Three Words: A Novella Collection Read online

  By this stage, Georgie had screamed through the house in her short shorts and bikini top and was sitting next to Nate in the front seat, an adoring look on her face. As her parents watched on, they began to test out the limits of the handbrake by sprawling themselves across it, lips locked.

  “Yes, and if they haven’t had sex already they’ll be testing them out soon enough by the look of that,” Mr. Bird commented.

  “How could his parents be so irresponsible?”

  “I’m pretty sure June and David bought the car for Nate to put his surfboard in, not as a shag pad.”

  “Roger!”

  “Well, you’re overreacting. Georgie’s a sensible girl and Nate would never do anything silly.”

  Which was quite a testimony, for at that very moment Georgie and Nate were sitting in the front seat of his car, gazing up at her parents looking through the window and planning how they could manage a ‘sleepover’ in the back of the newly christened ‘Red Devil’ without anyone knowing.

  “The tickets for Big Day Out go on sale on Saturday. Hole and Marilyn Manson are headlining,” Georgie said, her mind formulating the most devious plan she’d ever come up with. Not that she’d ever had a devious plan. Apart from the odd prank here and there, she did exactly as she was told. “We could say we have to line up at the box office or we’ll miss out. We’ll probably have to ‘camp out’ in the street over night. There’ll be a huge line.”

  “But we can buy tickets over the phone,” Nate justified. “Dad’s a member at the Claremont Cricket Club. He gets heaps of offers for events they have at the oval in the off-season. They already sent him a pre-sale code. All we have to do is ring up and jump the queue.”

  “My parents don’t know that,” Georgie replied, her eyes firmly on her mother, who appeared to be having some sort of mini-seizure in the bay window. “Mum and Dad come from the old school. They stood behind a barrier for three days to catch a glimpse Roger Daltrey as he went into the hotel The Who were staying at. They didn’t even see Pete Townsend. And when they got the photos developed, all they had were shots of the girl’s hand in front of them.”

  “I thought they met The Who?”

  “Only Keith Moon. Mum chased him up the street to get his autograph. It’s in a box somewhere but that’s not the point. If we tell them we’re lining up to get tickets, they’ll totally get it. Then all we have to do is get a couple of tickets in the members pre-sale on Thursday, pack a bag to make it look like a sleep out, find a nice place to camp for the night and Bob’s your uncle.”

  Nate’s eyes twinkled. His arms snaked around Georgie’s body to explore the smooth skin at the side of her bikini top. “You’re a sneaky thing, Georgie Bird. I’d never have thought of that.”

  Georgie planted a deep kiss on his mouth. “I know. It must be those hormones Mum keeps banging on about.”

  *****

  On the evening before the line up for tickets, Nate arrived at Georgie’s house at the designated time. His car screeched to a halt in the driveway, sending a cloud of dust and ear-bleedingly loud music into the atmosphere and causing Mrs. Longo to peek from behind her curtains to check that a terrorist attack wasn’t happening in the Bird’s drive. Giving the old lady a wave, Nate took the front steps two at a time, let himself in the door and greeted Mrs. Bird with a kiss on the cheek. Still uncomfortable that Nate was dashing Georgie around the town in a car, she had just completed lecturing her daughter about behaving like a lady and not going anywhere but the ticket line because the city was a dangerous place at night. Little did she know Georgie had no intention of going anywhere near the box office. The only box Georgie intended on being near was the one that had condoms in it.

  Grabbing Georgie’s backpack and a large basket from beside the front door, Nate led the way down to the car and tossed it into the back. So far, their plan was coming together nicely. Confident that the two sets of parents would never compare notes, he’d told his mother he was taking Georgie to a midnight screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, her all-time favorite movie. He’d crash at hers after, as it was closer to the outdoor theatre. Nate often spent the night at Georgie’s — in carefully selected separate rooms, of course — and Georgie’s mum and dad’s bedroom between them. Georgie’s parents, being the trusting people they were, assumed Georgie would be sitting with her other school friends in a queue that evening, the very same queue that had been featured on that night’s edition of Ten News. At the time of filming, it had stretched a block along Hay Street and was expected to be triple the length by morning. They weren’t overly impressed about their daughter staying out the entire night, but if the kids wanted tickets, they supposed there was no other choice. Though why anyone would want to see that Marilyn Manson with the one blue eye and one black was beyond them. He really was rather creepy.

