Out of Time (Face the Music Book 3) (13 page)

Rose nodded. ‘Very recent. Okay … so a doctor?’

Ava nodded. ‘‘Fraid so. Go to the uni clinic.’

‘I haven’t seen the family doctor after he told Dad I wanted to go on the pill for heavy periods.’

‘Are you on it?’

‘I’m thinking about it. Just have to work out where to hide it so I don’t forget to take it.’

Her younger sister was getting on with living her life even though she still lived at home. Ava had moved out, but she hadn’t moved on.

Rose looked around the room. ‘What about you? You’re free.’

Ava laughed. She didn’t feel any freer. Her conscience sounded like Grandmother, always there to remind her that she wasn’t doing the right thing. ‘There’s nothing to say.’

‘You didn’t move out because you’re seeing someone?’ Rose frowned.

Is that what they all thought?

‘There’s no one.’ But she wanted there to be someone. She wanted Mike.

But she wasn’t entirely sure that she trusted him, and then there was his mother. She would always be one of the nurses. And while he liked that now, would he like that in six months’ time?

She had no idea.

She’d managed to get to twenty-four and not know how to have a proper relationship that wasn’t either a secret or approved. She didn’t know if she was ready to openly date someone who would not be welcome. What was the alternative?

Do as she was told.

Having her own life meant that she had to own all the responsibility for the successes and failures. It meant accepting any consequences.

Maybe she wasn’t as brave as Rose. In moving out she was just hiding.

Chapter 12

The bartender placed the shot glasses down. Mike looked at Dan. This was the last one … he was pretty sure that the bartender was thinking the same thing. Mike was having a hard time hearing himself think over the music. This was not his scene. But Dan had wanted to hit the clubs while they had a few days off.

Gemma and Ed were here somewhere—not propping up the bar—most likely on the dance floor. Would that start another round of rumours? What were the odds they’d be recognised? The place was small enough that he didn’t feel like he had to be on his best behaviour. He picked up the shot glass and downed whatever Dan had ordered. It burned all the all way then punched him in the stomach for good measure. That was three shots and four beers … or five. He wasn’t sure.

Mike hailed the bartender. ‘Can I get a water?’

‘Getting soft?’ Dan grinned and sipped his beer.

‘Tired.’ He cracked open the water bottle and drank half.

‘You can sleep on the plane tomorrow. Come on. This place is full of girls.’ Dan was like a lion that didn’t know which zebra to chase.

After Lisa, he was making up for lost lays. For some reason, the unspoken arrangement was that Ed and Gemma shared while he shared with Dan. He was fucking sick of it. There was no way he was getting kicked out of the hotel room because Dan was shagging some chick stupid.

He had to get in first. After two months of just his hand he needed something.

There had also been Ava’s hand.

None of the chicks here were close to her.

Ava wasn’t his girlfriend. She’d made that clear. He didn’t want a girlfriend.

He finished the water.

Gemma came over. Her slinky silver top would no doubt attract many eyes. ‘Having fun?’

‘Yeah.’ Maybe he needed another beer. ‘I might need to crash in your room.’

She scanned the floor for Dan. Then shrugged. ‘Fine. You can snuggle with Ed.’

Like fuck.

He should head back now, but that wasn’t the way it worked. First person with a chick got the room. Last year it had been him and Ed … Ed had moved on. Dan was just getting started.

‘Another beer?’ He wasn’t sure the bartender would give it to him, but he smiled at her anyway. She placed a fresh glass in front of him.

Dan was kissing a girl as they danced. But instead of feeling burned that Dan had won and got the room, he was almost relieved. He didn’t want what Dan had … or would be getting.

Mike was done with that. He didn’t want to wake up feeling like week-old leftovers. He wanted to go home and convince Ava that he was worth the trouble.

He checked the time back in Perth. Ava would be coming off the afternoon shift. ‘Give me a key, I’m going back to your room to make a call.’

‘I swear Kirsten isn’t holding a wild party in your absence.’ Gemma and Kirsten had moved in three days before they’d taken off.

He trusted Kirsten. The house would be fine and he no longer had to worry about where the next mortgage repayment was coming from. Things were turning around because he’d had the balls to do something and ask for help.

