"Sorry man," I say, insincerity dripping off my tongue. "That must suck for you."
"Piss off, Liam."
I remember my promise and drop the topic. I'm too tired to argue anyway, so instead, I gaze at Curtis's face. The lamp light highlights his already golden face, and as he reads the book, a tiny crease appears between his brows. I wonder if he's upset about what I said, or if the book is sharing some concerning information.
Slowly, as he flicks pages, his face softens. So it was me.
Minutes pass, and because I'm in the shadows, Curtis can't see I'm watching him. It's a rare opportunity to study his face. If I squint, I suppose I can see why Kennedy finds him attractive.
I close my eyes. That's enough. I have to remember who he is.
5
Curtis: First Morning
When I wake up, I blink at the pointed ceiling and glance at the window beside me, shrouded in soft white curtains. Lonsdale Bay. The Harding beach house. The attic bedroom.
Morning light streams through the cracks in the curtains, reflecting off the pale timber floor. I glance at Liam's bed, and his blankets are a tangle between his legs. He must move around a lot in his sleep. His mouth is open, his black hair crushed against his pillow. From here, I can see some of his chest. I can't believe how pale his skin is, though he'll get a tan after two weeks of being here. Or maybe he's one of those people who don't tan but only burns and peels.
I pick up my phone from the bedside table and check the time. It's already past 8, which means I've slept in, but then again it was a long night yesterday. I sit up in the bed and stretch my arms before grabbing my clothes and toiletries and heading to the bathroom.
I have a quick shower, dress and brush my teeth. By the time I return to the bedroom, Liam still hasn't woken up, but that doesn't surprise me. I call my mum and talk to her and Dad for a couple of minutes, letting them know we've arrived and that I won't forget to study. Kennedy, Bonnie, Liam and I all brought a heap of school work to keep up with the endless homework of Year 12. I think Erin intends to do uni work on her computer too, even though she's on a uni break.
After hanging up, I head downstairs. Kennedy's in the kitchen, fiddling with the coffee machine, her pyjama shorts revealing her legs.
"Morning," I say, hugging her from behind.
She turns to me and smiles. "Morning. I'm guessing Liam's still sleeping?"
I nod as I open cupboards. When I can't find any green tea packets, I settle for coffee. I pull out another mug and place it on the bench next to the coffeemaker. "What about Erin and Bonnie?"
"They're on a jog," Kennedy says. "They run every morning, no matter how tired they are. Sounds like a habit their parents would have forced them to do, to maximise healthiness or something." She picks up my mug.
"Lucky your parents didn't make you do that."
"Yeah. Despite all my complaining about my parents, my aunt and uncle are on another level." She fills my mug with coffee, then makes hers. Usually, she adds almond milk, but there's almost none here, so she'll have to drink it black, the way I do.
"How'd you sleep?" she asks.
"Yeah, alright." I take a deep drink. I try to avoid caffeine, but I can't deny that the smell alone wakes me up.
"Liam didn't annoy you?"
"When doesn't Liam annoy me?" I say.
Kennedy glances at the stairs, frowning.
"It was fine," I add hastily. "I'll survive."
"Okay. Good." She finishes making her coffee before leaning against the kitchen bench. I lean against the kitchen island opposite her, and we eye each other. Kennedy's hair is a sexy rumpled mess. From the smile on her lips, she knows what I'm thinking.
"How did you sleep?" I ask, continuing the conversation.
"Well. Bonnie, Erin and I decided we'd rotate, so we'd all get to have the master bedroom to ourselves at one point. At the moment, I'm sharing with Bonnie in the other bedroom." She bites her lip. "You should sneak in when I have the master."
"Smart idea," I say, pushing myself off the island and coming over to kiss her.
Kennedy's mouth opens and we deepen our kiss, abandoning our mugs on the bench. I groan — we haven't kissed like this in a while, and I doubt we'll get much of a chance while surrounded by the others. Kennedy pulls me closer and I pick her up and place her on the bench, so she's sitting on it, wrapping her arms around my waist.
