Chapter 2
I wake up to the sound of frantic knocking at my door. Caro bursts in and stage whispers that I need to get up and convince Bing not to go chasing after Jane. I want to blow her off, but I kind of agree and to give myself any chance of walking away from her sister unscathed, I can't spend the entire week following him around. I don't know what her reasons are, but I'm sure anyone who doesn't have a beach house and has to stay at a campsite down south is totally beneath her. A girl's gotta have standards, right?
"Caro, how old are you? I am not going to trash talk Jane like I'm in high school, I don't know her from a bar of soap, but I am only here for a week, and I don't want to spend the entire time watching Bing fall in love with another angel. I will give him some other options, but if you get stuck into him about Jane, you will only make her that much more attractive. Just grow up, do your own thing and enjoy your holiday."
She pouts, grimaces when I yawn and pointedly scratch myself, then flounces out of the room just like an annoying little sister would. Not that I have one of those. Sober Caro knows me well enough to know she can't invade my personal space without consequences. I lay back in my bed and try to remember the dream I had been having. I'm pretty sure Lizzy was in it, and it was the first one of its kind for me since puberty that didn't have me waking in a cold sweat, dry heaving with the latent nausea I always associated with those kinds of dreams. Ten years of therapy got me so far, but the dreams were always the same. My body wanted me to behave normally, but my disorder would not allow it. I wallow in the idea of her passionate warmth before I shake it off and think about how to distract Bing for the rest of the week.
By the time I join Bing on the balcony, I have a plan in place. I've booked us in for a 2-day hike in the South-West, ending up at an Eco Resort where Bing will enjoy all the luxurious man-pampering he might want after 2 days out bush, and I will soak in the private spa. All up we're gone for 4 days, and I can't think of a better way to spend most of my week off. I sell it pretty well, saying I will go on my own if he'd rather not join me, but that I really need the decompression. The words are actually true, I haven't taken time out for myself in years, and I think I really would do it on my own, but I know I won't have to. Bing's best trait is his affable compliance, and he concedes easily despite his obvious desire to pursue his latest flame.
Bing spends the rest of the morning with Jane and her crew. I dropped him off before stopping in town to pick up some provisions and accessories I had not packed for our unexpected hike. Stepping out of the camping store with my bags I almost run into a group of teenagers taking up the entire footpath, laughing and shouting raucously. Not hiding my disdain for the public generally, and adolescents specifically, I sigh heavily, replace the sunglasses on my nose and walk straight into her path. She smirks, sidesteps me neatly and flicks me on the chest as she saunters past. "Sup, Benedick," is all I hear and is all it takes to plunge me back into my dream. My phone vibrates with a message.
Come and have lunch with us D. Stop staring at Lizzy.
I look up confused as I see Bing crossing the road with Jane. "Got everything we need?" He winks but doesn't tease me further. I couldn't come up with a plausible excuse on the spot to not join them so I tell them I will see them at the pizza place around the corner after I drop the bags off in the car. I'm still sitting in the car 10 minutes later, looking at my phone and typing then erasing variations on "something has come up, I'll see you later" when the bubbles appear in the window.
Mate. You have no excuses. It's just pizza.
Coming. Just had to take a call.
Sure, you did. We're sharing a loaded meatlovers.
No mushrooms?
You have to ask? Come on, mate.
5 minutes later I round the corner to see them arrayed across the lawn, picnic blankets arranged, with a few of the guys having a kick. I feel like a complete tool approaching a group of teenagers mostly a decade my junior and elect to sit at a picnic table nearby. I notice Lizzy immediately but keep my distance, though I nod in return when she flicks a wave in my direction. Immediately, the girls start giggling and glancing my way, while Lizzy laughs and shrugs her shoulders in response to whatever they've said. Her posture stiffens slightly, and she shuts down whatever direction the conversation takes. Not unlike Murtagh, I am too old for this shit. The shutters go down, the walls go up and I wear my most impassive almost frown as I reach for my phone and brace for however long it takes for the pizzas to come out. It will take me precisely 5 minutes to inhale my half and then I can bail.
Bing and Jane elect to join me at the table because I resist all overtures to sit with the rest of the crowd or kick the footy with the guys. I am being rude, surly and unresponsive, even by my standards, so eventually he tosses the buzzer on the table and goes to kick the footy with the guys, when Jane joins the girls on the blanket. I know I'm being an asshole, but I am so uncomfortable around most people, and this is no exception.
By the time the buzzer vibrates, I am so wrapped up in myself I don't notice Lizzy pick it up until she delivers the pizza and expertly flips a water bottle on the table, so it lands upright, right next to my hand. It kind of felt like she was flipping me off, without actually flipping me off, and I had to smile a little at her moxie.
I've never met a girl who ever prompted me to use that word, even in my head.
Danger, Will Robinson.
