Halfway Valentine | Special 10: "14,600 Meals"

“Babe,” Naomi softly called, walking behind me as I stood leaning against the vine-covered balcony railing. She wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her chin on my shoulder.

“Mhm?” I murmured, brushing my hair and throwing it up in a messy bun.

“Look where we are,” she whispered in my ear, kissing my cheek, as we both took in the breathtaking view. “I feel very . . . fortunate.”

JJ’s magnificent villa was located in Point Piper, Sydney’s most exclusive waterfront suburb. And from where we were standing, you could clearly see the majestic houses and buildings lining the sea front. The property also overlooked panoramic Rose Bay harbour with Sydney Harbour Bridge as a centre-piece, creating a perfect setting for someone whose aim was to relax and fall further in love. Up ahead, the waters of the bay embraced the Pacific.

Just beyond the marina, masts of sailboats pointed toward the sky like upraised fingers. In every direction, there were leisure boats of every shape and size and Jet Skis zipping past, leaving white curls of water behind them.

I looked up at the sky. Clouds drifted overhead, puffy and full, as if moulded from snow. The gentle blue sky spread over water speckled with golden prisms of sunlight.

It made people feel like they were in a place where time stood still.

“. . . and a little out of place,” added the blonde with that hypercritical smirk of hers. I just loved my girlfriend’s boundless enthusiasm.

I turned around, and smiled at my beautiful girlfriend. “I can’t believe I’m here,” I said quietly. “It still feels a little surreal, Naomes.”

Naomi returned the smile. I could tell she was just as happy as I was. “I know. And there are only a few moments where I’m glad JJ’s my mate. And this is definitely one of them. I can’t need him for anything, but he could serve as entrée into the high society Sydney world of which I know not a fucking thing.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re being sarcastic again, babe. I meant, you know, just the utterly surreal aspect of being here with you on your home turf . . .” 

She nodded. “I know. And I can’t even begin to say how over the moon I am that you’re finally here, Emily,” she whispered, touching my cheek lightly, lovingly. “I can’t wait for you to experience everything.” Her bright blue eyes were shining with genuine happiness and anticipation.

I touched Naomi’s cheek with my fingertips and looked into her warm blue eyes. Tenderly I raised my lips to hers and ran my fingers through her gorgeous long blond hair. “I’m not sure what that ‘everything’ entails,” I lovingly said, “but since I feel very affectionate and appreciative today, I love you, babe . . . and can’t wait?”

She laughed at this. “I love you, too, Ems. And I love your new hair.” She ran her fingers through my loosely-tied, newly-dyed brown auburn hair.

I turned around to face the view again, and held onto the railing. “So what’s next on our itinerary?” I asked, leaning forward and breathing in the warm sea breeze.

“More sweet-talking, I guess . . .” Naomi’s hands slid up to my shoulders and playfully toyed with the strings of my yellow bikini top. “You know, baby, I really, really like your hair like this. But . . .” She gently removed the hair elastic and I could feel her fingers softly unraveling the bun. Her voice was so matter-of-fact, yet so, so sexy—a combination that one would think is impossible. Her fingers were gentle and in a minute, my hair skimmed my shoulders, adding to the tactile sensations threatening to overload my brain. She pressed her face into my hair, whispering, “There. That’s better. God, I love the colour.”

My breathing had become embarrassingly ragged and I was sure that if I weren’t balanced on my hands, I’d collapse to the balcony floor, nothing but a puddle of quavering goo. “Babe . . . this is not good. What’s next on our schedule?”

The blonde drew back, giggling. “Well, unfortunately we have to leave this cosy suite and mingle with the annoying folks by the pool, and then we’re hopping onto JJ’s limo till we get to wherever else we have to go. JJ said Lara will be taking us to Ivy Bar tonight for a girlie night out.”

“I heard more people are rolling in later.”

Naomi grinned. “Yep. Zoe and Ben should be down there in a while. I think I saw a couple of cabs pull up. JJ said Thomas and Effy will arrive in a bit. They’re on their way here from the airport.”

I nodded slowly, giving a look of mock dread. “Sounds like an awfully ominous reunion.”

“I know. But how boring life would be without drama, right?” Naomi reached out, and we held hands. “Now come on, babe.” She tugged me toward the French double doors. “The salt air beckons.”

Naomi and I scampered out through the double doors to the perfectly-mowed lawn garden then down a short flight of concrete steps heading toward the swimming pool area.

I couldn’t hide my excitement. The gang was already there, busy with all sorts of fun things. It was a scene that looked like it came out of a teen spring movie. Freddie was lining up bags of potato chips and beer cans on a long wooden table under the cabana. Sarah was next to him, arranging huge boxes of Papa Pizza House pizza and buckets of Lord of the Fries hot chips. Cook and Sean were fooling around in the pool, tossing the inflatable T-Rex back and forth.

After taking selfies with her iPhone and posting them on Instagram, Katie sat up from one of the wicker sunloungers and inhaled the scent wafting on the gentle breeze. “The Down Under air smells so sweet. I want to walk around naked!”

“I’m with you, girl.” Karen sat up as well and started putting on more suntan lotion. Then whilst sipping Woo Woo from their highball glasses, they started talking about their bikinis and Australian boys and I didn’t want to hear the rest. Naomi and I moved toward the cabana where all the food and drinks could be found.

“Ohmigod. This place is, like, insanely perfect!” gushed Halo, hands either side of her head, as she soaked up the view. “Can I stay here forever?”

She was right. The swimming pool area offered just-as-spectacular views and recreational spots. With a wooden deck and modern pool surrounded by lush greenery, it definitely was heaven on earth. It even has a boathouse and a wooden jetty. Naomi began snapping photos with her SLR.

“Oh – we have barbecue too!” squeaked Halo. It was down the side of the cabana. I also found a wooden display storage rack of fishing rods on the side of the boathouse and yet another set of table and deckchairs under a vine-covered wooden trellis. And a gnome dressed as an Italian chef.

“Look, Halo. It has a dolphin at the bottom.” Panda was standing on the edge of the pool, looking over and mesmerised by the image of a dolphin painted on the floor tiles of the pool.

Halo ran to her side and looked down. “Oh my God,” she squealed, then clapped her hands giddily, “Pandapops can identify a dolphin now! Way to go, girl!” She gave Panda a congratulatory hug and they both laughed.

Suddenly Cook was at the deck railing and was pointing at something out in the sea. “Sweet Jaysus, lads. God bless our mate, GayJay. Will ya check out that deadly baby!” he called, grinning like a shot fox. Bobbing up and down in the gentle sea breeze was a magnificent yacht bearing the name JJ Jones, probably worth gajillions. Gasps of awe and squeals of excitement followed Cook’s discovery.

I grabbed a plastic bowl full of hot chips, walked around the pool, and plopped down on one of the deckchairs under the shade of the trellis. I couldn’t help but smile all the more as I observed the people around me. Life goes on, but some things never change. Like this solid friendship that we have. Familiar voices, familiar laughter, familiar smiles. I have to say, though, everyone had matured somehow—if not how they act or behave, their looks at least.

Halo’s hair had tamed to plain light brown. Her nails were not the usual—just neutral colour with white French tip. According to her, her job required her to look ‘normal’. She’s still loud, though.

Panda’s fashion sense had definitely improved. I think we have our best mate Halo to thank for this. The two best friends, though, still act like a couple of playful little girls with the most outrageous ideas.

Sarah’s hair was now in a pixie cut. She looked like a professional lady which she really is. The South Korean charmer holds a high-ranking position at the Ministry of Security and Public Administration in Seoul.

Cook had grown his hair a bit longer and was now sporting a full beard. He also put on a li’l weight which Katie complains about all the fucking time. Apparently Katie thinks those extra pounds were behind Cook’s louder snoring.

Sean, who was now a game designer, still looked like he overdoses on protein milkshakes, but what really surprised us was that he had grown out his hair and was now parading stubbles, giving him a rugged and scruffy image. Those conspicuous tiny facial hair that seemingly testified the abundance of masculine juice that flowed in the Canadian lad.

Freddie’s appearance had changed as well. He now had wider-looking shoulders, and it’s obvious he’d put on some extra pounds. You could see he had been working out and staying fit. Well, that’s only logical as he’s been playing for a semi-professional football team back in his hometown, Toulouse.

Karen, well, she’s still crazy Karen. Only with a more mature sense of style and choice of words. The sassy wildling’s also quite the money machine. She’s now a big-shot supervisor at the Embassy of Japan in France.

“Let’s make this the best vacation ever, shall we?” Naomi proposed, sitting down on my lap, with a can of cold beer in one hand. She took the bowl of hot chips from my hand and started eating.

“Exactly what I was thinking, babe.” I wrapped my arms around my girlfriend’s waist and pulled her close to me. “And how do you suggest we kick it off?”

“A hot makeout session in the pool,” she readily answered.

