Disclaimer: You know it, I'm just telling you. I own nothing.
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That Endless Summer
Chapter Four: Summertime blues.
"It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive"
- It's my life, Bon Jovi
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In the two weeks that led up to Christmas, we four had fallen into a rut. One day would be spent at the beach, the next watching movies, the third, Christmas shopping in Yabbie Creek. An endless, vicious cycle that had created itself and lasted until now, Christmas Eve, when all the fun was promised to begin.
So maybe I was more than just a little annoyed because my summer was turning out exactly how I didn't want it to. Maybe I was a little bitter because I wanted it to last forever. And it hadn't even really begun.
I sighed as I looked at reflection in the mirror, adding the final touches to my make-up. We were throwing a Christmas Eve party tonight, and Mum and Tony appeared to have invited half of the bay, and everyone else we knew who lived in the city.
I really wasn't in the mood for a party, but my one comfort was that Kit and Kim were coming up for Christmas and the New Year. It really would be good to see Kit. I'd missed her lots this year.
I walked away from the mirror and moved towards my wardrobe where my bright red cocktail dress hung. It was a halter dress that clung to my body before flowing out around my hips down to my knees. It was pretty, beautiful, just right for celebrating such a happy occasion with family and friends, I thought as I slipped it over my head. I heard a faint rap at the door before Luke's head came into view.
I gave him a small, half smile as he entered, shutting the door softly behind him. I saw him stand back against the door and look strangely at me before I said to him "Help me with my zipper please."
He walked over and stood behind me, slowly, carefully pulling my zipper up, making sure the fabric didn't snag. Softly, he turned me and pulled me close, whispering in my ear "You're not happy Maddie. Why aren't you happy?"
I sighed against his chest as his arms wrapped tighter around me, pulling me as close to him as possible. Closing my eyes, breathing in his scent, I was able to pretend that this summer wasn't falling apart infront of me, before my very eyes. That by the end of summer, things wouldn't have changed so drastically that we couldn't even remember who we were at the beginning.
With Luke, I was just able to forget. It was one of the many, many things I loved about him.
Knowing that, as patient as Luke was, eventually he'd want an answer, I pulled away from him and wrapped my hands around his neck, giving him a genuine smile.
"I'm just tired, really, that's all. But your concern for me is cute. Adorable even." I said, kissing him lightly on the lips, letting his arms pull me close once more, letting his lips deepen the kiss. Heaven.
However we were interrupted by a loud banging at the door followed by "See, I told you they'd be at it." from Ric. Always subtle, our Ric is.
"Sorry" Cassie apologised, but I gave her a look that said 'What can you do? Boys will be boys', and she smiled back at me.
"Well come on. There's a party out there, and right now we're not part of it." Ric said impatiently, shoving Luke and I out the door.
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"Aww Matthew, come to your Auntie Maddie" I cried as Robbie and Tasha walked through the door, Matthew held on Tasha hip.
"Thanks for the warm welcome Sis." Robbie said, pretending to be hurt by the fact I'd completely ignored them for their beautiful baby boy.
"I can't help the fact that your boy is completely adorable, and has me under a spell." I said to Robbie, taking Matthew out of his arms holding him securely in mine.
"Aren't you just the cutest little baby around around?" I said, speaking baby to him as Robbie rolled his eyes.
"Hey, you know you love him more than anything." I said before walking off with Matthew in search of his playmate Bella. I found her in her playpen, wriggling around on the ground, giggling away, happy in her blissful, innocent state.
"Here you go Bella, I brought a friend for you to play with." I said, putting Matthew down in the pen with her. He instantly crawled over to her, and began gurgling too, smiling occasionally at Bella. They looked so adorable together. I was just about to pull up a chair and sit down to watch them when I heard happy shrieks coming in my direction.
I looked up to find Kit running in my direction and before I knew it I had been pulled into a hug. I hugged her back just as hard, realising how much I had missed my big sis.
Pulling away, we smiled at one another before she tugged on my hand, saying, "Come on sis, let's go catch up."
"What about Kim?" I asked, spying him hugging Robbie and Tasha.
"Oh, I'm sure he has a lot to catch up on with those two. Besides, he has yet to spend some time with his Godson. He'll be occupied for the better part of the night." She said, winking at him as he smiled broadly at her and winked back.
"Okay." I agreed, as I nodded at Luke, Cassie and Ric who just smiled back at me before helping themselves to more drinks. Kit linked her arm through mine as she pulled me down towards the beach.
She sat down on the sand and patted the space next to her. As I sat down, I looked out over the ocean that was so wide and vast, and wondered if I just took a boat and sailed off, this summer would turn out anywhere near how I had wanted it to be.