  “What’s with the basket?” Nate asked, as he lugged the wicker into the back of the car.

  Georgie rolled her eyes. “Mum was worried we’d get hungry. She’s packed us a picnic.”

  “With bread made from rocks? That thing weighs a ton.”

  “That’d be the ten liters of Coke and water and the thermos of tea. She doesn’t want us to get dehydrated or cold.”

  “Thoughtful. But unnecessary.”

  Georgie tossed her overnight bag in beside the picnic basket. It wasn’t much lighter.

  “And I suppose you’ve got your hair straightener and your entire summer wardrobe, in there?” Nate asked.

  “Don’t be sarcastic. It’s a doona and two pillows, if you must know. At three o’clock in the morning, you’ll be pleased I packed it.”

  Nate took her in his arms, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose. “This is the first time we’ve ever been naked together, Georgie. You won’t be hiding under a doona.”

  Georgie flushed. “What if it’s cold?”

  “You won’t be cold, believe me.”

  They walked to their respective sides of the car and got in. Nate started the car and Georgie changed the CD before letting her hand rest on Nate’s knee. He gave her a smile that told her he knew exactly what she was thinking.

  All week long, Georgie had been imagining this night and every time she had, her body had responded with that tingle, the one she got in the pit of her stomach that worked its way down between her legs. Sure, there’d be so much heavy breathing in the past, they could’ve filled a steam room, but tonight was going to be different. Not in the panting and moaning department but in the act itself. Tonight Georgie was going to show Nate how much she loved him by giving herself entirely to him. They were going to lose their virginity together.

  “Where are we going? Georgie asked, as Nate reversed out of the driveway. Nate had been in charge of scouting a location. He’d been updating her during the week but was keeping his final choice a surprise.

  “Not telling.”

  “But I want to know.”

  That mischievous twinkle in his eye, Nate concentrated on the road ahead.

  At the first set of lights in Roberts Road, Nate turned down the music. Frowning, Georgie glanced sideways at him. Nate never turned down the music. The only way to play it was as loudly as possible.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He appeared to be straining to listen. “Nothing. I thought I heard a funny noise.”

  Georgie focused for a second. “I can’t hear anything. What’d it sound like?”

  “Crackling. Whistling. I’m not sure.” He cocked his head over the steering wheel, listening intently. “I think it’s gone now.”

  As Nate took off from the lights, Georgie reset the volume dial and began to bounce along in time, her fingers tapping simultaneously on Nate’s knee. Her body, also switched to high, was filled with nervous energy, making it hard for her to keep still. “Are you sure you won’t tell me where we’re going?”

  Nate’s hand left the steering wheel to cover hers. He squeezed her knuckles tight, letting out a chuckle as she pulled her hand away and shook it.
r />   “Ouch! Nate!”

  “Well, stop being so nosy. You’ll find out when we get there. Can you skip that track and go to the next one? I don’t like it much.”

  Georgie huffed and pressed the scan button, moving the CD to the next track. Nate’s hand moved across the handbrake and up her bare leg, coming to rest at the top of her thigh. His fingers began to play with the fabric along the hem of her shorts. Georgie wriggled away it and slapped him playfully. “Focus on your driving.”

  “I am,” he replied, his eyes never leaving the road. “I’m also focusing on getting you out of those shorts in about ten minutes.”

  Georgie blushed again. It was one thing to do it; it was another completely to talk about it all the time.

  At that moment, the Red Devil gave an almighty shudder and slowed to a grinding halt. Smoke began to pour from under the console making Georgie cough as it entered the car. Then she caught a flash of flame.