“Mmmm.” I lifted my hand to sweep her hair aside and rested my lips directly against her ear. “Summer romamce. That sounds like a fantastic plan . . .”

Naomi held up a fry for me and I took it with my teeth and chewed. “Or . . .” she suggested in a quiet, seductive voice, “. . . we can start right now under this very trellis.” She looked behind her at me, wiggling her brows naughtily. “It’s incredibly romamtic, right? With all these vines around us, the breathtaking view of the ocean . . .” She very lightly ran her finger up and down my arm, seductively.

My breath hitched. “Right now?” I whispered, apprehensive. “Like, right here?”

Naomi turned around, straddling me, so she can face me completely. She placed the bowl and beer can down on the small table beside the chair. “Right here, right now, yes.” She took the camera that was dangling from around her neck and began clicking pictures of my chest. “It’s your boobies’ fault, Emily. It makes me sooo horny.” I laughed at the blonde’s statement as she snapped away. “Blame it on your cute boobies.”

“Naomi! Stop!” I covered my yellow triangle bikini top-clad boobs with my arms as I fell further into fits of giggles. “No—Stop—!”

Naomi cupped my face in her hands, gritting her teeth. “Uuughhh. God, Em, you’re so irresistible. And you’re all mine.” After giving me a quick hungry kiss on the lips, she let her hands slide down my front and straight into the inside of my orange Rip Curl boardshorts.

I slapped at her hands. “Whoa, Naomi! Not here!” I hissed in between giggles and cautious glances.

“But you’re so irresistible,” the blonde whined, grabbing the hem of my bikini bottoms and teasing my skin down there.

“Well, if we go back to our suite later, I promise I’ll still be irresistible.” I punctuated my husky declaration with a meaningful wink.

Naomi grinned eagerly at this. “Okay. God, I love you.” Then she pressed a lingering kiss on my lips and finally pulled her hands out of my shorts. “And you better hold on to your promise, Ranga. You know how cranky I get when I’m starved.”

Then suddenly Naomi placed the camera down on the table, got off me and got up. She stripped off her tank top and denim shorts, revealing a tasty, sexy, killer bikini combination of light blue bandeau top and low rise double-string bottom that I’ve never seen her don before. My jaw just dropped to the floor. Hot damn.

Swiftly I stood up from the deckchair and reached for my girlfriend again. “On second thought . . .” I held her hips and pulled her close to me. I smiled, eyeing her perfectly shaped body. “You fucking tease.”

Naomi smirked triumphantly to herself, enjoying teasing me. “Gotcha.” She poked me on the chest and giggled. “I knew the bikini trick would work. Yay.” She did an adorable victorious gesture by throwing up her arm with a clenched fist, eliciting a burst of chuckles from me. “Welcome back, perve.”

Smiling, I raised an eyebrow at her. “You really know how to operate me, huh.”

My girlfriend smirked, playing with the chain of the silver necklace I was wearing—the one she gave me as a present. “Oh I know you. I know all your wiring and all your buttons and all the settings. I know every inch of you,” she murmured, tapping the tip of my nose. “I’ve learned the Emily Fitch manual by heart, my love.”

“Heya, everyone!” Lara appeared at the top of the garden steps, waving her hand at us, wearing a bathrobe and a towel turban. “The gardener and pool boy pop over twice a week,” she announced. “Just so you don’t freak when you see a couple of blokes wandering around. Ivan the Poolboy’s not interested in women, believe me,” she said quickly when Karen’s eyes twinkled. “I can’t speak for the pool boy. I’m going now; I have to get back for the OK! thing. But JJ asked me to tell you guys, ‘Do go crazy.’”

“Thanks, Lara!” Sarah gratefully responded. “It’s really kind of you to help us out.”

Lara smiled. “No worries. I actually want to thank you guys for coming all the way over here. I know it was a long plane ride. And some of you probably are still jetlagged. Plus the fact that you have to ditch your dates and spend your Valentine’s with me and JJ.”

Freddie shook his head, smiling. “Don’t be silly,” he told the soon-to-be Mrs. Jones. “There’s nowhere else we’d rather be. It’s an honour to be part of your wedding, Lara.”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I chimed in.

Lara smiled appreciatively. “Really, thank you, guys. You have no idea how happy you’ve made JJ,” she said. Then she turned to my girlfriend. “Naomi, you have my number, right? Call any time.”

Naomi gave a two-finger salute. “Roger that.”

Lara’s phone buzzed. She frowned at the phone screen. “The perks of being the future Mrs. JJ Jones. I’ve to face all these cameras and act like a grownup lady,” she said. “Well, I gotta hurry.” Quickly, she moved across the lawn back toward the villa. “Have fun, guys! I’ll join you later!”

“Bye, Lara!” Karen called. “Tell JJ we already miss his adorkable face!”

For some moments, everyone got busy doing something. I was applying sunscreen on Naomi’s back while at the same time chatting about a rake of things with her when I heard footsteps and then a familiar voice.

“Aloha. How’s it going, guys?”

Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice. It was Zoe Hammond. The Zoe Hammond. The notorious Zoe Hammond was making her way down the steps, her flawless skin glinting golden brown under the sun. Ben was toddling behind her in a grey muscle shirt and navy blue boardshorts.

Cook, with water still dripping down his body, greeted the Kiwi girl right away with open arms. “Oh stop the lights! Here comes the fittest Olympic mermaid of ‘em all! Is it just me or are ya still getting’ hotter an’ hotter, Zoe babes?”

“Get outta here, Cook.” Zoe laughingly waved him off and continued to walk toward the cabana. Benedykt the Brooder stretched out on one of the sunloungers with a beer in his hand whilst Halo and Panda chatted with him.

Eyeing the pool impatiently, Zoe threw her towel onto a deckchair. Then she turned to look at Freddie and Sarah, and then at Ben, Halo and Panda, and asked, “What are you people doing just sitting there?” She took off her white singlet and shorts, revealing a trendy green string bikini underneath that looked striking on her tanned, fit, and obviously sexy body. “The water . . . and the blow-up dinosaur are waiting.” She nodded toward the swimming pool that was solely occupied by a very smitten Sean who was clinging to the inflatable T-Rex.

“Hi! I hope you remember me.” Halo waved, grinning. “Halo.”

Zoe grinned back, her trademark dimples reappearing. “Of course. How could I not?” she said. “You had crazy purple hair, then, Halo.”

“I’ve read so many stories about you online,” Halo told her. “Particularly those on PerezHilton.”

Zoe smiled. “I bet they were epic.”

“They were all sorts of epic,” Halo agreed.

“What about him?” Zoe asked, glancing at the floating entities in the pool in amusement. “Does he have a name?”

Sean’s eyes lit up right away. He paddled closer to the group. There was eagerness in his big grin. “Who? Me?”

“No, the dinosaur,” Zoe replied dryly.

It seemed like a dark cloud suddenly drifted over Sean. He blushed in embarrassment and mouthed an “Oh.”

All those who overheard the exchange laughed so hard, including me and Naomi. Sean, too, managed to laugh at himself.

“His name is Chuck,” Panda finally answered.

Halo drew back, staring at her blankly. “Since when?”

“Since three seconds ago,” Panda replied, yawning.

“Jeez, Panda. You haven’t changed.” Chuckling in amusement, Zoe grabbed a can of beer and pulled the tab. Then just before she took a drink, Zoe noticed me. Her light brown eyes lit up. “Hey, there. Looking gorgeous, Emily.” She gave me her trademark Zoe Hammond wink.

I smiled at her and gave a quick wave of my hand. “Spandex, hey.” My old pet name for her made her smile.

Zoe took a big gulp of beer then moved toward us. When she reached the trellis, she crossed her arms over her chest and sized me up, smirking. “I see you’ve changed your hair colour. But I take it, no change of heart yet?” She glanced at Naomi pointedly.

My forehead scrunched up. “I’m sorry, what?”

Zoe cracked a laugh. “Hey, I was totally messing with you.” Then she turned to Naomi and held up her hands in an I’m backing off manner. “And I’m not competing with you again, Naomi. Clearly, your super hot bikini blows mine out of the water.”

Naomi smiled up at her. “It’s good to see you again, Zoe.”

“Good to see you, ladies, too.” Zoe bent over, giving both of us a hug.

“So. What’ve you been up to?” I asked her when she released Naomi. “C’mon, fill us in.” I grinned, ready to devour some news.

Zoe cleared her throat. “Well,” she began, “apart from maintaining an intense long-term relationship with my huggable girlfriend, Fondle, and exchanging sexts with your pervy little brother—”

Naomi and I cracked up at this.

“—I’m currently preparing for the New Zealand Open Water Swimming Championships coming up in a couple of months. I’m in the final two weeks of rigorous altitude training in a special training camp. It’s been a blast so far. Met some Japanese swimmers who are also looking to qualify for the Pan Pacific’s later this year. So, yes, luckily I was able to show off my terrible Nihongo skills.”