Gemma handed him her room key. Mike offered her his half-drunk beer in exchange. She accepted with a smile and a swig.

He walked the block back to the hotel and let himself into Gemma’s room. For a moment he just sat on the bed. Now he was here, he wasn’t sure that calling Ava was the right thing to do. He’d had too much to drink.

He should leave it until morning.

But in the morning he wouldn’t be alone and there would be stuff to do. There was always something to do …

He pulled up her name and hit call. What if he was wrong and she wasn’t on afternoons. He was sure he’d noted down her roster right. She’d told him so that he’d know when to call. He’d told her when he was performing and travelling.

On the fourth ring she picked up. ‘You got me just as I pulled in to driveway.’

‘I have great timing.’ It was a bad joke but she laughed anyway.

‘I might stay in the car. The others will be sleeping and I don’t want to wake them up.’

‘Joy of sharing a house.’ He hoped that he hadn’t made a mistake in letting Gemma and Kirsten move in. He’d told his mother and she was happy he was getting the finances sorted.

‘Yeah. Still better than living at home.’

‘Mmm.’

‘How’s it going?’

‘Good, I think.’ The concerts had been great. The atmosphere and the crowds. He knew Ed wanted to be more than late afternoon entertainment, but they were still getting up and doing their thing. It gave him a buzz that he badly needed. ‘Had the night off.’

‘I can tell.’

Mike closed his eyes. He must be slurring worse than he thought. ‘Sorry. I just wanted to …’ call her, hear her voice. He missed her.

Damn, this was not supposed to be happening.

‘It’s okay. I can still understand you.’

‘Can we get together when I get home?’

She was quiet for a moment.

‘I wanted to call you instead of picking up.’
Damn it
. He wasn’t supposed to say that. ‘I want you, not anyone else.’
Better.
‘I know you have limits and that’s cool.’

‘Slow down.’

Was he going too fast—did she not want to date him because he wasn’t Indian? That thought hadn’t occurred to him sober. Now, as she was backing away on the phone, he wasn’t sure he should’ve called.

‘Maybe this was a mistake.’ The shots seemed to catch up with him and the room became a little too mobile. He flopped onto his back and kept his eyes closed. He’d be fine in a moment.

The room tilted even though his eyes were closed. He had to stop doing shots with Dan.

‘When you talk too fast I can barely understand you.’

Oh, she literally meant he was going too fast. ‘Sorry.’

‘Maybe you should call me in the morning.’

That wasn’t an answer. That was a brush-off. He recognised that drunk or sober. ‘Fine.’

‘Hey.’

‘Yeah?’

‘I’m looking forward to you coming home.’ She sounded so far away.

‘Me too.’ It seemed much further than it was. He’d never been homesick before. But all he wanted right now was to be on the other side of the country. When he got home, the first thing he was going to do was go to the doctor and get tested. He should’ve done it ages ago.

‘Go to sleep before you pass out.’

‘I’m not that drunk.’ He didn’t want to hang up yet. ‘Tell me about your day.’

‘Your mum is fine. She asked me if you’d actually gone. I told her you had and she was happy.’

That wasn’t exactly what he wanted to hear—that people were happy when he was gone. ‘Are you happy I’m not there?’

‘I miss you, but this is your job.’

She was right. This was his job. He’d always be leaving. ‘You don’t care that I have to go away?’ He’d had a girlfriend in high school who’d split up with him when he’d gotten into ADFA, that year had all gone to hell shortly after.

‘No … but I’m glad you aren’t hooking up. Maybe when you get back …’

He was definitely not that drunk; blood rushed to his dick. He was so getting tested.

‘We could go on a date.’ Ava finished.

‘Um, like dinner?’

‘Yeah. Why not?’

He had absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t. ‘Okay.’

That would give him something to look forward to. An official date with Ava. Fuck. He hadn’t been on a proper date in ages.

‘How fancy do you want to get and I’ll book it?’ She sounded happy, as though she was already looking forward to it.

Steak and chips wasn’t going cut it. Nor was pizza and groping on the sofa semi-naked. Groping fully clothed would be great about now. He ran his hand over his hard-on. It would be nice to go somewhere nice. He was sick of bars and cheap places to eat.

‘Let’s get dressed up. Surprise me.’

