Page 62 of All That We Are Together
“Are you kidding? I can’t even add two and two right now.”
“I think it’s five. Jump on!”
“This is ridiculous! What if someone sees us?”
“Since when do you care what other people think?”
That was enough to get Leah moving. I loved daring her. She wrapped her hands around my shoulders, her legs around my waist, and sat on my back like a monkey. I stood up and started walking. She couldn’t sit still.
“Stop doing that with your damn leg.”
“Why?” she asked.
“You’re tickling me!”
Leah cracked up and tickled my ribs, and my legs started to give out. Our laughter tore through the silence of the night. It was the best sound in the world.
“Axel! We’re going to fall!”
I tried to keep my balance, but I wound up falling to the ground. My stomach was hurting from the laughter, and I tried to take a deep breath to stop acting like a little girl. I turned my head to look at her.
“I missed this…” Leah whispered.
“My amazing company?”
She sighed with satisfaction.
“This. Byron Bay. The stars. You.”
“Good to know,” I responded, contented.
“And your family, and the scent of the sea.”
“Come back then. Stay here,” I said.
“My life is in Brisbane now…”
I stood up slowly and grabbed her hands to help her up. Without much effort, I got her on my back again and walked untilwe hit the paved road. I set her down softly, and we continued on to the hostel. At the bottom of the steps, I grabbed her wrist.
“You’re forgetting my good night kiss.”
Leah’s face was mocking, but she bent over anyway, and the kiss wasn’t fleeting; it was real, sincere, and lit up my cheek.
“Good night, Axel.”
52
Leah
My head was pounding.
I don’t know how, but I managed to get out of bed and drag myself to a shower. The water woke me up a bit, but my stomach was still aching. Fucking Axel, the way he could just blink and convince me to do whatever without thinking of the consequences, like how I was about to have a terrible day, or how at midday I was supposed to see my brother and Bega at the Nguyens’ for lunch.
I didn’t even have time to get nervous, because I’d slept so late I had to do my hair, throw on some clothes, and go, walking five minutes to downtown Byron Bay. I was the last one to arrive.
It felt strange, entering the Nguyens’ home. I don’t know if it was the hangover or the sight after three years of them all gathered there, but when Oliver got up to hug me, I hid my head in his chest so no one could see the single tear that had escaped me. I hated being emotional, but I couldn’t act like it was nothing, and still… we were family; the bonds that brought us together lay beyond words, and the feeling of seeing them all around the table was so poignant, so warm.
“Pixie, you’re such a sleepyhead,” my brother joked.