“That’s nice,” I said, putting sunscreen on the last untouched spot on Naomi’s lower back. “I mean, it’s really amazing that you’re so focused on your gift. And knowing you and what you can do and the great lengths you’re willing to go through, you’re a born winner, Zo. You make things happen.”

Zoe grinned. “Thank you. I think so, too,” she said, genuinely touched. Then she glanced at the pool. “That’s it. I can’t just stand here and not get wet. Can we please head in—?”

“Relax the cacks there, doll!” Cook rushed to Zoe’s side. “Before you flaunt your killer breaststrokes, Zoe baby,” he slung his arm over the girl’s shoulders, “allow me to introduce ya to some really cool people. I’d like ya to meet my amazing girlfriend too.” He led Zoe toward the group of people clustered on the sunloungers.

Naomi then got up and adjusted her bikini top. “C’mon, Ems. Let’s hit the pool.” She held out her hand for me. I took it, and she pulled me up. Hand in hand, we walked together toward the swimming pool.

“3, 2, 1!!!” Naomi yelled and we ran to the pool and jumped in. We both came up for air laughing, and then Freddie and Sarah both jumped in, creating another huge wave to wash over me and Naomi.

Naomi and I moved hair out of our faces, giggling, as Freddie and Sarah resurfaced, laughing.

After three laps, I hung off the edge of the pool to catch my breath. I pushed my wet hair back and took in the warm sunshine.

Suddenly I felt a pair of arms grab me. Naomi wrapped her arms around my front and we drifted around backwards. And when we hit a pool wall, I leant my back into her chest further, and she bent forward and started to kiss my shoulder and neck. “Mmm . . . baby . . .”

I closed my eyes and smiled, enjoying the feel of her soft lips on my skin. Naomi then ran her hands down my legs to the backs of my knees. She pulled my legs up to my chest and held me like that. It was surprisingly a very comfortable position to be in.

Giggling, I then wiggled out of her arms and turned to face her. She cutely raised her eyebrows. “Liked that foreplay?”

Smiling like a fool, I wrapped my arms around her neck and nodded. “I love you.”

The blonde grabbed my hips and pulled me close enough that our chests were touching. “I love you, too.”

I grinned and kissed her, jumping and wrapping my legs around her waist. Her hands slid down to my butt to support me, and she playfully squeezed it as she carried on kissing me, causing me to smile. I ran my fingers through her silky wet hair and held her head close. She gently bit my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth in acceptance of her tongue.

Our tongues danced and played together in our mouths. When we heard loud cat calls and hooting from the gang, we slowly pulled away, but still in the same position. We both stole kisses, quickly pecking the other’s lips and giggling. 

“Ladies, ladies, well done!” Cook was clapping loudly as he stood on the edge of the pool, grinning ear to ear. “Can you do a repeat, please?” He wore a pair of stupid-looking paper glasses—those you can get for free in a cereal box. “I’ve got my 3D glasses on. Perhaps it’ll look better in 3D.”

Naomi and I held up our middle fingers to him. Cook just laughed.

I took Naomi’s hand and pulled her to the shallower end where Freddie and Sarah were chilling out. Sean put his hands on the edge of the pool and pulled himself out of the water with muscular grace. He then approached Zoe and started to introduce himself. He was smiling like a true gentleman and even gave Zoe’s hand a kiss.

I blinked water out of my eyes, pushed my wet tresses away from my face, and looked over at the group gathered on the sunloungers. “Look at Sean. He totally fancies Zoe,” I whispered to them.

“Uh-oh. Barking up the wrong tree again.” Naomi snorted laughter, and we tittered with her.

I seriously couldn’t fight off laughter, remembering how Sean and I had met and how he tried to come on to me.

Sean got busy impressing Zoe. Zoe looked like she was just trying to be courteous to him but clearly her attention was somewhere else. And that somewhere was actually someone—someone who was leggy and French and had boobs.

Karen went over to Zoe as Sean left to get beer. We all sensed the French girl’s ‘woman crushing’.

Naomi hooked her arms around my waist and leant her chin on my shoulder. “I bet you, Zoe’s the next victim,” she said. “Look at how Karen checks her out. She looks like a fucking predator.”

“Or Karen will be the next victim, rather,” Freddie said with a half-amused half-concerned look on his face. “C’mon. We all know Zoe. That girl can fucking play.”

We held our breaths as we watched the scenes unfold before our eyes.

“Salut beauté,” Karen purred. “Can I just say, I love your skin colour. It looks so delicious.” The French girl gave Zoe a French double-cheek kiss. “I’m Karen, by the way.”

The Olympic swimmer smiled, pleased. “I’m Zoe.”

Karen leant a bit closer. “Come again?”

“Zoe,” the girl repeated, smirking. “Don’t worry, babe, you’ll remember it ‘cos you’ll be screaming it later.” At this, Karen just responded with a raised impressed eyebrow. She was gobsmacked, obviously.

Freddie, Sarah, Naomi and I almost died from hysterical laughter.

“Guys, heads up!” Sean threw the inflatable dinosaur to me and he followed, diving into the water. He swam towards us.

“Emily, what’s the deal with Zoe?” he asked me, looking confused.

“She’s just a busy chick,” I answered. “You know, lots of people on the string.”

“I’ll be glad for whatever time I get with her,” Sean said, glancing admiringly at the tanned chick. “I like a woman who knows how to flirt and have fun.”

Zoe climbed into the cool waters of the pool, and proceeded to slide her athletic body gracefully through the water. Karen and Katie took off their sarongs and followed her.

Naomi tut-tutted. “You are really that dense, aren’t you?” she told Sean. “Your nervous system is clearly out of whack.”

“His brain cells are probably busted,” Sarah commented. “This guy needs a wake up call.”

I playfully whacked Sean’s head with the inflatable T-Rex. “Sorry, but they’re right. Your head needs a li’l blow. Wake up, Seanski.”

Sean had the most confused look and shook his head. “What? I don’t get it.” We playfully splashed water at him and swam away, leaving the poor bloke scratching his head.

Naomi and I swam towards the other end of the pool. We were greeted by another interesting scene and planned to eavesdrop. Panda, Halo and Benedykt were sat on the sunloungers, sipping their beers. You could tell Halo was on full-on flirting and showing off mode.

“Oh, I love jetting around the world,” Halo was telling the Polish brooder. “As a matter of fact, me and my family are thinking of going to the Alps for the holidays.”

“Really? Which part of the Alps do you think you’re going to visit?” Benedykt asked.

I could see that the girl was searching her mental map of the world. Halo turned to Panda slightly and asked with a low voice, “How many parts are there?”

Panda gave a tiny shrug.

“Shit.” I saw Halo mutter to herself. Then she turned to Ben again. “Oh, gosh.” The girl shrugged, as if it made no difference to her. “Christmas is months away. Maybe we’ll go to Turkey instead.”

“Which part of Turkey?” Benedykt asked as a follow up question.

Fortunately, Halo didn’t have to answer. Effy and Thomas were already making their way toward the pool area. 

Later that afternoon, Naomi and I were wandering around the main floor of the villa when we heard serious discussion in the formal living room. We stopped at the doorway and listened. Recently I noticed eavesdropping had become one of our favourite pastimes especially since we felt like there was a lot to catch up on what’s happening in our friends’ lives.

Halo and Panda were standing in front of a full length gold fluted decorative wall mirror, surprisingly having a serious chat.

“Okay, Panda,” Halo was telling our Swedish friend as she looked at the girl’s reflection in the mirror. “Showing your pain will only fuel the gossip. So time to activate the Pandora Moon cool.”

“I have a ‘cool’?”

Halo spun the Swede sideways so that they were facing each other. “Yes. Now chin high, chest up, detached expression of someone who has more important things to think about than boy stuff.”

“But I don’t have any important thing to think about other than Thommo,” Panda moaned.

“That’s why it’s called acting, Pandora. Now let’s rehearse your pat answers just in case someone asks you again. Number one.”

Panda put on a nonchalant tone. “I’d have to say I’m better off. Wouldn’t you?”

“Okay. Two.”

“I never liked him that much, anyway. I mean, he picks his nose.”

Halo grinned proudly. “That’s right. Three.”

Panda grimaced. “He picks his nose and God knows where he puts the booger—”

Naomi suddenly stepped into the room. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. What the fuck is going on here?”

“I’m just helping our friend Panda here to move on,” Halo explained. “He doesn’t need that selfish dick.”

Naomi shook her head disapprovingly as she approached the two. “That’s not right. If I remember correctly, Thomas Tomone is also our mate.”

Halo held up a finger and waved it with refusal. “Nah-uh. Not at the moment. We hate him.”

“For JJ’s wedding’s sake,” I chimed in, walking toward the group, “I think we should behave like adults. Please try to sort this out. We are ought to be here to have fun and celebrate with JJ. I won’t let you guys ruin that. Put your issues with Thomas aside for the moment, Panda. Please.”

