had used to dye cells in science class so they could see them better under the telescope. Liv's eyes widened as she realized it had been Leah who added green dye to one of Lily's hair products. Liv smiled again, feeling she had found her first mermaid confidant.
It had been an odd day but a good day for Liv. Yes, there were people who were out to get her but there were also people who cared about her and supported her. Drew, Leah, Rikki, her father. She had lost so much that could never be replaced in the past few months but she had also gained so much more. Life was so fragile, she should stop taking it for granted.
As Liv walked up to her home, she saw Rikki's car was already there. This was normal, she reassured herself. Rikki was usually waiting for her when she got home from school and they would complete a lesson. Lily was wrong, there was nothing going on between them.
Liv unlocked the front door and placed her backpack on a bench in the foyer, taking out her notebook to take up to her room. Rikki was usually in the main room but Liv didn't see her there today. She furrowed her eyebrows wondering if Rikki was perhaps outside already. Liv dashed up the stairs, stopping by her bedroom to drop her notebook off. She figured she would ask her dad if Rikki was waiting outside for her. Liv walked to his office and felt her breath catch as she took in the sight in front of her.
They were hugging. Rikki and Zane were hugging. It wasn't a casual hug either, they were wrapped up in each other. She supposed this wasn't kissing. She supposed she shouldn't be worried about this. That was something primary school kids did to confirm a relationship. Still, she couldn't find a way to get over what Lily said to her early that day. Maybe they were dating. Maybe Rikki was keeping it from her student. Maybe Zane was keeping it from his own daughter.
Liv watched them pull away from each other. Zane's back faced Liv so she could only see Rikki's face. The atmosphere became heavy again as she saw the way Rikki looked at her father. It was the way her mother used to look at him. Liv couldn't help letting out a harsh breath. It was as if she had been punched in the gut.
"Liv!" Rikki exclaimed as she took notice of the girl, quickly backing away from Zane. The grown man turned around to face his daughter. They didn't look like they had been caught doing anything, only as if they had been talking casually and Liv had walked into the room.
"Hi, sweetheart." Zane said with a large smile. "How was your day?"
"It um… it was good." Liv replied.
"Good." Zane replied, looking back to Rikki. "Well I reckon I should let you guys get to it."
"Actually I was thinking, maybe you could come with us on your boat." Rikki said. "A bit of a casual lessons today and dinner at Mako Island? If you're not busy that is."
"Yeah, sure." Zane said. "That sounds great! I'll go get some stuff in the kitchen then."
Zane ran past Liv as if she wasn't there. Either Liv hadn't worn her face of disappointment clear enough or Rikki and Zane were still lost in their love trance. Lily was right. Something was going on and now they were ready to involve Liv in it.
Rikki gave Liv a small smile and turned to the bookshelves in front of her. Liv furrowed her eyebrows and entered her dad's office.
"Are these your mum's works?" Rikki asked, reaching out to touch a spine.
"No!" Liv exclaimed. She didn't know why she reacted now. Nothing would happen if Rikki touched her mum's books. Still, it felt as if she let Rikki touch them, she would replace her mum. As if Zane would forget completely about Hannah and only know Rikki. Liv liked Rikki, maybe if she and Zane decided to date in a few years or once Liv moved out she would be okay with it but this was all too soon.
"Are you all right, Liv?" Rikki asked, finally taking in Liv's disgruntled face.
"H-How could you?" Liv said as she felt tears start to well in her eyes.
Before Rikki could say anything else, Liv sprinted from the office to her room, slamming the door so loud, she was sure the neighbors would hear. She tossed her notebook off the bed, shoved her head in the pillow and began to weep.