Driftwood

[Ludub]

Sorry it's taking me so long to update this. I've been up to my eyes this week with work and haven't had a chance to write at all!  I'm also going to be on holidays for the next few days so I probably won't get to write then either. I guess it might be about a week before there's another chapter  That'll be the longest I've gone without writing and it's making me a little anxious! (Proper addicted! Haha). Apologies peeps. 

[Ludub]

Okay, so I'm back!  Thanks again to everyone for their continued support. Really really appreciated! Hope you like this chapter! x

WARNING: ADULT THEMES

 

Chapter 10

 

“Doesn’t Brody mind you drinking here?” asked Maddy, taking a sip from her cosmopolitan cocktail as she raised her eyebrows at Evie with a mischievous sort of smile, “Giving money to the competition and all that?”

“You really think it’d stop me if he did?!” laughed Evie, holding her glass out to clink glasses with Maddy with a little smirk on her face. “He and Kyle are mates now… so no, I don’t think he minds at all… but I think Brody knows better than to tell me what I can and can’t do!”

“Duly noted!” said Maddy, erupting into a fit of giggles. “Brody seems a pretty chilled guy?” she asked, giving Evie another little smile, “I mean, not that I really know him...”

“Chilled?! Brody?!” laughed Evie, shaking her head in amusement, “I don’t think his staff would agree with you about that!  I don’t think they’d ever put those two words together!”

“Really?” laughed Maddy, raising her eyebrows in surprise, He’s one of those chefs, is he?! All Gordon Ramsey, shouting his head off and abusing the customers?!”

“I guess he is” she said, nodding her head and putting on a pretend grumpy face. “He takes his food very seriously!” she said, lowering her voice to imitate his serious tone, “Like, life and death serious!”

“I wouldn’t have had him down as one of those sort of chefs” said Maddy, shrugging as she motioned to the waiter for two more cocktails, “Always seems so friendly and smiley.”

“That’s just at work” she said, giving a big white smile and shaking her head emphatically, “He’s different with me... He’s a puppy dog when he’s with me.”  Staring off into the distance in a dreamy sort of way, she added, “He’s so kind and gentle... and he has such a beautiful smile when he laughs... and he has these twinkly blue eyes that just...” She glanced at Maddy, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed about gushing about her boyfriend like a little schoolgirl. “He just... he makes me really happy” she said, picking up her new cocktail with a happy little sigh.

“That’s how I feel about Dave” said Maddy, putting her arm over Evie’s shoulder and pulling her in close with a little squeal for a hug. “I’m so pleased that you’re happy!” she said, “That you’ve found someone who’s good to you and who makes you happy! That’s what’s important…”

Evie looked at her beautiful blonde friend and thought how lovely it was to have her back in the Bay like this. She certainly didn’t have a shortage of friends but there were few people that she felt the kind of bond with that she did with Maddy. It was sort of like having another sister. She could be silly with her. She didn’t have to pretend to be someone else or have to curb her enthusiasm and pretend to be all serious and grown up. She could squeal, and gush, and act like a 6-year-old if she wanted to. Not only would there be no judgement, but Maddy would probably be skipping along right beside her, and maybe even outdo her in her childishness. “I’ve really missed you!” she said, turning and putting both arms around her for a tight hug, “This place hasn’t been the same without you, y’know?! I’m so happy that you’re staying!”

 

*****

 

Leah watched as Roo flitted about the kitchen, busily filling bowls with all sorts of nibbles, and wittering on about Maddy and her plans to move her boyfriend over from London. Leah couldn't help thinking that something had to be bothering her. This was an anxiety level that was beyond what was now normal for Roo, and that was saying something. She hadn't sat still since Leah had arrived and just watching her zip from one side of the kitchen to the other was enough to make anyone tired.

"Are you sure I can't do anything?" asked Leah, getting up from the couch and coming over to hover by the breakfast bar. Looking around now she could see that there was enough food arranged in small bowls to feed about twenty people. "Are you expecting more people?" she asked, looking a little puzzled, "I thought it was just you and me this evening?

"No no, just me and you" replied Roo in an overly sing-songy voice that betrayed her nervousness. "Why? Aren't you hungry?!" asked Roo, suddenly looking as though she could burst into tears, "I just wanted to make sure that we had enough."