For a moment it seemed like I had slapped some sense into Panda, but Halo was tenacious and unforgiving.

“No. Thommo means nothing to you, Panda,” Halo insisted.

Naomi took a step forward. “Halo, please—”

Halo held up a hand. “No. You don’t understand. How can you guys be so casual about all of this?” she said in a stern tone. “Thomas hurt our friend. He fucking dumped her without giving a proper explanation. She at least deserved a decent explanation, don’t you think? For a very long time, she’s been kept in the dark by that dickhead. If the same thing happened to you, what would you have felt? She’s still hurting, you guys. I’ve worked my ass off to help Panda get over that selfish bastard. And now she has to face him again even when she’s not ready. Now more than ever, Panda needs us to protect her.”

Panda was on the verge of tears, which really made my heart hurt. Our friend was clearly not properly over Thomas. Naomi and I, feeling guilty, gave our heartbroken mate a calming hug.

“Hey, girls, what’s going on here?” Karen asked, strutting into the room with Katie and Sarah. When she saw our looks of warning, she mouthed “Ooops.”

Panda quickly looked away, fiddling with her beaded bracelet. “Nothing,” she replied. “Everything’s fine.”

A brief yet awkward silence followed. “God, you look shit hot. And your hair looks amazing,” Katie said finally. “I love it when you wear it all twisted up like that. I bet once Tho—” she cut off her own speech when I gave her the stare.

Thankfully, Panda didn’t seem to have heard that. She grinned gratefully at my sister.

“Thanks,” she replied. “It’s actually super easy. All you need is about a hundred bobby pins and half a can of hair spray.”

We laughed. Pretend laughter, of course. We just wanted Panda to lighten up. And it seemed to have worked because the girl rolled back her shoulders and relaxed. But I saw that Panda’s eyes still kept darting all over the place, searching for a glimpse of Thomas. Why did the poor girl want to torture herself?

“I’m thinking of getting dreads just for the summer,” Karen said, touching her hand to her dark wavy locks. “What do you guys think?”

Naomi and I looked at each other and shared a mute giggle. Karen did try. This hair talk was just so fucking girly.

“You know I like it big and wavy,” said Panda. “I’ve always thought—”

Suddenly Panda completely lost her voice. I knew she had prepared herself mentally, but from the force, I could sense that her internal pep talks had fallen short.

Thomas had walked in with the boys and was standing just a few yards away.

We followed Panda’s gaze. Then we turned back toward Panda, our faces tight with concern and sympathy.

Without warning, Halo laughed loudly and pushed Panda lightly on the shoulder. “No way, Pandora!” she said. “You mean the pool boy actually asked you out?”

It took Panda a moment to snap to it. “Oh . . . uh, yea,” she said after a beat. “He did. But I, uh, turned him down.”

“I don’t blame you, Panda,” Karen jumped in. “I mean, we’re going to have a girls night out tonight and an epic Hen Party for Lara tomorrow, yea? I bet you’d have a bunch of fit Aussie men falling at your feet. I saw a couple checking you out at the airport.”

“Yea, plus there’ll be surfers, too. Totally your type.” Katie tossed her long, dark hair over her shoulders. “I’m a bit jealous of you, you know.”

“I absolutely agree,” Sarah chimed in. “I bet it’s fantastic to be single and flaming hot right now.”

Panda laughed, and I could see that a trickle of relief took the edge off her panic. Acting as cool and nonchalant as possible, she leant against the wall and glanced casually toward Thomas’s direction. Thomas was staring right at her.

Katie winked at Karen and they exchanged a victorious smirk.

Panda watched as Thomas tried to coolly talk with his fellow lads about the upcoming Stag Party they have planned for JJ tomorrow. Then Sean slung his arm around Thomas’s shoulders and the boys made their way down the hallway.

Panda turned and watched as the blokes disappeared up the stairs. It hurt to see her hurting like this. It hurt to see the Wonder Couple like this.

Then the Swedish girl turned back to us, beaming, “So, girls, do you really think those surfer boys would notice me?”

“I want to say that tonight’s our night to go have fun,” I proclaimed as I walked hand in hand with Naomi and with our other girl friends strutting beside us. “Drink, eat, and be merry, and hang out or hook up with whomever we like—Ow!” I squeaked as Naomi gave my hand a death squeeze.

Scowling, I looked up at my tall girlfriend. “That hurt, babe.”

The blonde fixed me a hard stare then raised her brows. “Hook up with whoever we like, really?”

Zoe was staring at me with raised brows and a wicked smirk on her face, dimples coming to her cheeks. “Really, Emily? Would you?”

“Okay, fine,” I quickly retracted, pulling my girlfriend toward me so I could put my arm around her waist. “Hook up with whomever we like. With the exception of the soon-to-be bride and Naomi and me.”

Halo shook her head, smiling at me. “Oh, Emsy, you whipped little thing.”

“And I love that she said whomever,” Zoe commented, grinning.

“Well, you can take the redhead out of Britain, but you can’t take Britain out of the redhead,” Lara said, and everyone laughed.

The club where Lara took us for a girlie night out was obviously one of Sydney’s and Australia’s most stylish and finest spots to party or drink a cocktail. I was absolutely floored; I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

Perched atop the hallowed Ivy compound, the exclusive Ivy Pool Club was an open venue under the moonlit sky, with palm trees, small bars, and cosy private cabanas dotted around the decking, which gave me a feeling that I was holidaying in Palm Springs. The centrepiece was a pool bar with big beach umbrellas and seating on the concrete, and with its turquoise pool that glittered under the strobe lights. The place was packed with Sydney’s social elite, all stylish and beautiful and filthy rich and mad. It was akin to an imperial palace—a display of pomp and glamour.

We’d been sat down VIP-style under a beach umbrella for about a second when a table to our right, all in their late forties asked a waiter to come to our table. “Those gentlemen would like to buy you young ladies a drink,” he said as he handed us our menus.

“Tell them no thank you,” said Sarah, before anyone could say anything.

“Saraaaah! Why did you do that?” Katie moaned.

Sarah snorted. “Look at them. They’re old enough to be our dads and they’re minging. Do you really want to be saddled with them for the rest of the night?”

But the olds wouldn’t be spurned without a fight. One of them, in a coat and tie, came over and stood by Effy. He had a shiny red forehead where the hair was obviously abandoning ship. “I believe you young ladies don’t want a drink, but what if I told you it was Cristal champagne? It’s my good friend Greg’s birthday, you see. And my mate’s got a lot of money to burn.” The least minging of the group waved and smiled, like a snake. The others were laughing like drains.

“Did you want us to suck your dick, or something?” asked Effy dryly.

The bloke started to look uncomfortable. “No, just join us for a dick—I, uh, mean, drink. Drink.”

“I don’t think our dads would be too pleased with us hanging out with guys older than them,” Naomi replied, smiling innocently and studying her menu like it was War and Peace. Katie, Karen, Panda and Halo smiled nicely at him; I hid behind my menu, going red.

The guy’s face was so red you could’ve fried an egg on it. He tried to laugh but looked like it was going to choke him. “Very well. Have a good evening.” And off he sloped, back to his jeering mates.

“What a douche,” Zoe scoffed. “I bet they’re all married.”

“Has he gone?” I asked behind the menu, as some of the girls laughed.

Effy nodded, amused by the mortified look on my face. I closed the menu and placed it back down on the table.

“Urrrggh. God, I’m surrounded by bloody spinsters,” Katie spluttered, giving us annoyed looks. “Have you all gone mad? Why’d you girls turn down an offer like that?”

“Um. For two very obvious reasons, Katiekins,” answered Naomi. “One, they’re 50-year old stupid fuckwits. And two, we’re not prostitutes.”

Katie threw her hands up, still riled. “So what! We might as well fleece them if they’re that stupid. We’re surrounded by a lot of men and they can’t do anything or we’ll call security! And for everyone’s knowledge, Cristal is what P Diddy always drinks at those parties featured in Heat magazine.”

“But what is it?” Panda asked.

“Only the most expensive champagne brand there is!” said Katie, pointing at the drinks menu. “Four hundred Euros a bottle!”

“Girls, chill out.” Lara was chuckling, amused by us. “You know JJ won’t allow us to go thirsty.” She waved her hand and snapped her fingers.

As if on cue, a couple of waiters approached our table, carrying silver buckets with bottles of Cristal in it, and trays with a bunch of crystal goblets and Patrón tequila shots.

Katie’s eyes were large with shock and excitement. “Jesus Christ. This is what I’m talking about! This is how you party!”

We watched as the waiters filled our goblets with champagne like we were royalty. Then we clinked our wineglasses together and exclaimed, “Cheers!”

Sipping my drink, I glanced at Naomi who was sitting next to me and just quietly drinking her champagne. I was beginning to worry a little about my girlfriend. Naomi was acting kind of weird and irritable which I thought was only because of the oppressive ambience of the club or the unashamedly elitist vibe of the venue or the overpriced alcoholic drinks or the loud Electro music being played by the DJ. It could be anything, really. Good thing, Karen started the light girl talk.