Beside me, Kit breathed in the fresh air and said quietly "I miss all this. You don't get air like this where we are. You don't get peace or quiet either, there's always a constant stream of traffic, even at three in the morning."
"But you and Kim, you're happy right?" I said softly, looking towards her peaceful face.
"Never been better little sis" Kit said, "things have never been better." She sighed happily, her face conveying the absolute bliss she felt when considering the love of her life. "Things have never been better for me, but what about you?" She said, nudging me. "Mum says that you've been kinda down lately, even though your results were brilliant. What's up with that?"
It was now my turn to sigh. I didn't know what to tell her. The truth all seemed so melodramatic, so stupid, as if I was freaking out over nothing serious. But I caught the look in Kit's eyes, the one that said, 'Hey, I'm your sister, remember?' so I told her.
"After this summer lord knows where each of us will be. I mean, Ric doesn't even want to go to University, and Cassie, Luke and I; we all have different interests and plans. I guess, I wanted this summer to be special because at the back of my mind, this could mean the end of us. We could all go our separate ways and never look back. It's what I've been thinking about ever since graduation. And no matter how much I try to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, it's always there, like a reminder of what I'm going to lose come the end of summer, and the start of adulthood." I finished quietly, looking away from Kit for fear that she'd see the tears that had begun to form in my eyes.
She understood my need for silence now. So we just continued to sit, as she wrapped one arm around me and pulled me into a half hug. She didn't need words to comfort me. That one simple gesture was enough for me to know that she understood my fear, my anxiety. She understood everything that was running so quickly through my mind.
As the sun began to go down, we heard footsteps behind us, and we looked at the same time to find Kim coming down in search of us. I saw Kit smile again, and I couldn't help the joy I felt for these two. In his eyes I only saw his love for her, as he smiled when he caught sight of us.
They were in love. They'd gone through so much to get to this point. Now they were finally happy. It appeared nothing could tear them down.
"Hey you beautiful Hunter girls," he said as he reached us, clipping me over the shoulder in a big brotherly manner. "Food's on. Everyone is eating quickly so you better get up there before the guys eat everything." He said, laughing as he pulled Kit and I up at the same time.
Draping an arm around her shoulders, she fell against his side and fitted next to him. I walked a little way away, observing how they just managed to fit with one another. I was more than happy for Kit, she deserved happiness after everything she'd been through. Walking closer to the party, I saw Luke, Cassie and Ric sitting in a corner of the yard, Luke already seeing to it that there was a plate of food waiting for me. I kissed Kit on the cheek, told her once again that I was glad she was home, and skipped over to my friends.
Even if this summer was turning out to be a mess, at least I still had them, I thought happily to myself as I plonked myself onto Luke's lap and began to eat.
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Later on, when the night was growing old and weary, we were all still smiles and laughter as we sat as a large group, all the Summer Bay residents, all the people we loved. I guess this is what Ric had meant when he said things would happen around Christmas and New Year.
It was good to be with friends and family, I thought to myself as Luke's arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him. Lying back against his chest, my head leant against his shoulder. It was warm for a summer night, and it appeared Christmas Day was going to be a scorcher.
People were beginning to leave, I observed sleepily, as I saw Ric pull Cassie up and walk over with Sally and Pippa to say goodbye.
"So," Ric said, as Cassie snuggled into his chest "Tomorrow afternoon, down on the beach, four, yeah?"
"Yeah." Luke replied, knowing that all I really wanted to do was go to bed. "That's the plan. See you at Christmas." He smiled and waved at them as they walked away.
We had planned to exchange presents tomorrow instead of today. What was the use of living so close to one another if we couldn't spend even the smallest amount of time with our best friends on Christmas Day?
"Let's go, Sleeping Beauty." Luke said as he pulled me up with his arms and guided me to where Mum and Tony sat, with Jack, Martha, Robbie, Tasha, Kim and Kit. In the corner, there were soft sounds of two babies sleeping quietly, both about to enjoy the pure delight of wrapping paper tomorrow morning.
"We're off to bed." Luke said, once again speaking for me. I offered everyone a sleep smile as there was a chorus of goodnights from the adults. It was weird to imagine that I was a part of their world now. Weird for all of us. I'm sure they still thought of Luke and I as babies. At this stage, when I was almost falling asleep in Luke's arms, that's how I imagined myself to be.
Picking me up into his arms, Luke carried me into his room and placed me softly down on his bed. He bent down to undo my shoes, before commanding me to roll over so he could undo my dress. I sat up momentarily as he pulled it over my head, before handing me a shirt to put on.
I lay down, and closed my eyes, hearing the faint click of a switch. Shortly after I felt one of Luke's arms snake around my waist and pull me against his, as I snuggled into his body and fell instantly into sleep.