"There's enough!" said Leah, coming around the other side of the breakfast bar and taking Roo gently by the arm. She led her to the couch and made her sit down beside her. "Now" she said, tilting her head in a sympathetic way and taking Roo's hand in hers, "You know I didn't come here so that you could feed me, Roo... I came because I wanted to spend some time with you and see how you're doing... after... y'know... the whole sleepwalking business..."

"How is Oscar?" asked Roo, looking down at her feet in an embarrassed sort of way, "I feel so bad..."

"Oscar's fine!" Leah assured her, shaking her head and rolling her eyes a little, "He's fine! Don't worry about it... Believe me, he understands"

"Does he?!" exclaimed Roo, raising her eyebrows in surprise, "Because I'm not sure that even I do!"

"He knows you were sleepwalking" said Leah, patting her hand in an attempt to be comforting, "He knows it wasn't your fault."

"That's very forgiving of him" said Roo, with a sad little smile, "I'm not sure I'd forgive someone who beat me black and blue so readily!"

"He can see the funny side" said Leah, biting her lower lip in an attempt to stop from laughing, "And if he can, surely you can too?!"

"I guess so" muttered Roo, shaking her head and letting out an uneasy giggle, "That police officer wasn't as understanding about it... Philip smoothed things over for us though... so he's not pressing charges."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?!" smiled Leah. She wanted to make a joke about it, something in the line of a Rock Balboa reference, but everything about Roo's demeanour told her that it wasn't the time or the place. She just seemed so on edge. Leah tilted her head to one side and looked at her friend in a searching sort of way.  She could see that Roo was just a bundle of tension and she didn’t really know why. "Is there something wrong?" she asked, in her most soothing and sympathetic voice.

Roo shrugged her shoulders and pointedly looked away. "I'm fine" she said, getting to her feet to go and check on the sausage rolls in the oven. She started frantically opening drawers and cupboards as though she was looking for something but it was fairly clear that she didn't know what.

"Is it Matt?" asked Leah, turning around to watch her with concern, "Has he done something?"

"What?! Matt?!" she asked, snapping her head up to look at Leah in surprise, "No... Why would you think that?!"

Leah got up and walked back to the breakfast bar. She slid onto one of the stools and put both elbows on the counter top, resting her chin in her hands. "Roo, you seem upset about something... and if it's not Matt...?"

"It's not" snapped Roo, frowning to herself as she opened the oven door and reached inside with a doubled up tea towel to take the tray out. "Can you just leave it, please Leah?!" she pleaded, setting the tray down and lifting her wine glass with a forced smile on her face, "Let's just enjoy this evening, eh?"

"Okay" said Leah, shrugging her shoulders in a 'if you really say so' kind of way. She clinked her glass against Roo's and they both drank a mouthful of wine.

"I can't really have much of this while I'm still feeding Alfie" said Roo, looking a little guilty, "A sip or two won't matter though."

"How long are you going to keep that up?" asked Leah, wondering at the fact that Roo was still breastfeeding a two-year-old.

"He's still so unsettled" sighed Roo, staring at the kitchen counter in a dazed and distant way, as though her mind had drifted off for a moment, "I might not be able to do it for much longer though, I don’t know…"

"I know you had to on the island... but there's food here..." said Leah, as she tried to make eye contact with her, "I mean... he doesn't really need it here, does he?"

"I suppose not" mumbled Roo, as she picked up the tray to move it. In her distracted state she'd forgotten that it was still hot and picked it up with her bare hands. She screamed and dropped the tray on the floor scattering the sausage rolls everywhere.

"Oh my god, Roo!" cried Leah, jumping to her feet and running after Roo as she ran to the sink to put her hands under the cold water. "Are you okay?!" asked Leah somewhat redundantly.

"No, I'm not okay, Leah!" snarled Roo, speaking through clenched teeth and blinking furiously as she tried not to cry. "I'm a 48-year-old woman with a two-year-old son... and a partner who's only half my age!" The tears had begun to fall now and she was shaking as she began to sob. "And... I’m getting fat… and... and… God, I can't even say it, Leah... It's so embarrassing!"

"Sweetie! You can tell me anything!" coaxed Leah, putting her arm around her waist as she stood by her side and rested her head on her shoulder. "What's got you this upset?!" she asked, giving her a sympathetic little half-smile. She really had her worried now.