“Anyway, since this is our chance to get to know you more, Lara,” she began, “can we ask you some personal questions?”

Smiling, Lara sat up straight in her seat. “Sure.”

“What did you find in JJ that made you want to marry him, seriously?” Karen asked, and the rest of us laughed.

Karen held up a hand. “No. What I meant was,” she said, “how do you know JJ’s the one? What is it about him that made you so sure?”

Lara gave a half-shrug. “I don’t even know,” she answered. “I’m supposed to marry the guy in three days and I still don’t know.”

“Well, that’s not a problem at all, huh,” Halo commented, and we all laughed.

“Just kidding,” Lara retracted, chuckling a little. She took a slow sip of champagne before speaking, “I know this will sound cheesy, but . . . deep in my heart, my soul, I know I belong with him.” She was smiling to herself as if she was actually picturing her fiancé in her head which I thought was really cute. “JJ stood by me through everything. Even in my darkest days, he was my ray of light. He’s really sweet, patient and loving—qualities that would make a great dad. And he makes me really happy. See, the thing is, with him, it was never forced. It was natural. I fell in love with JJ quickly, easily. He’s my best mate in life. And I can’t imagine life without him, you know. That’s why I’m so excited that I’ll get the chance to spend eternity and start a family with him.”

“In three days,” Zoe reminded her.

Lara grinned, excitement noticeable on her face. “Yep. In three days.”

We all looked at each other then said in chorus, “Aww . . .”

Karen smiled tenderly at the bride-to-be. “You had me at ‘I belong with him.’”

“Me, too,” Katie said softly.

Halo clapped her hands together once. “It’s settled and conclusive, then. You’re gonna marry JJ on Valentine’s Day.” She downed a tequila shot and moped. “Gosh, Lara, you make being in love sound so appealing. Now I’m thinking, how come I’m still single? Kindly explain,” she said in a miserable tone.

“Because you’re all over the place, Halo,” replied Panda softly. “You just can’t stay and focus.”

I nodded in agreement. “And you leave all your doors and windows open that you don’t know where and who to begin with,” I piped up. “I think you should learn how to focus first and start from there.”

“Dead on,” Katie agreed. “I think you also should learn how to open yourself up for real. Like you let people in, but not really in in. Do you get it? You just sort of make them linger in the doorway.”

“I know we just met and I don’t mean to be parental, but sometimes it’s okay to be vulnerable, Halo,” Sarah spoke in a gentle tone. “Don’t be scared to fall in love. Just let go.”

Halo was about to react but Karen was quick to interrupt, “The problem with you, girl, is that you set boundaries right away,” she put in. “You can never experience the joy of being in love, when you don’t jump right in. I assure you, it’s a lot of fun.”

Refilling her goblet with champagne, Naomi commented dully, “A lot of fun, yes, but a huge pain in the butt.”

Halo drew back, her hands up. “Okaaay. Why is this suddenly turning into a freaking intervention?”

Lara smiled at her. “You asked for it, darling,” she said, and everyone laughed.

The conversation then shifted to the Pamper Party and Hen Night for Lara that we’re having tomorrow. The ladies obviously couldn’t contain their excitement.

I glanced at my stoical girlfriend then leant toward her. “I love you,” I whispered into her ear, my voice husky. “Even if you’re a pain in the butt.”

No reaction. She just went on sipping her drink.

I touched her free arm, worried. “Hey, baby. What’s wrong?”

Still, no reaction.

I grabbed her arm then shook it. “Babe, please talk to me.”

“No,” she finally muttered, but still didn’t look at me.

I moved my head to meet her gaze. “What did I do?”

Naomi finally looked at me. “It’s not what you did, but what you said.”

“Come on!” I exclaimed, chuckling and throwing her an Are you serious? kind of look. “Are you seriously angry about that stupid little comment I made?” I took her hand and lovingly stroked it with my thumb. “C’mon, babe. I’ll make it up to you. What do you want?” I wiggled my brows suggestively. “A lapdance, perhaps?”

Naomi pulled her hand from my hold. “I’ve to go to the restroom.” She grabbed her purse and stood up.

“I’ll go with you,” I said, getting up as well.

“Yea, whatever,” she muttered, then turned on her heel and started walking.

I followed Naomi down the congested poolside, weaving my way through the crowd of dancing people towards her. It was then that I got to fully appreciate Naomi’s Outfit of the Day—a dazzling black sequin party dress that hugged her body in all the right places matched with a sexy pair of black stilettos.

“C’mon, it was only a joke, babe,” I told Naomi for the third time when I caught up with her again.

She stopped short in the hallway then turned to look at me. “Hook up with whomever you like, huh?”

“I didn’t mean it that way, honest,” I said wearily. God, my girlfriend could really be so exasperating and so dramatic.

The blonde crossed her arms over her chest and lifted a brow. “And what about that undertone in Zoe’s comment? And the look she gave you?”

I let out a long, steadying breath. “You’re seeing things that aren’t there, Naomi,” I told her, trying not to grind my teeth in frustration. “God, babe. Are you seriously still working through that? Zoe was just implying about—”

“Whatever.” Naomi motioned for me to go down the steps and as I turned around she flicked my ear. “Oh, sorry, babe, did that hurt?”

“Ow! Yes!” I glanced back at her with a glare.

Naomi stuck out her tongue and then smirked. “You owe me a lapdance,” she said and shoved me in the direction of the ladies’ room entrance. “And a hot makeup quickie in the loo.”

Naomi’s worried voice penetrated my ear. “Emily, hey.”

I sat there on the grey sofa chair inside the villa’s roof deck den, rubbing my temples and wincing in pain. “Aaaaggghh.”

Naomi sat down next to me and put her arm around my shoulders. “Ems, what is it?” she asked, concerned, gently stroking my arm up and down.

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Naomi, I—Aaagghhh . . .” My face scrunched in pain again.

I opened one eye and saw that Naomi’s eyes were now wide with alarm. “Fuck. Emily, are you okay?” She shook my arm slightly. “Babe, talk to me.”

I shook my head a little, as if trying to clear it. “My head hurts,” I replied, gritting my teeth.

She looked worried as she inspected me. “Emily, come here. Let me see . . .”

I shook my head. “I can hardly move my head, and I feel too dizzy to get up,” I breathed. “I need . . . I need . . .” I pleaded, moving my lips the least possible.

“You need what, babe?” Her voice was already tense and anxious. “I have some Advil if you want some.”

When I didn’t answer and just went on grunting, she said, “Emily, you’re making me nervous.”

“Aggghhhh . . .” I pressed my whole hand to the side of my head along with the other. Tears leaked out of my eyes. I breathed deeply. The book I was reading fell from my lap down to the carpeted floor.

“Oh, God.” Naomi’s voice rang with alarm as she tried to carry me up in her arms. “Oh, Jesus. Babe—!”

I opened one eye to look up at my panicking girlfriend, and then I sat up and pointed teasingly at her terrified face. “Gotcha!” I laughed loudly then stuck out my tongue at her.

Naomi gave me a slight push on the shoulder. “Fuck’s sake, Emily! That wasn’t funny!”

“What? You think you’re the only one who can create drama?” I told her, laughing.

Naomi ground her teeth, clearly annoyed. “That was so not cool, Ems. You fucking scared me. I thought you were gonna pass out.”

“You started it. Now we’re even. I’m still a bit pissed at you for what you did last night at the club. That was one big fake fucking drama, Campbell,” I scoffed. “You faked being jealous and angry just so you have a legit excuse to demand makeup sex.”

“I told you, I was just fooling around, that’s all,” said Naomi in defence. “I was getting bored and wanted some action. Plus you looked so appetising in your mini-dress last night. Couldn’t help it.” She gave a guiltless shrug.

I shook my head and gave her a dark look. “You are so corrupt, Naomi Campbell.”

Naomi rolled her eyes heavenward and snorted a laugh. “Oh, c’mon, babe. As if you did not enjoy it.”

“Well.” I couldn’t contradict that.

“Oh, don’t deny it, Ranga,” she said, smirking. “You even craved for seconds back in our suite. Remember?”

I smirked at the memory. “How can I forget? That was wild,” I said. “You fed me well, babe.”

“Replay tonight?” Naomi bit her lip sexily and wiggled her brows in suggestion.

I cupped my jaw and moved it from side to side. “Let me massage my jaw first,” I told my girlfriend.

Laughing, Naomi gave me a kiss on the lips then got up. “I’ll go back to my masseuse. Behave while I’m away.” She walked out of the den and back to her comfy spot on a chaise outside.

I picked up the book from the floor, leant back against the sofa and watched my fellow Victoria’s Secret silk kimono-clad “hens” squeak unintelligibly and try some ridiculously awkward pole dancing moves around a couple of stage glow poles under the glorious Australian sun.

