Kai releases a dark laugh as he stumbles to his feet, blood trickling down his face and onto his white t-shirt. He shoves a finger in Zayden’s face, but I step in front of him, and his finger jabs my chest.
‘You’re going to regret that,’ he seethes, a sinister look in his pale eyes. His gaze lifts over my head, boring into Zayden’s. ‘Both of you.’
‘Yeah, I’m fucking shaking,’ I retort sarcastically. ‘You heard him.Get out.’
Spitting blood, Kai shoves his way through the crowd and kicks over an esky full of beer. Ice scatters across the floor and beer cans tumble out as Kai slams the front door shut, rattling the walls so hard a photo frame falls down.
Zayden’s lips are pressed together in a hard line, and I can see the disappointment in his eyes as he looks at Anya. He hates that he struggles with anger, especially in front of her, given everything their stepfather has done.
Exhaling, I rub my hand along the underside of my jaw, exchanging a weighted glance with Zayden. We both know that Kai is not someone to be underestimated.
The next morning, after hours of clearing out rubbish and cleaning, we are finally in the car on our way back to Bliss Bay, the small coastal town we all grew up in.
My thumb taps the steering wheel absently as we cruise down the highway. Zayden is sunk down in his seat, shades on. His head already lolls to the side as he sleeps, despite us being only ten minutes into the drive. As the one person in the car who actuallypartiedlast night, he now has the honour of nursing a hangover. Anya’s eyes meet mine in the reflection of the rear-view mirror, and I feel heat slithering through my veins as flashes of last night spin around my mind.
The rustling of a wrapper snaps my attention back to the girl behind me. She slowly twirls a lollipop in her fingers before placing her tongue on it, running it in a circle. I sit up a little straighter in my seat. Her lips twitch momentarily before she sucks the lollipop into her mouth, hollowing out her cheeks, before she releases it with a wet-soundingpop. I’m pretty sure all the blood flowing in my body is rushing to one spot right now.
Shaking my head, I force my eyes back to the road before I do something stupid.
The Airbnb is perfectly located close to town. Nudging Zayden awake, we pile out of the car and gravitate towards a room each, as there are three to choose from. It’s a relatively small place, but with the open-plan layout, it doesn’t feel cramped. Yanking open the windows, I let the warm air spill in. The beachy cosiness of it all reminds me of Anya and Zayden’s house. Crowded and rustic, but homey and comfortable. My safe place. Or maybe it was just Anya and Zayden who were my safe place.
‘Shotgun the biggest!’ Zayden whoops childishly as he zooms past Anya and me, disappearing down the hallway.
‘I’ll take the small one,’ I offer.
‘You’re used to small things,’ Anya teases, smiling sweetly.
Leaning down, I press my lips to her ear. ‘You didn’t think it was small when you were choking on me last night.’ I feel the whoosh of her breath as she exhales. Stepping back, I smirk down at her, smug.
Undeterred – or at least pretending to be – she steps away from me, brushing her hair from her eyes. ‘You mean gagging from repulsion?’
‘The way I remember it, you gladly swallowed every drop.’
‘I don’t recall that,’ she says dismissively. ‘Mustn’t have been very memorable.’
‘That’s okay, Blush.’ I flash her an easy grin. ‘I can remind you again tonight, if you like.’
Rolling her eyes, she dips into the room closest to us. Grinning to myself, I make my way down the hall and dump my things into the other room. I quickly rush to put music on when I hear Zayden start singing and soon we’re all lounging in the living room and it feels like old times.
I’m reminded of just how much it is likeold timeswhen the longing stares shared by Anya and me grow more heated by the moment. I’m highly aware of every movement she makes. Each brush of her hair, each stretch, each flicker of her eyes as she moves her gaze away when I catch her staring.
‘We better go soon,’ Anya says, glancing at her phone for the time.
‘Where are we going?’ Zayden asks.
‘To see Mum.’
Zayden’s expression hardens and he looks away from her, back at the TV, which is currently showing the film clip of a new rap song he is obsessed with. ‘I’m not going.’
‘What?’ Anya asks, frowning. ‘Why not?’
‘I don’t want to.’
‘I know you guys had a big fight before you moved out, but I’m confused. What’s going on? Why don’t you speak anymore?’
My chest tightens uncomfortably. Zayden’s jaw tenses as he glares ahead, refusing to meet her eyes. ‘Don’t worry about it.’
‘I am,’ she snaps, getting to her feet and planting her hands on her hips. ‘Tell me.’