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When I woke, Luke was no longer there, but a steady stream of sunlight forced me to squint, as I rolled over to check the time on the clock. Crap, it was already ten. Everyone would've been up for hours, I thought to myself as the door creaked open and Luke appeared coffee in hand.
I sat up as he passed it down to me.
"And just when I think I couldn't love you any more, you bring me morning coffee." I smirked up at him, as he blew me a kiss and set down my clothes that he'd brought me.
"Why am I being spoiled today?" I asked.
"Because it's Christmas and I love you." Luke replied, dropping a quick kiss on my forehead. "But it's not like I don't spoil you any other morning that you wake up in my bed with me." He continued, digging through his own drawer for some jeans.
I stood up and walked over to him, pulled him close and put my arms around his neck.
"Merry Christmas Luke." I said quietly before kissing him. He tasted of chocolate, and it mingled with the taste of coffee in my mouth. It was always so addictive, kissing him. Like a drug that I could never get enough of.
He pulled away before I had the chance to deepen the kiss, and pushed me towards the other side of the room, saying "Go and shower, brunch is going to be ready soon." Grabbing my clothes, I blew him another kiss and walked down the hall to the bathroom. I could hear noises in the living area but I decided I'd rather face the trio of mothers when I was showered and dressed.
One thing was for sure; this Christmas was going to be unlike any other before, with that many sickly sweet couples, and two babies who were going to be spoiled with gifts.
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We did presents first. The babies being spoiled by Mum and Tony, and by Kit and Kim, as I'd suspected. And we were spoiled too. Well, as spoiled as teenage adults can be. I'd had my fair share of Christmas', on the farm, even here in Summer Bay. But I couldn't remember a time when I'd had this much fun. Or seen everyone so happy. Especially Mum. Tony seemed to be able to make her happy all the time. Unlike Rhys or Dad. He was right for her.
Time flew, and soon enough Luke was nudging me, telling me that it was time we made our exit and headed down to the beach. I walked over towards Mum, but I saw her catch Tony's eye and give him that little smile that I'd seen on her face two weeks ago.
Something wasn't right.
Tony disappeared as I continued over to mum, saying, "We're off now to meet Ric and Cassie. We'll be back before dinner, I promise."
"Hold on a second, Tony and I have one more thing for you and Luke." Mum said, pulling me towards to door and motioning for Luke to follow.
I elbowed Luke in the chest, whispering fiercely "I TOLD you they were up to something. But you didn't believe me. You owe me an apology!"
But he wasn't looking at me any more, he was looking in the driveway, where his Dad was standing against a dark blue bug, complete with bows and everything.
Luke and I shared a look as Mum and Tony continued to grin at us.
"Your mum and I, well, we figured since you did so well with your exams, and you've managed to almost behave yourself all year, well, you deserved a reward." Tony said, looking between Luke and I.
"So you went out and bought us a car?" I cried, because it was almost too good to believe.
"Well, we figured you might need some transport to get you here." He said, handing two pieces of paper to Luke and I.
I looked down and saw that in my hand was a reservation. For two damn weeks. At the Moroccan Beach Resort. In Surfers Paradise. I read it over and over. Then notice something odd. "Hold on. This is for a two bedroom apartment?" I ask, looking up at Mum and Tony.
They simply shrugged their shoulders, before smiling at us again, until I was screaming and jumping around and hugging them so very hard. This is what that look was about.
"We figured that you missed out on your traditional schoolies trip, so you needed to have one. The car is for traveling up and back, because we know how much you love being in cars together." Tony says, tapping the car. "You also get to keep it when you get back." He finished with a wink, and I hugged him again, screaming 'thank you' over and over.
Suddenly, I pulled up Luke's wrist and looked at his watch. Five to four. I gave Mum and Tony a kiss on the cheek each before pulling Luke quickly towards the beach where Cassie was running towards me.
"We're going to Surfers Paradise." We screamed in unison, before jumping around in a circle laughing away, while the boys just look on, slightly perplexed, but mostly amused.
After we exchanged our presents, the four of us sat together, side by side, staring out into the vast openness that's infront of us.
"We're really going." I said, breaking everyone from their silence. "We're really going to Surfers. For two whole weeks. Without parents or anything. Just us, together, alone, for two weeks. How much fun is it going to be?" I finished, looking between Ric, Luke and Cassie, who were all sharing matching expressions.
I was pretty sure I had the same wild smile on my face too.
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AN: Thanks to jackandmartha! for fixing the tense and for making it generally make more sense :)
And there we go. Now we're actually heading somewhere with the story. I told you there were going to be trips to the Cape. But what will happen? Well, even I don't know that much yet. But something amusing, and dramatic, and romantic… I think. As always, read and review please.