Hen Party. Nothing says female heterosexuality more than those two words. Nothing invokes the image of marauding, scantily clad young woman delighting in cocks and dirty jokes about cocks or terrorising unsuspecting straight men quite like it. So what the hell was a lesbian like me doing at a Hen Party?

JJ and Lara had decided that they will have both their Stag and Hen parties in the villa—but in different areas, of course. Whilst the lads hung out in the home theatre-slash-game room, the ladies had the rooftop entertainment deck all to ourselves.

Karen and Maddie, Lara’s best mate, were the brains behind the party. And they had planned nail & foot spa, facials, Thai massage, some crazy quiz games, and pole dancing lessons—all of which I don’t really enjoy much.

Sighing, I looked around me. The den portion of the roof deck featured a monster flat screen taking up most of one wall, hanging above a roughhewn mantle with a deep stone fireplace below. The room was painted white all over, with shelves crammed with books mounted on the walls. There was a sofa set, the colour of light charcoal, positioned directly in front of the TV, and full length glass windows and double doors that offered 360 degree views featuring Opera House & Bridge, across the main harbour channel to Manly and back to Rose Bay harbour.

The carpet was thick and plush, a light grey, and my feet sunk into it. The den was extremely welcoming and cosy. And this was why I chose to just hole up in here and read books rather than go out and join my girl friends in their naughtiness.

After finishing forty-two pages more, I looked up from the book at my girlfriend, who was now sprawled on a wicker canopy daybed outside. She was looking right at me and did a beckoning signal with her eyes and eyebrows.

Finally I stood up, book still clutched in my hand, and walked over to the canopy daybed where Naomi was resting.

“Babe, can you not?” She glanced pointedly at the book in my hand with a disapproving look. “It’s inappropriate.”

“How is it inappropriate?” I plopped down beside her on the daybed.

“We’re on a vacation,” she said, arranging the pillows behind her. “We’re supposed to chill.”

“I’m chillin’,” I said. “Chillin’ with my book, ey? What’s the problem?”

“I’ve been trying to seduce you,” my girlfriend whined. “You won’t even look at me.”

I laughed so hard. “What?”

“I’ve been giving you the look, Emily. Plenty of times.”

“You were?”

Naomi nodded. “Yes.” She crossed her arms on her chest in mock annoyance. “And you didn’t even notice it.”

I wrapped my arms around the blonde and leant over to drop kisses on her forehead, nose, cheeks and mouth. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to ignore your mind-numbing sex appeal,” I murmured in between kisses. “But please don’t tell me we will fight over this.”

“Just get rid of that stupid book and kiss me some more.”

“Okay.” I put the book aside and leant over for another kiss.

I leant back against the fluffy pillows. Naomi kissed me softly and rubbed her nose against mine. “Mmm . . . I really like kissing you, Em,” she murmured, running her hand over my robe-clad belly. “I can’t get enough of kissing you. I could kiss you all day and all night. And I love that I get to kiss you because you’re all mine.” I fell into a fit of giggles.

Suddenly Halo was waving her hands as she stood above us, trying to catch our attention. “Hellooo? I’m heeere.”

Naomi and I acknowledged the girl. “What?”

“We’re gonna hit the Jacuzzi now,” Halo informed us. “And I suggest you two should get out of your own freaking little joined-at-the-hip freak of nature world and join us for Lara’s sake.”

Naomi and I got up and followed Halo to the other side of the roof deck.

The rooftop deck seriously blew my mind. It boasted a daybed, an outdoor bar set, a lighted stone spring water fountain, comfy chaises, an elegant outdoor sectional sofa set, and a huge outdoor Jacuzzi.

Naomi and I took off our silk robes and climbed into the semi-crowded whirlpool bathtub hand-in-hand. I almost moaned at how good the warm water and the bubbles that tickled my skin felt.

“Here come the honeymooners,” teased Zoe, and the girls cracked up. “Seems like you two are having more sexy times than the actual bride and groom, eh?” I blushed, as Panda put fluffy pink bunny ears headbands on our heads.

Naomi smirked. “Can you blame me? I’ve got the hottest girlfriend with the cutest and most irresistible butt.” She gave my bum a little playful slap before I got to sit down in the tub.

I chucked a beach ball at Naomi’s head as the other girls laughed. “If you ever talk about my butt again in front of other people, I’d have to disown you as a girlfriend.”

Naomi allowed herself another smirk. “Right. Like you could ever live without me,” she said, propping the beach ball behind her head.

Maddie, Lara’s best friend, looked at us, grinning. “You two are like . . . I don’t even know how to describe you two.”

“You’re like a married old couple already,” a tipsy Alice, another close friend of Lara’s and apparently a lightweight, piped up. “So comfortable with each other.”

Lara hummed her agreement, and handed me and Naomi purple plastic goblets filled with champagne. “Have you two thought about marriage?”

I can feel the sweat popping out of my forehead. “Don’t be daft, Lara, I’m only 22.”

“So what?” Kayla, one of Lara’s friends, chipped in. “It’s not like that actually matters, does it? You two seem to be so in love and meant for each other.”

Naomi, looking tense, sipped her champagne. “We  . . . just have other things to take care of first before taking that next big step,” she said. “There’s just a lot of factors to consider, you know. It just hasn’t crossed our minds yet. We’re taking it one step at a time,” she added in the same breath.

“Oh, alright. Fair enough.” Lara nodded her head in understanding. Then she turned to Panda who was giggling and playing with the bubbles with Halo. “What about you, Panda? How are you feeling now?”

“I’m okay. I don’t want Thomas anymore,” she answered, giving us an unperturbed smile.

“Really now,” Zoe replied hollowly.

Panda nodded, a determined look on her face. “Yes. I’ve thought about it last night. It’s just a waste of time and mental energy. For once, I will forget about him and remember me. I should focus on myself first. The road to recovery isn’t easy, but it’s the only way to go.”

“So . . . are you saying that Thomas still has an effect on you?” asked Sarah, her glasses glinting in the fading afternoon sunlight.

Another honest nod from Panda. “I won’t lie. I still wake up and think about him. Sometimes I would cry. But over time I think I’ve accepted the fact that he doesn’t want me anymore and that there’s no more us. I think what’s left here,” she poked her left chest, “and what I can’t still get over with is hurt. I’m still very angry at him. I haven’t forgiven him yet for ruining my life.”

“What if he wants you back?” asked Lara.

Panda gave a lopsided smile and shrugged. “I don’t know, really. I don’t want to think about it,” she said. “But right now, I just can’t stand being around him. Seeing him reminded me of the pain he caused me.”

Halo put an arm around Panda’s shoulders. “Well, you’re lucky, tonight’s the night of no regrets. This should get him out of your mind for a while, eh?”

Panda nodded, smiling gratefully at her best mate. “I know, right.”

“I heard you met a guy last night?” Maddie asked Panda. “Spill.”

Panda grinned. “Yep. Connor. He’s a good-looking guy and he surfs.”

“Did Connor ring you?” asked Effy.

Panda shook her head. “Nope.”

“Well, aren’t you gonna call him?” Kayla asked, raising her brows.

Panda shook her head. “Nope.” She downed her glass of champagne. “Whoever the guy is, if he wants me, he knows where to find me. Otherwise, forget it. I chased Thommo all over the place. I’m not about to make that same mistake again.”

Halo grinned proudly and gave Panda a pat on the back. “You go, girl!”

Lara smiled softly at the Swedish girl. “Fair enough. I’m glad for you, Panda.” Then she turned to Halo. “Anyway, how’s the flirting with Ben going, Halo?”

Halo made a face and let out a groan. “Good God, he’s so hard to impress. As hard as spelling his fucking surname.”

We all laughed at this. As the sun set in the Sydney sky and the last rays of sunlight gave way to night, the conversation went on, the topic shifting to last night’s epic events—Lara introducing us to some of her leggy celeb friends like Ruby Rose and Gemma Ward—then to lingerie then to our gag gifts for Lara then to the Bondi Beach pre-Valentine’s event tomorrow where DJ Lara will be spinning some tunes then to quizzing how much does Lara actually know about her fiancé.

After the Jacuzzi drinking session, we all changed into our party clothes and gathered around the sectional sofa set. Half a bunch of people arrived, carrying trays of liquor and food and expensive-looking tableware and placed them on the big circular glass table in front of us. A muscular tanned bloke stood behind the makeshift DJ booth. A couple of sexy pole dance instructors stood on the stage glow poles.

The music pulsed, a resonant bass, followed by a staccato of rapid techno beats. We preened in our seats, anticipating an introductory show from the two pole dance goddesses. Lara was to be wed in two days, and tonight the hens were determined to party. The Hen Party was the sacred rite of all blushing brides, after all. And Lara was no exception.

She was expected to be bawdy, raunchy, and drunk as a skunk by dawn. And Karen and Katie showed her exactly how to let her hair down by fearlessly and shamelessly climbing onto the stripper poles for their beginner lessons.