Roo held her burnt hand under the flowing cold water and gave a long shuddering sigh as she wiped at her teary eyes with her other slightly less injured hand. "I think..." she began, turning to look at Leah with despair-filled eyes, "I think I'm going into menopause, Leah... I'm going into menopause... I can feel it, the changes..." She shook her head at herself and grimaced as she tried to stop crying. "What 24-year-old man is going to want to stay with me then?! I'm gonna lose him, aren’t I?!" she babbled, in a frantic sort of way, "...I’m going to lose Matt because I’m old and shrivelled up like some… like some old lady… and he’s young and beautiful… and he’s going to want to be with someone like Maddy… Someone young and full of life and beautiful like he is! …Not me!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Leah began to say, thinking that menopause wasn't exactly the end of the world, but Roo interrupted her.

“What am I gonna do?!” cried Roo, throwing her arms around Leah and pulling her in for a tight hug. “…I love him so much, Leah!" she sobbed, as the tears rolled slowly down her cheeks, "I love him so much that it actually hurts… I can't do this without him!”

 

*****

 

“Matt?! Are you okay?” asked Oscar, furrowing his brow and glancing over at an increasingly worried looking Josh. Matt wasn’t answering. He was just staring at the packet of chips in his hand as though his mind had long since left his body. Oscar couldn’t help noticing the shake in his hands and how rapidly he was breathing. It was clear that something was wrong.

'Just one more step' Matt told himself, dragging his left foot heavily forward to try to gain some purchase on the jagged rocks. Although in some ways his leg had taken on a strange numbness, each time his foot made contact with the rocks, a shockwave would pass up through his body setting his teeth on edge. It was like trying to walk on a phantom limb, just trusting that it was still there, but in full knowledge that even the smallest amount of pressure could cause agonising pain. 'C'mon Matt! One more and then you can have a rest' he reasoned with himself, pulling forward again with gritted teeth and blinking to get rid of the sparkles in front of his eyes. He'd been promising himself, bargaining with himself, for days now. He’d tried crawling but the rocky nature of the terrain wouldn’t allow it, and he’d tried hobbling on one leg but the vibration of hopping from one rock to another only made things worse. The only way was to try to walk on it as best he could. The pain was only getting worse. Or maybe it was evolving? He wasn't sure. What had been sharp shooting pain when it had first happened was now bone rattling, and deep, and intense. It reverberated through his whole body, making it difficult to pinpoint where it was even coming from. Of course, he knew where it was coming from. He was in no doubt about that. He just didn't want to look at it. He stopped and leaned against the rocks for a moment trying to breathe through the pain. He really didn't know how he was going to go on. How was he going to get there?! Every inch of his body was screaming at him right now to give up, to throw in the towel, at least for tonight... This was too much! It would be too much for anyone, he thought... Nobody would blame him if he sat down right here, right now. Would they?! They couldn't expect him to keep going like this, surely?! He couldn't stop the shaking. He'd lost so much blood and his body was still reeling from the shock. It felt like every muscle was jittering involuntarily, but almost like they were seizing up at the same time. All voluntary movement was slow and stiff. He looked back at where he'd come from and wondered at the distance that he'd covered. It seemed so far when every single step was such a struggle, but he knew that he’d have vaulted over those rocks in no time in normal circumstances. He’d have been home in less than an hour... But these weren’t normal circumstances! The distance was vast when you were travelling on a mangled leg. He wondered how he had kept going for so long. The pain was coursing up through his leg with every step that he took, and it was getting harder and harder to urge himself on. Part of him was just so utterly exhausted that he wanted nothing more than to lie down and die... but he knew that he had to keep going. He had to! Roo needed him! His baby needed him! He looked ahead and wondered how much further there was to go. It was hard to judge. His vision was still blurry from the knock on the head that he’d had and it wasn’t being helped by the fact that he’d run out of water yesterday. He could see that the sun was beginning to set, so he at least knew that he was going in the right direction, but it would be nightfall soon and he’d have to stop. Another night on these rocks! So exposed, and cold, and frightened. He looked down, cringing at the black and sticky blood soaked rags tied tightly around the wound, and grimaced at the improvised tourniquet just below his knee. His poor leg looked like it didn't belong to him anymore. It was so swollen below the tourniquet that it had taken on a sort of shiny spongey texture, and when he pressed on it, he could see his fingerprints for what seemed like a very long time. He knew from watching medical dramas that that wasn't a good sign. He was too scared to take a proper look though and he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to take the tourniquet off or keep it on. Roo would know. Words like 'gangrene', and 'suppurating', and 'flesh eating bacteria' floated through his mind. It wasn't like someone could even cut his leg off for him if he needed it done, and he didn't have any antibiotics, so an infection could easily be the end of the line for him. He'd just die a horrible and painful death. The thought of it scared him so much. Not so much the dying. He'd already come close to that not so long ago. What scared him most was never getting to see his baby, and never getting to see Roo again. He couldn't do that to her! He just needed to get home. He needed to get home to Roo, and make sure that she was okay. How would he explain this to her?! How could he begin to explain what had happened?! How could he have been so stupid?! Taking such a silly risk so close to the birth?! Why had he done it?! What if she'd already had the baby? What if something had gone wrong?! What if he didn't make it home?! What then?!