  “Oh my God. Nate. We’re on fire!”

  Envisaging an explosion to rival a Hollywood action movie, she flung the door open and bolted from the car, screaming at the top of her lungs. Nate, who was far more practical, jumped out behind her and stood at the side of the car, scratching his head and wondering how to put the fire out.

  “Ohmigod. Ohmigod. Ohmigod. What are we going to do?” Georgie’s nervous excitement was quickly being overtaken by panic. Fingers against her mouth, she bit at her nails, having no idea how to handle the situation. Of course, if Nate had taken that place he got offered at the Firefighting Academy, they wouldn’t have had a problem. If he hadn’t deferred, he’d know exactly how to douse the fire.

  “Ohmigod. Ohmigod. Ohmigod.”

  “Shut up, Georgie. I can’t think with you carrying on like that.”

  “But the car… It’s going to explode.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “But the fire…”

  “We’ll put it out. Now shut up.”

  Clouds of charcoal smoke billowed through the open door and flames crackled but the fire didn’t seem to be spreading. Not taking any chances, Georgie found a spot some meters away and stood under a tree muttering ‘Ohmigod’ in a soft voice so as not to piss Nate off more. She might love him with all her heart but she didn’t trust his judgment when it came to cars being on fire. Nate’s knowledge of mechanics was about as extensive as hers. It was possible the car could explode at any moment. She totally knew it.

  Meanwhile, Nate had moved to the edge of the curb, and stood staring helplessly at the car, his hands on his head. He began to pace, searching for a solution. Either that or he was trying to be manly and not cry. Nate loved the Red Devil. He wouldn’t want her to die.

  Then Georgie let out a squeal. “Look!”

  Nate looked up. A man from the service station across the road was struggling across the highway with a large red fire extinguisher in his arms. Being no bigger than an oversized Christmas elf and looking like he needed to go on a diet, the extinguisher was weighing him down considerably as he dodged the late night traffic.

  The man stopped beside the open door of Nate’s car.

  “Out of the way, young fella,” he said, shouldering Nate in the ribs as he lifted the nozzle of the extinguisher and began to spray with gusto. He’d clearly been waiting for the moment for his entire life.

  The flames died down as foamy bubbles filled the cabin of the car and began to overflow onto the road. Nate looked on, terror taking over his face as the man continued to spray enthusiastically.

  “The car looks like a giant marshmallow,” Nate said. “My new CD player’s gonna be ruined.”

  Standing under the tree, which she’d now discovered was actually part of a very nice front garden; Georgie watched as her hopes of having sex for the first time washed down the gutter on a sea of white. “There’s no way we can get back in the car now.”

  “Not unless we want a bubble bath. We’ll have to ring Dad.”

  “Do we have to? Maybe it’ll be okay when it’s dry?”

  The look Nate gave her told her it was time to stop talking.

  This was really bad.

  Suddenly, sex was as far from Georgie’s mind as the possibility that one day she’d turn thirty. The reaction her parents were going to have, however, when they found out that instead of sitting in the line to acquire Big Day Out tickets, she’d been on her way to a love tryst with Nate, was quite worrying. She was never going to be able to explain her way out of this one. They’d never allow her out of the house again, let alone in a car. She was going to be a virgin till forever. Her life would be over.

  Chapter 9

  “Here we are,” Nate said, pulling the car into Georgie’s parents’ driveway. “Safe and sound.”

  Georgie unclipped her seatbelt and sat forward. A feeling of déjà vu swept over her, only this time she wasn’t necking in the front seat or getting in trouble for breaking her curfew. She was a grown up. And the house was empty. “Thanks so much for the lift. I hope I didn’t get your seats too wet.”

  “They should be fine. I was only joking about the leather.”