Gyrating around the pole, an instructor gave Lara a come-hither look and beckoned with her finger. Lara shook her head, and was trying to cover her eyes.

“Oh come on, Lara! Just loosen up!” encouraged her BFF Maddie, clinking tequila shot glasses with the reluctant woman. Lara downed the first shot, and snatched the Patrón bottle from Alice before her slightly drunk friend could wrap her lips round the top. 

Naomi shook her head, smirking. “She’s going to hate herself in the morning,” she told me, as she poured Caesar dressing over her kale salad.

“No doubt,” I agreed, watching Lara as she joined the wild ladies doing the Backwards Showgirl move on the pole stage.

After watching Katie argue with an instructor about something, Halo leant over to us and spoke loud over the music. “If Cook and Katie got married . . . What a fucking disaster!” She made a face.

Of course, Naomi was the first one to agree. “You know Cook’s going to end up with a beer gut, a double chin, a bald spot, and a bad polyester suit, chomping on some shitty cigar and telling everyone at his life-insurance firm that he was a huge star in college.”

I doubled over the image. Sometimes my sarcastic girlfriend really came in handy.

“And you know Katie will be cracking the whip the entire time,” I chipped in. I mimicked picking up the phone. “Cookie love, bring home some diapers for our four bratty, spoiled kids, Kat, Kate, Katherine, and Katie Junior, and don’t forget to pick up my lingerie at the dry cleaner, and—”

“Baby?” Naomi interrupted in a low, yet desperate voice, holding her own imaginary phone. “Uh, Katie? Katiekins, sweetie? Could I please relieve my bladder now? Katie? Would it be all right if I exhale?”

We all couldn’t take it anymore. We burst out laughing, tears streaming down my face. The girls around us on the sofa set all lost it too, and for a moment there was nothing but the sound of hysterical laughter and Halo slapping her hand against the table.

Maddie and Alice looked at each other, nodding slowly. “Yeah, like a married old couple,” Maddie declared, and Alice hummed her agreement.  

Halo grinned, agreeing. “Naomi’s like the straw to Emily’s berry.”

“The extra to her ordinary,” Panda added.

“The awe to her some,” Halo chimed in.

“The shuttle to her cock.” Panda giggled.

“And you’re the non to her sense,” Naomi broke in, pointing her finger at Panda and then at Halo. She raised her brows at the two. “Christ, are you two done already?”

Lara’s three friends cracked up at this, thoroughly amused by our typical banter.

Katie, Karen and Lara went back to their seats, panting, and seized their champagne glasses. It was Zoe and Sarah’s turn to hit the poles.

“I think I heard my name earlier,” said Katie, glancing at us with curious raised brows. “What were you guys talking and laughing about?”

Halo stabbed her fork into a slice of lamb chop and smiled up at my twin oh so innocently. “How you and Cook would make a wonderful husband and wife.”

Katie put her hands on her chest, touched. “Oh really? Aww . . . that’s sweet, you guys. I actually think I will be the best wife and mother ever . . .”

For a seriously and dreadfully long time, Katie went on talking about how she and Cook had been talking about marriage and her dream house and her dream wedding and how many kids she wanted and how she was planning to raise her kids and yaddayadda. No one seemed to have the guts to react until Naomi faked a cough.

My girlfriend put her fork down on her plate, then turned to Lara. “We should head off somewhere a bit more common or something. These fancy settings and gold utensils are giving me an itch. No offence, Lara. Don’t get me wrong, I loved sitting at the same table with Ruby Rose last night and seeing Ricky Martin in skimpy trunks next door but all this is fucking out of my element. I can’t even scratch my nose for fear of breaking some crystal thingy.” She grimaced down at her gold-rimmed plate.

“I understand, Naomi,” Lara said, smiling nicely. “This is why we’re going to hop onto JJ’s yacht for the pre-wedding toast tomorrow after the beach party.” She smirked, and Naomi scrunched up her nose.

“Oh, that’s nice, Lara,” Katie said, snorting. “If we go even crazier, I’ll fall off the boat and drown in the Tasman Sea.”

“Katie – You cow. Can you stop talking about yourself for five seconds?” I blurted out, pushing my hands into my hair. “We’re here for Lara, remember?”

“Jesus, thank you, Emily.” Karen stood and grabbed my sister’s hands, pulling her to her feet. “’Nuff talk, bezzie. Let’s hit the poles again and try another trick.”

Whilst hanging onto a pole, Karen called to Panda and pointed at the bottle in front of the Swede. “Panda, do something useful and open another bottle of champagne! I think today should be all about excess!”

“But, Karen, didn’t we do that yesterday?” Lara asked, a bit concerned.

Karen winked. “That was a dry run, babe. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

As if on cue, the strobe and spot lighting and fog machine came into play, the music changed, and a bunch of topless, muscular good-looking blokes came marching in.

“Are you sure you want to do this, babe?” I whispered to my girlfriend when we reached the upholstered double doors of the villa’s home theatre.

Naomi nodded, resolute. “We need to straighten him out. You said so yourself.”

“Yes. But don’t you think the timing is a little off?” I said, glancing up uneasily at the big back lit marquee with the words “JJ’S BUCK’S PARTY” overhead. “I mean, they’re having a—”

But my arguments were futile. Naomi suddenly pushed open the doors and stepped into the noisy room.

“Excuse us, lads. But we have some matters to settle,” Naomi announced, making a grand entrance into the fully appointed home theatre. Awkwardly, I followed my warfreak girlfriend inside.

Beer cans, pizza boxes, comic books, and keep cases of Xbox games like Star Wars, Call of Duty and FIFA Soccer 13 were scattered on the floor in front of the huge projector screen.

“Oy! This is a Stag Do! What’re ya carpet-munchers doin’ here?” Cook shouted. “Ye gonna give us a lapdance or what?”

Naomi gave a humourless laugh. “We’ll think about it, Cook.”

“Hey, Emily, Naomi! Come, join us!” Sean was sitting on the carpeted floor, playing Xbox with Thomas. Whilst seated on the black leather recliner sofa, JJ, Cook, and a couple of random guys—probably JJ’s mates—boisterously watched on as the two lads played. Benedykt and Freddie were fooling around the drum set in one corner of the room.

Video games and comic books were the boys’ idea of a stag do? How fucking pathetic.

“No, thanks. We’ll just stay right here,” Naomi said tautly, as we stood still in the doorway.

Benedykt got up from the stool behind the drum kit. “So what’s the deal? Bored with your own party?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

“They’re having pole dancing lessons,” I answered. “Not exactly our cup of tea.”

“Ooooh! Can we watch?” Cook’s eyes were big with arousal.

“No fuckwits allowed, sorry,” Naomi replied, deadpan, making the lads jeer at the Irish bloke.

But Cook was a shameless clown so he carried on. “Don’t tell me ye are the strippers we ordered,” he said. “Where are your Padmé Amidala headdresses?” The boys guffawed. And Naomi and I rolled our eyes at them.

Cook was on a filthy roll. “Or ye could always, ya know, show us how ye do it. Give us a little lez show. Do it for GayJay, c’mon. Like a wedding gift.”

“Cook! Stop it. I don’t want it.” JJ was uncomfortable. Then he turned to look at us with an apologetic frown. “Don’t listen to him, girls.”

“Oh, c’mon, babes,” the Irish lad urged. “Do it for the groom.”

But Naomi wasn’t having any of it. “One more word out of you, Cook, and I swear to fucking God you’ll be picking teeth out of your shit for a week,” she said, and the mirth quickly vanished from the boys’ faces. They were suddenly cringing.

Laughter died in Cook’s throat and he looked startled for a second, blinking with wide eyes. But he did shut up and mimed zipping his lips.

I stared up at the blonde with the fire demon eyeball glare, smirking slightly. My girlfriend was a loose cannon but, damn, was she hot when she snaps. And Cook certainly deserved her wrath.

“So what brought you girls here?” JJ asked, smiling nicely at us. “Does Lara need anything? Do you, ladies, need anything?”

“Nope. She’s good. We’re good. It’s just that,” Naomi crossed her arms over her chest, “we want to talk to Thomas—”

“Uh-oh. Seems like you’re in big trouble, man,” Sean was quick to react, giving Thomas’s shoulder a quick little punch.

“Oh, hang on, ladies. I’m almost . . .” Thomas fired several rounds from his X-wing fighter’s laser guns, nuked the correct pathway, and flew to safety before the Death Star exploded into tiny bits. The blokes cheered.

“Yes!” JJ exclaimed, raising a fist in the air. “Nothing but fucking shrapnel! Once again Thomas Skywalker has saved humanity from the dark forces of evil!”

Thomas had that smug grin on. “Now I alone can rule the universe—ha, ha, ha, ha!”

“Excuse me? Mr. Jedi Knight?” Naomi called from the doorway, and the boys’ heads snapped toward our direction once again. “Now that you’ve completed your mission, could we talk to you for a bit?”