“Matt!” shouted Josh, shaking him hard by the shoulder, “Matt! What’s wrong?!”

“Uh... what?!” stammered Matt, suddenly becoming aware of the others in the room again. He looked at Josh, with eyes wide and startled as he tried to place himself. His heart was hammering violently in his chest and for a moment he couldn’t actually think where he was. The flashback had seemed so real. So vivid. He looked down at his ankle, half expecting to see that blood encrusted bandage festering away there, and feeling the phantom pain of that old wound shooting up and down his leg. In its place all he could see was that ugly scar, faded now to jagged white lines. White lines on his flesh that gave little indication of the seriousness of the injury. As he looked at it now, it struck him that no one else would ever guess at its significance. To everyone else, it was just one of his many scars, but to him it served as a permanent reminder of one of the biggest mistakes that he’d ever made. A permanent mark of his own stupidity. He hated it with a passion.

“Matt?! What’s wrong?!” said Josh once more, giving Matt’s shoulder another little shake. All this silence was creeping him out a little. People seemed to forget that he couldn’t see them and he hated ‘being left in the dark’, so to speak.

“I’m okay” said Matt, patting Josh on the knee but his eyes suddenly flicked towards Oscar in an embarrassed sort of way. He wished that he didn’t have to have an audience for this. “... I’m fine” he said, pulling the packet of crisps open with a forced and uneasy smile, “I was just... uh... thinking about something… It doesn’t matter…”

“You seemed upset?” said Oscar, sitting forward in his seat with a worried frown on his face, “It was like you were miles away?”

“I guess I was” he said, shrugging his shoulder away from the hand that Josh still had resting there, “...but I’m okay”. He looked into the bag of chips and brought his nose down to take in the artificial chickeny smell. It actually made him feel physically sick. It was like a kick to the stomach, transporting him back there in a matter of seconds, and leaving him shaking like a leaf. He wasn’t sure why he was torturing himself like this but maybe some part of him thought that he deserved it. What happened had been his fault and there was no-one else to blame but him. Realising that Oscar was still waiting for an explanation he offered the bag towards him and nodded for him to take one. “Chip?” he asked.

“No thanks” said Oscar, holding up a hand to say ‘no’. He looked at him with his head tilted in concern and said, “I’m just a bit worried about you... We both are…”

Matt looked back and forth between Oscar and Josh, taking in their incredibly serious and worried facial expressions, and suddenly began to laugh. Something about the way that they were both looking at him just struck him as funny. Or rather, the way that Oscar was looking at him. Josh was facing in his direction with furrowed brows and such concern etched on his face that it seemed slightly comical. Matt began to laugh loudly, much to his own surprise. His shoulders were shuddering up and down and his whole body was shaking. At the same time though, his heart was thumping in his chest at an enormous rate. He really couldn’t decide if this was a panic attack or a laughing fit. It was somewhere between the two.

“Mate?” asked Oscar, shaking his head at him in wonder, “Are you sure you’re okay?!”

“I’m fine” giggled Matt. The look of puzzlement on Oscar and Josh’s faces was only making things worse. He was beginning to feel like he couldn’t breathe. He really couldn’t understand what was going on. Was he having a panic attack over a packet of chips?! Was he really that big a loser that a packet of Chicken Twisties could send him into total meltdown?! Looking at the kindness in the faces of his two mates, he couldn’t help feeling that he didn’t deserve it. They didn’t know what an idiot he’d been! As he tried to stifle his laughter, becoming more and more aware of how much like a madman he must look, he offered the bag towards Oscar again and said, “Chicken Twistie?”