  Georgie opened the door and slipped a bootless foot onto the concrete of the drive. She paused, weighing up the options. Nate had driven all the way to Fremantle to see her. They’d chatted in the car on the drive home like they had when they were seventeen. Nothing had changed, the years apart hadn’t existed, they truly did belong together. If Georgie got out of the car now, the evening would be over and she had a feeling that, like her, Nate didn’t want it to be over. Now that they’d found each other again, they didn’t want to let go. They had to finish what they’d begun. She knew Nate wanted to. He had that look.

  “Um. I’m going to have a shower and get changed. It’s only early do you want to come in for a coffee? Or a drink?”

  Unmoving, Nate stared up at the porch light on the verandah.

  Georgie sensed his apprehension. The last time he’d been here hadn’t exactly been filled with fond memories. She remembered the hurt and angry look on her mother’s face when she’d called him selfish and immature. She could see Nate now, standing under that light, the beam shining down on his mussed up hair and the tears streaming down both their faces, as they’d called quits on everything they’d ever had. It had been such a long time ago.

  “My parents aren’t home, if that’s what you’re worried about. They went to a wedding in the Swan Valley. They’re staying overnight.”

  Nate flicked the ignition off and pulled the keys out. “Let’s go.”

  As they reached the top of the stairs and Georgie stopped to locate her keys, Nate stepped up behind her, putting a hand to her arm. His voice was low against her neck and Georgie quivered, a kaleidoscope of butterflies taking up residence in her stomach. It was just like the last time. Only this time she was older.

  “Sure?” he asked.

  Georgie turned. It may have been twelve years and a lifetime of events in the interim, but from the moment she’d seen him on the path, she’d known that one way or another, she would be with Nate again. If it was only for tonight, she’d be satisfied that a chapter of her life could finally close but if, by some crazy twist of fate, they ended up together, that would be awesome too. Either way, she was prepared.

  “I’m sure,” she replied and led him into the house.

  He closed the door behind them and they stood for a second, facing each other in the darkness. “This is really weird,” he whispered. “It’s like it’s…”

  “…The first time again? Like we’re going back to the future?” Georgie finished.

  Nate nodded.

  Georgie wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her lips reached up to meet his as she clung to him, pressing her body into his, never wanting to let go.

  “I felt it too. I can feel it now. But it won’t be anything like that. It'll be much better.”

  *****

  Georgie had been grounded without an end-date after the fire-in-the-car episode. Her parents had been s
o disappointed by her behavior that leaving her to stew in her room for an indefinite period seemed the only choice. Well, at least until they came up with something better. Apart from the odd ten minutes late for curfew or being caught kissing in the car, Georgie had always been such a good girl. She was a model student. She always did as she was told. And because they’d never needed to punish her before Mr. and Mrs. Bird had no idea how to go about it. The only thing they did know was that Georgie should not be allowed to hang out with Nate. He, and his raging hormones, were clearly a bad influence.

  The decision to keep Nate and Georgie separate was easier said than done however, and by the time exams were over and university entrance places submitted, the pair had devised numerous creative methods to get around the ban, be it at school, the library or even in the exam preparation classes. Nobody could stop them from sitting together there. As long as they were quiet and got on with their work, nobody gave a fig. The only thing they’d never been able to manage, however, was to lose their virginity and, while Nate could have his pick of the girls at school, he wanted nobody but Georgie. His Playboy collection, took an awful beating during those months. It was lucky to last the distance.

  The weekend that Georgie was allowed from her prison for the first time coincided with her parent’s trip to Queensland. Georgie’s maiden aunt had bought herself a husband in Indonesia and was having not one, but two weddings — Muslim and Christian — to celebrate. Every adult in the family had been invited to see the woman nobody thought would ever marry walk down the aisle. Georgie was beside herself. She may have been exiled for the week to Jan and Jock’s, the family friends around the corner, but she had also been given permission to attend a small gathering to mark the end of the exams and her school career. When Mrs. Bird suggested that Georgie should also be in charge of feeding the cats and checking on the house each day, she jumped at the chance. Another plan was forming in her head and it involved her, Nate, an empty house and a single bed. This time, they would have no fires or cars to contend with.