Chapter 13

The flight home had taken forever. He stopped in to see his mother, and while she’d smiled and listened, she’d barely spoken. Being awake had seemed like an effort. In the ten days he’d been gone, she’d started the rapid slide down. This was no longer a gracefully controlled descent.

He’d imagined that it would be slow and peaceful, steady. While he knew the doctor had said weeks, maybe a couple of months, it was too fast. He still wasn’t ready, but it was becoming clear that his mother was. And he had to fly to Melbourne in a couple of days.

His mother still wanted to hear the new album. Was that all that was keeping her going? The need to make sure that he was following his dream?

After seeing his mother, he’d scraped in an appointment with the doctor. He knew he was being judged, even though the doctor simply handed over the form to get the blood taken. Whatever the result, at least that was done. He was sure he was fine. Pretty sure. This was why picking up drunk was not a good idea; the factor of error became higher.

The house was empty when he arrived. Kirsten was no doubt working. For the most part it looked the same, except for the bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen counter and some books and magazines in the living room. He hadn’t shared a house with anyone except his mother. For the first few years his flat had been rented out because as an apprentice sparky he hadn’t been able to afford to pay the mortgage and eat.

Sharing a hotel room was not the same as sharing a house.

Out the back there were clothes were on the washing line, the lawn had been mowed and his mail was waiting on the dining table for him. It was a very surreal experience. It was different and yet the same.

He ignored the mail—that would be still waiting for him tomorrow. His date with Ava wouldn’t be. Going out somewhere nice had obviously seemed like a really good idea when he’d suggested it. And he knew he had. Apparently calling your almost-a-girlfriend when drunk wasn’t a great idea either.

He hated getting dressed up. A suit was not his preferred clothing. Regardless, he was going to do this right. He showered and peeled off the tape from the blood test, put on the suit and shirt, skipping the tie, then gathered his hair into bun so it looked neater. He should probably get a haircut and have a shave but it was just another thing on his to do list. Aside from Dan, no one had said anything.

Not even Ava.

After looking in the mirror he changed his mind and pulled off the jacket, rolled up his sleeves and put on a waistcoat that he left undone. That was better. More him and less like he was playing dress-ups.

Instead of taking his less than tidy 4WD to pick Ava up, he took what had been his mother’s sedan. They were going somewhere nice, he was going to play his part. He could remember how to be a gentleman.

At least, he hoped he did.

When he pulled into the driveway of Ava’s place his doubts melted away. She looked amazing. Her long dark hair was loose, her dress clung in all the right places and her toes peeked out from gold-heeled sandals. He swallowed hard. He was out of his depth with her.

She should’ve been out of his reach. Instead she was walking towards the car and they were heading off to a flash restaurant that was usually out of his price range. Right now, he didn’t care how much tonight cost as long as he was with Ava.

He was in trouble. He’d missed her while he was away, but he hadn’t realised how much until he’d seen her. He liked her, a lot. And not in a casual kind of way. She opened the car door and sat next to him, her perfume filling his lungs. He leaned over and kissed her. It was supposed to be a quick kiss, but it deepened, fast. Her hand cupped his jaw.

Maybe they could skip dinner.

A shiver of heat raced through him and settled in his dick. There would be no skipping dinner. He had to prove himself to her. With a last taste, he drew back. ‘Wouldn’t want to miss our reservation.’

‘That wouldn’t be good.’

***

Ava looked at the very attractive man opposite her. He’d drawn attention when he’d walked into the restaurant, and not just because of his height. Even in heels she was short next to him. He’d taken her hand as they’d walked from the car, his fingers wrapping around hers as he’d shortened his stride.

The contact had made her heart beat an unsteady rhythm. It had only been a couple of weeks but she’d missed being with him. And she’d missed riding with him.

She’d never seen him dressed to go out. He was either in work clothes, or casual. And while she’d known that he wasn’t going to pick her up in jeans, she hadn’t expected him to look so … polished, when he usually looked so rough.

As they ate the entrée he’d talked about the bands the festivals. She’d never been to one. She should make the effort next summer. Although being surrounded by sweaty half-drunk people wasn’t really her thing. Yet that was his world. From the sounds of it, he was one of the sweaty half-drunk people.