Oscar shook his head and put his hand on Matt’s shoulder. “Mate, c’mon, you seem pretty freaked out about something... What’s going on?” 

Matt looked again at the packet of chips in his shaking hand and thought about the last time that he’d tasted them. It was such a strange coincidence that Oscar had chosen these specific chips. It was tragic and funny at the same time. “C’mon Oscar?!” he said, shaking the bag at him. He was still laughing but there was something sad and broken about his laughter now, and a smile that was much more like a twisted grimace on his face.  “Some people would die for one of these” he said, giggling but starting to cry at the same time. He wiped at his tear-filled eyes with a look of surprise on his face. How had he gone from laughing to crying in a matter of seconds?!

“Matt...” said Josh, tentatively putting his hand on his knee, “I think you need to tell us what’s going on with you... or talk to someone... I can arrange a...”

“I just need to go!” interrupted Matt, getting to his feet and dropping the bag of chips on the floor. He stood for a moment, unsure of what to do, and looked back and forth at the two upturned faces who were clearly waiting for him to speak or make a move. “I’m sorry… I just…. I have to go…” he stammered as he backed away from them. Before they had a chance to react he’d bolted and disappeared out through the door.

“Uh... he just left” said Oscar, staring at the open doorway in concern, “He’s a bit of mess, isn’t he?!”

 

*****

 

The bartender arrived with another round of drinks and deposited them on the bar in front of Maddy and Evie with a little smile.

“When did we order these?!” asked Evie, looking at Maddy in surprise.

“I did, when you weren’t looking!” giggled Maddy, picking hers up and taking a sip. “You need to learn to keep up!” she teased, handing Evie’s glass to her, “I drink like a Londoner now!”

“So what?! You’re some sort of alcoholic?!” laughed Evie, doing her best to keep pace, ”I’m not sure that’s anything to do with London! More like the company you keep!”

“Maybe so” shrugged Maddy, giving a mischievous little smile, “You’ll soon find out! Dave is arriving next week... I think you’ll love him!”

“He’s pretty good looking” nodded Evie, thinking of the hundreds of happy grinning photos on Maddy’s Instagram feed. He had dark shaved in hair, so short it was really just stubble, and big brown eyes that crinkled when he smiled. He also had those oh so popular tribal tattoos trailing their way up one arm, and she’d seen one photo with him wearing shorts so she knew that he had a couple on his legs too. He seemed bright and bubbly, just like Maddy, usually with a big white smile, and the two of them seemed to have a lot of friends and an extremely active social life. Their friends seemed to be from every corner of the globe and photos of their everyday life could easily have served as advertisements for the United Colours of Benetton or for Ikea. Bright young things beaming at the camera and doing fun and interesting things. “You said he’s a paramedic, didn’t you?” she asked, taking another sip from her glass.

“Uh huh” nodded Maddy, looking decidedly proud of her man, “That’s how we met.”

“What?! In an ambulance?!” exclaimed Evie, spluttering a little as she choked on her drink. Maddy had never told her that before. Looking a little more serious for a moment, she said, “Was it um... was it the... the cancer?”

“Oh no!” said Maddy, shaking her head and smirking in a cheeky sort of way, “I’d been out with friends and I got drunk and fell off the bar... broke my wrist and bumped my head… I asked him out on a date while they were driving me to the hospital…”

“You were dancing on the bar?!” asked Evie, snorting loudly and then covering her mouth as she looked around herself in embarrassment. “Oh God! I hope no-one heard that!” she confided in Maddy.

Maddy burst out laughing and threw her arms around Evie again. “I’ve missed you so much!” she squealed excitedly, “I’m so happy we’re gonna get to hang out again like we used to!”

Evie wiped at her eyes, crying a little from laughter, and shook her head at herself. “Not quite like we used to.” she sighed, looking a little more serious again all of a sudden, “The old gang’s all a bit different now, isn’t it? Really weird how things turn out.”

“Yeah, I guess...” said Maddy, shrugging a little sadly, “I always thought you and Josh would be married with kids by now... two or three little Barretts running around...”

“And I kinda thought you and Oscar would have gotten back together...” said Evie, “I really wanted us to be sisters!”