A sheepish grin stretched across Thomas’s face. He set down the game controls. “Sure, ladies. What’s up?”

Naomi stepped further into the room. She stared at Thomas for a second, frowned, then turned and wandered over to the pool table. I followed her. Thomas got up and made his way toward us, looking utterly baffled. Naomi and I stayed silent for a while.

Thomas scratched the back of his head and raised his brows at us. “What’s the matter, girls?” he asked, resting his hands on the edge of the pool table.

“Does Panda mean anything to you?” I finally spoke. “I mean, what is she to you?” I picked up a comic book from a nearby bookshelf and absently flipped through it.

“Did she send you here to talk to me?” Thomas asked.

“No,” I answered, turning to look at him. “No one ordered us to do anything, okay? We’re just here as concerned friends.”

Thomas looked down, drawing odd shapes on the patterned carpet with his shoe. “Okay.”

“Are you in love with someone else?” Naomi asked quite bluntly.

Thomas’s head jerked up, and he pulled back a little. “No. I’m not.”

Leaning against the edge of the pool table, Naomi narrowed her eyes at him and probed, “So you didn’t, you know, fall in love with some coed at U Dub?”

“No. No. Really. I swear, man,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s been no one else.”

I studied Thomas’s face. Luckily, he was telling the truth.

I put the comic book back on the shelf. “The girls hate you, you know,” I told Thomas sadly, suddenly feeling sorry for the bloke.

“I know.” His shoulders dropped. “I’m the worst person to ever walk the face of the planet.”

“Neanderthal,” Naomi corrected shortly. “We call disagreeable men Neanderthals.”

Thomas let out a deep breath. “Fine. Call me whatever you want,” he said. “Are we done now?”

Naomi shook her head and scoffed, obviously disappointed. “Why, all men are peckerheads, and I think I’m speaking to their king.”

“Naomi!” I scolded in a whisper, touching her arm to hold her back. “Stop. You’re insulting Thomas.”

Naomi smiled quite sarcastically at Thomas and nodded. “Oh, yea, men have feelings, too. But, like, who gives a fuck?”

Thomas face flushed as a pang of guilt tugged at his insides.

I sighed wearily and moved to stand between the two. “Look. Just—let’s try to settle this in a diplomatic way, okay?” I turned to Naomi and put an appeasing hand on her back, giving her a pleading look. “Let Thomas explain his side, babe.”

Thomas seemed to contemplate his words for a moment. “I . . . I love Panda, you know. I care about her loads but,” his voice cracked.

“But you’re a manchild,” Naomi finished for him, staring at him coldly despite his wounded eyes.

“But I just didn’t see her in the picture at that moment,” Thomas said, trying to keep his composure.

“Well that’s just great, you selfish dick,” the blonde burst out, taking a step toward him. “What do you expect her to do? Wait for you while you sort your own shit? String her along, waiting for probably nothing? She’s going to find someone else and you’re going to fucking regret it.”

The look on Thomas’s face told us that he knew Naomi was right. “I know I’ve made some stupid decisions.”

Naomi scoffed. “You didn’t make any decisions, Thomas, that’s the thing,” she said, and seethed on. “You just fled. You ditched Panda without giving her a good reason. Why didn’t you give the poor girl an explanation? Just one fucking honest, acceptable excuse, Thomas. You owe her that. Why just leave her like that? Like she didn’t matter.”

Thomas’s tone unexpectedly rose, like the blonde’s words really pierced him. “She mattered, okay? And she still matters to me. That’s exactly why things got out of hand. She mattered to me so much and I guess I got scared I didn’t know how to handle her so instead of messing her up I just chose to let her go. I just didn’t know how to deal with things, period,” he added in the same breath.

Naomi huffed out a breath. “So you’re admitting it. You’re a fucking manchild.”

“It’s been tough on me too, you know,” Thomas admitted, pain reflecting in his brown eyes. “Panda’s not the only one hurting. I’ve been through hell, too. I am still in hell now.”

Naomi was pulled away from her angry retort when I touched her arm again.

It was I who spoke up, attempting to be the voice of reason. “I don’t mean to be preachy, Thomas, but if you start abandoning a relationship, you should pause and think about it for a while. And then you make up your mind. To end the relationship or to work on it? You don’t just escape. Running away will make you look like a bloody selfish and insensitive coward,” I told him, my voice gentle. “Think about the other person as well. In your case, think about Panda and her feelings. So now it’s either you still want her or not. If not, just spell it out to her and please give her a decent explanation. I’m sure Panda can suck it up. She’s a tough little cookie—that one. I repeat: don’t just run away. Give some sort of closure. Closure is really important, Thomas. See, Panda’s standing on a grey area right now. She’s been for a while. And as her mates, we just want to see her be genuinely happy and free. I know it’s tough to be honest in some circumstances. But sometimes the easiest way out is to slap people with the truth. Most of the time, that’s the only thing they need to hear in order to move forward. If you still have a speck of respect and care and love for Panda, you’ll have a proper chat with her and that includes a well thought out apology.”

Naomi agreed, but her eyes remained cold, “That’s right. Get it together, Thomas. Be a fucking man and tell her the truth. No bullshit excuses. If you don’t want her anymore, make that clear to her.”

Thomas grabbed the cue ball and for a while stared at it, biting his lip. “That’s the thing,” he said quietly at length, “I want her back. I still love her. She’s always been on my mind, you know. And I seriously plan to win her back.”

Naomi raised an eyebrow at that. “What the actual fuck, Thomas. Did you just decide on that ten seconds ago?” Her eyes flashed with anger. “That’s so fucked up.”

I clapped a hand over my mouth. “Are you serious, Thomas?” I asked softly. “If this is the truth, why ruin things like that? Why let things reach this stage?”

Thomas sagged as if our words weighed him down. “I know, I know. I got . . . lost, for a lack of a better term for it. For a while I didn’t like myself. I started to hate myself because I felt like I could do more or be more. And I guess in the process, I started disliking my girlfriend too. There was a lot of pressure from other people and from myself to be a bigger version of me. Then I was faced with new things. I wanted more new things. And I thought I needed space from Panda to have and want those new things or else I’d be unfair to her,” he stopped, his voice trailing off. He took a deep breath. “I knew what I did was wrong. Knew it all too well. And how I dealt with Panda was immature and unwarranted. I’ve been incredibly selfish.”

I hummed sympathy. “I feel you, Thomas. I really do. See, when you don’t like yourself, you tend to dislike everything that’s connected to you. New things seem to become more appealing. But when you learn to love yourself again, the same old life starts looking new, starts looking nice.”

“But the thing is,” Naomi chimed in, “people change and feelings change. Especially once you get screwed over, you change. And what if you start looking back and find out that there’s nothing there waiting for you anymore?”

Thomas looked at us, his jaw tight. “Did . . . did Panda say anything? Is she . . .” his voice broke over the next words, “over me?”

“Well,” Naomi said, “she just told us that you don’t mean anything to her anymore and that she doesn’t need you. And that she hates you to the bone.”

Thomas looked like he got hit by a sledgehammer inside. He shook his head and let out a quick breath. “Really, she said that.” It was a heartbroken statement, not a question.

“We’re only saying, Panda’s about to give up on you. Do something before it’s too late,” Naomi said, crossing her arms over her chest in a classic “listen-to-me-you-moron” gesture. “She’s sweet and lovely and funny. There are a lot of guys who would line up for her. Think about it.”

I put a tender hand on Thomas’s shoulder. “Thommo, you know we love you. And we love Panda as well. And we believe that you and Panda are truly the Wonder Couple. We’re doing this intervention voluntarily because we know that you two are miserable right now. And the reason why you two are miserable is because you’re not together. Believe me, Panda is not over you. She still loves you. But don’t expect her to make a move because clearly she’s the injured party here. So it’s up to you. The ball’s on your court.”

Thomas’s gaze went down, and he drummed his fingers on the pool table, saying nothing in response. Naomi grabbed my wrist, tugging me, and we brushed past him.

“Wait!” Thomas reached for our arms, stopping us.

Naomi and I both turned around to face him. Thomas had that pleading and despairing look on his face. “I honestly want another shot with Panda.”

Naomi bit her lip as she gazed at our friend, now softening. “You really want this second chance, huh?”

Thomas nodded, earnest. “Yes.”

Naomi let out a breath, and finally allowed a tiny sympathetic smile. “Then I suggest you come up with something really sweet to sweep Panda off her quirky feet. Go hard or go home, mate.”

“And no more playing around,” I put in. “Love with conviction this time.”

Another nod from Thomas. “Copy that.”

Naomi nodded, smiling. “Good. In that case, our business is done.”

The blonde took my hand again, entwined our fingers, and we started heading for the double doors. After a few steps, Naomi stopped short, looked over her shoulder and called, “And oh, Thom?”

Thomas’s brows rose. “Yes?”

“For the love of God, refrain from picking your nose in front of her.”

To be continued . . .