“I don’t think me and Oscar would have worked out” said Maddy, staring off into the distance with a sad expression on her face, “We’re better as friends... and Callie’s great!”

“Yeah, she is…” laughed Evie, rolling her eyes at Maddy with a little smile, “She’s just a bit... ‘different’... I guess I’m still getting used to her.”

“I like her” said Maddy, laughing and shaking her head at Evie’s look of disapproval, “C’mon! You can’t say that she doesn’t suit Oscar! ...I mean… they were made for each other!”

“I guess” moaned Evie, running her hand through her hair and gesturing to the barman to get them another round. She drank the last of her drink and glanced at Maddy out of the side of her eye, thinking that they’d skirted around the subject of Matt so far. In fact, Maddy hadn’t mentioned Matt at all since she’d been back. “How are you doing at the house?” asked Evie, raising her eyebrows at her in a questioning sort of way.

“You mean how am I getting on with Matt and Roo going at it like rabbits, morning, noon and night?!” she blurted, giggling into what was left of her cocktail.

“Well, I wouldn’t have put it like that!” exclaimed Evie, looking at Maddy in shock and amusement, “But... yeah... I guess that is what I meant” She covered her mouth again as she began to laugh a loud throaty laugh, “Like rabbits?! …Really?!”

“That was mean” said Maddy, blushing a little red with shame, “I feel bad... I shouldn’t have said that! I’m a guest in their house... and that’s no-one’s business but theirs.”

“Yeah, but... Roo?!” exclaimed Evie, blushing a little red at the thought of it, “I mean... really?!”

Maddy nodded and fixed her eyes on the bar in front of them. She felt a little bit guilty for talking about them in this way but she’d been bottling things up since she’d arrived and she’d been feeling like she might burst if she didn’t tell someone. No-one had been more shocked than her to discover that her ‘foster mother’ and her boyfriend had shacked up on an island and made a baby. She’d grown to accept it over the last few months before she’d gotten the flight home, and she’d been sure that it wouldn’t really be an issue for her, but being next door, listening to them every night, was a little hard to come to terms with. She’d never imagined them having such an active sex life! Roo was nearly 50 after all!

“Yeah...” she said, glancing sideways at Evie with a mischievous smirk on her face, “They’re at it pretty much every night... and the walls are pretty thin” She shook her head at Evie and bit her bottom lip to try to stifle her laughter, “It’s so embarrassing, Evie! ...I mean... I have to look at them at breakfast!”

Evie pursed her lips in amusement and gave a little snort. “It’s kind of gross though, isn’t it?” she said, looking a little guilty but wrinkling up her nose at the same time. She was pretty drunk at this stage and becoming a little bit ‘catty’ with it. It was something that Brody always criticised her for. Drink always seemed to bring out her claws and she often found herself saying cruel things about people that she would never have said while sober. “I mean... Roo and Matt?!” she asked, making a grimace to show how disgusting she thought the whole idea was, “I mean… that’s kinda like me having a baby with John Palmer!”

“Yeah, I guess it is” admitted Maddy, nodding her head slowly. She was equally drunk, and happy to have someone to gossip with. “No-one’s saying it... but it is kinda gross... He’s so young... He’s so young... and she’s so... old.”

Evie gave Maddy a conspiratorial sort of look and leaned in to whisper. At least, she thought she was whispering, but what was really coming out was a stage-like whisper of comic proportions that was loud enough for pretty much anyone in the immediate vicinity to hear. “Do you think she’s all...” she asked, but checked herself before continuing, “No, never mind! Forget it!”

“What?!” asked Maddy, her eyes gleaming as she caught the cheeky look in Evie’s eye, “Go on! Say it! ...You’re talking to me, remember!”

Evie smiled a mischievous sort of smile and leaned in again, half covering her mouth with the heel of her hand, as she ‘whisper’ shouted loudly, “I was just wondering... Do you think she’s all...?” She paused again for a moment before she ‘whispered’ the last word in Maddy’s ear for dramatic effect, “Wrinkly?”

“Christ, Evie! She’s not that old!” laughed Maddy, making no effort to keep her voice down but feigning shock and disapproval, “She’s only like... 50! ...I mean... That's still pretty young!” She did actually feel a little bad for the conversation and began to half-heartedly defend her ‘foster mother’. “You know… I guess… Roo is pretty fit for her age too… and she's got a good figure… and she is beautiful… and I've always thought that she had beautiful eyes...”

“Yeah, but she’s twice Matt’s age!” laughed Evie, wrinkling her nose again at the thought of Matt and Roo together, “I never thought Matt would end up with some... some old wrinkly!” She began to really laugh, her shoulders shuddering up and down, as she imagined the two of them in bed together.

"Roo isn't some 'old wrinkly'" giggled Maddy, shaking her head at her in disapproval, "Besides, maybe Matt's always had a thing for older women?" 

Evie turned to look at her and squinted her eyes to try to bring her into focus. “How do you think... I mean..." she asked, slurring her words a little, "...How do you think it... how do you think it ha-happened?!” Maddy was staring back at her in a similarly bleary-eyed way, and swaying a little on her stool. “Like when did Matt look at Roo and... and go...” continued Evie, slurring and giggling in a breathy sort of way, “...like when did... when did he look at her and think ‘I want some of that’?”

“I dunno” slurred Maddy, motioning at the barman for two more cocktails, “I did ask... but they wouldn’t tell me... They just...just said... that ‘they drifted together over time’... I mean... What does that mean?!”

“Yeah, like, we want the deets!” shouted Evie, slamming her hand down on the counter in an exaggerated way, “What’s the use in being friends with a ‘granny grabber’ if you can’t find out the juicy details!” She made a grimace and shook her head in mock disgust. “On second thoughts” she continued, “I’m not sure I really want those mental images... images in my head!”

Maddy feigned a shiver of disgust and beckoned a little impatiently at the barman. A blurry shape in the distance seemed to shake his head at her and she took it as a ‘no’. With a dramatic gasp, she turned and pouted at the Evie-shaped blur in front of her. “I think we’ve been... been cut off” she said, adopting a tone of indignation.

“They can’t do that!” whined Evie, throwing her bottom lip out in a ridiculously exaggerated pout and crossing her arms across her chest like a petulant three-year-old. “I’m friends with the… the owner! ...Or at least, my boyfriend is!”

“C’mon! Lezzz go!” giggled Maddy, hopping up to lean over the bar and swipe a bottle of something from behind the counter. “Shhhh!” she whispered, putting her finger to her lips and slipping the bottle inside the front of her dress which created a very conspicuous bottle-shaped bulge, “Let’s go!”

They started to make their way through the crowds of people, wobbling towards the door, and giggling like idiots. “We’ll go back to mine!” whisper-shouted Evie as they approached the doorway.

“Nice try, Ladies” said Jett, stepping in front of them at the doorway with a gentle little smile. “I think maybe you should give me that bottle… the one I just saw you steal” he said, holding his hand out to Maddy expectantly and tilting his head at her in a pitying sort of way.

“I don’t know what you think you saw” replied Maddy, taking on a look of total outrage as she carefully enunciated each and every word, “But I have never stolen anything in my life!”

“So you don’t have a bottle of Disaronno stuck down the front of your dress?!” he laughed, nodding at the bottle top sticking out of her cleavage.

She looked down with a look of disappointment and squinted hard to read the name on the bottle top. “Disaronno!” she groaned, looking absolutely disgusted, “I don’t even like that stuff!”

“Can I have it then?” asked Jett, using his most patient “I’m used to dealing with drunkards’ voice. He held his hand out again and nodded for her to hand him the bottle. “Just give me the bottle” he coaxed gently, “...and we’ll say nothing more about it, eh?”

With a dramatic sigh, she retrieved the bottle from her dress, and handed it to him. “I used to like you, y’know?!” she slurred at him, as she linked on Evie’s arm and continued unsteadily towards the door, “Before you became all Robocop!”

As the two of them wobbled out and down the steps they continued to cackle like a couple of banshees and he shook his head as he watched them go. He walked back towards the bar and nodded to the barman as he placed the bottle back over the counter for him.

“Hi Jett” said a voice, just to the right of him, only just loud enough for him to hear, “Thanks for all your help with Roo the other day.” He was surprised to see that Matt was sitting at the bar and seemed to be quietly making his way through a bottle of whiskey. He glanced at the door and thought about the two girls that had just left. He’d only spotted them because he had a clear view from his vantage point at the other end of the bar. They’d done a pretty bad job of hiding their attempt at petty theft and he’d decided to intercept them at the door and stop them getting in real trouble with the bouncer. He was pretty sure that this is where they’d been sitting though, so Matt would have been sitting right here beside them. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t noticed him. It seemed strange that the girls had gone and left him on his own, but his line of whiskey glasses seemed much more like lone drinking behaviour than an evening out with mates. This was all a little strange. He slid onto the stool that Maddy had been sitting on and shuffled it round to face more towards Matt. He realised then from the way that it was positioned that she would have had her back to him. He looked at him, wondering what had been going on, and thought that he seemed even more downcast than usual. “Didn’t want to go with Evie and Maddy?” he asked him, trying to sound casual and not come across as some busy-body police officer digging for information. He was just genuinely worried about him.

“They’re enjoying themselves just fine on their own” muttered Matt, staring into his whiskey glass as he swirled the golden liquid round and round, “I think I’ve provided enough entertainment for one night...”

[KittCatt]

Great chapter!

Poor Matt  Liked that we got some insight into his scar and what happened. I agree with Josh- it might be a good idea to talk to someone. And it seems he was going to, or would've if Oscar wasn't there... Evie and Maddy's conversation was quite rude, though they'll probably blame it on the alcohol. Poor Matt  

And i feel for Roo, thinking she's going through menopause and will be less-desirable to Matt. I doubt Matt thinks that but that doesn't make Roo's feelings any less valid.

I appreciated the friendship between Evie and Maddy, love how close they have become since hating each other. And i understand how awkward it must be for Maddy to hear Matt and Roo going at it all the time 

I look forward to more!  

[Red Ranger 1]

Maddy and Evelyn's girls talk was fun, shame they didn't realise Matt was there... So Matt's carrying around a lot of guilt and Roo's carrying around a lot of insecurity.Bumpy times ahead.

[Inactive User]

Great chapter

Liked the friendship between Maddy and Evelyn

Aww poor Roo! Liked the talk between her and Leah

And I liked the insight into how Matt got his scar and what happened

Looking forwards to the next chapter Xxx

[Guest]

Great chapter

Liked the girl talk between Evelyn and Maddy.

Poor Roo

Liked the insight into what happened and how Matt got his scars

Update again soon

[Ludub]

9 hours ago, KittCatt said:

I appreciated the friendship between Evie and Maddy, love how close they have become since hating each other. 

9 hours ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

Maddy and Evelyn's girls talk was fun, shame they didn't realise Matt was there..

 

9 hours ago, ~JarlieFanEver~ said:

Liked the friendship between Maddy and Evelyn

 

4 hours ago, Kristen said:

Liked the girl talk between Evelyn and Maddy

Thanks everyone! This was something that struck me in the show. They seemed to develop a friendship all of a sudden probably as a result of living together and I really liked seeing them on friendly terms. I really liked the scene where they were all getting dressed up in 20s stuff for the formal because it was one of the few times that we got to see Maddy and Evie purely as friends. I think they could have made a lot more of their relationship if Maddy had stayed on the show. They could have been a good support for each other. So for my story, I liked the idea that the two of them became much closer friends over the last few years, through all of Maddy's cancer stuff, and even with Maddy on the other side of the world. 

[hward]

Great chapter, you're really upping my curiosity of what happened to Matt.

I hope Matt didn't hear what Maddy and Evie were saying about him and Roo.  Looking forward to the next as usual

[Ludub]

19 hours ago, hward said:

Great chapter, you're really upping my curiosity of what happened to Matt.

I hope Matt didn't hear what Maddy and Evie were saying about him and Roo.  Looking forward to the next as usual

Thanks hward! Glad you're enjoying it!  I'm glad it's igniting your curiosity. I want it to play out a little bit like a mystery with the blanks being filled in gradually. I'm enjoying building back-stories for everyone else too. Four years is a long time!

Hope to have a new chapter up tonight (or tomorrow morning in Australia) Fingers crossed!

[pembie]

Sounds as though Matt's leg got mangled maybe when he was trying to get to one of  the food crates from the plane, and the the chicken twisties were inside the box and then something happened.. Great mystery

Things will be even more awkward  now living with Maddy if Matt heard everything at the bar..

Nice like refence to Brody being like Gordon Ramsay I like to think you may have taken that from my comical comments about him