Three Words: A Novella Collection Read online

  The waitress returned with their drinks, placing them down on the table. Georgie swizzled her straw and looked out at the river. Nate concentrated on the people getting off the ferry at the end of the dock.

  “When’d you dye your hair?”

  At school, Georgie’s hair had been a long golden brown sheath that had hung down her back. Dirty blonde her mother used to call it. Nate used to call her his ‘Little Mermaid’.

  “A long time now. I changed the color when I lived in Sydney. I guess it stuck.”

  “I like it. But you don’t look like you. When I saw you back there on the path, I didn’t recognize you, not until you took off your sunnies.”

  Thank God, that was all it had been.

  “I was worried you’d actually forgotten me, like, blocked me from your mind. Not that it would matter if you had,” she rushed on, “but, well, you know.”

  Nate gazed across the table at her. Then he reached into his wallet and pulled out a photo, placing it on the table between them. It was faded and worn around the edges but Georgie could clearly see the younger version of them, sitting together on the beach at Cottosloe, his arm slung easily around her shoulder. Georgie’s hair was blowing across her face and her lips, purple with cold, were on Nate’s cheek. He looked happy as he laughed into the lens. So did she. In the corner of the photo, a yellowing piece of sticky tape held a lock of hair that was obviously hers from many years ago.

  Georgie stared at the picture for some time and when she raised her head, she noticed the expression on Nate’s face had changed.

  “You think I could ever forget you, Georgie? You were my first love.”

  So, it had been real.

  Chapter 4

  For the remainder of Primary School, Georgie and Nate were inseparable. They went everywhere together, did everything together. If Georgie was having a slumber party, Nate was invited, even though the rest of the participants were girls. He’d sit stoically for hours while they braided his hair into cornrows or threaded beads into bracelets, which they made him wear around the house. He drew the line at nail polish, though. There was no way he was letting any girl put that stuff on him. He was a bloke.

  When Nate had friends over, Georgie was automatically included. She played soccer with them and followed along as they sped their pushbikes down Oceanic Drive. Nate taught Georgie how to surf and she tagged along on their early morning trips to the beach. She could surf way better than any of the guys, except him. Of course, Georgie could have easily shown him up, if she wanted to, but Nate was her friend. She didn’t mind putting the other boys in their places but she wasn’t about to embarrass him for the sake of being better. When Georgie and Nate surfed together, she always let him get the best waves.

  Then one summer, when they were both approaching fourteen, Georgie and Nate were invited to a birthday. Georgie’s friend Tara was having a mixed party at the movies. Tara’s mother had organized a private screening of Men in Black. It was the first time boys had been included and the girls were frenetic with excitement. Maggie had even had her hair professionally straightened for the occasion, at a cost of three hours and more pocket money than Georgie saw in six months. Georgie couldn’t see the big deal. Her and Nate had been going to the movies together since they were nine. Last time they went, he’d eaten all the popcorn as well as two ice-cream cones. Her mother had to stop the car on the side of the road on the way home so he could throw up. And boys and girls going to the movies together wasn’t a good idea. The boys never liked the same movies the girls did. Still, it would be fun to see her friends and eat some cake.

  When the day of the movie event arrived, Georgie had to admit she was excited. Her mother had bought her a new pair of jeans shorts and a blue top with sequins around the neckline. She was going to wear her favorite red jelly sandals and the necklace with the ‘G’ that Nate had given her for Christmas last year. Maybe she’d even try out the lip-gloss she’d bought at Diva. All her friends wore lip-gloss.

  As she stood in front of the bathroom mirror, admiring her new mascara’d reflection, Georgie wondered briefly what Nate would think. He probably wouldn’t notice and if did and he hated the new look, he wouldn’t comment. Nate liked her no matter what. He told her all the time. He even liked her when she reeked of garlic, which was often. Georgie’s mum was going through an Italian cooking phase.

  Georgie was the last to arrive at the movie theatre but she didn’t mind, being first was bad in her book. You stood around looking like a dufus waiting for a friend and you had to pretend to be interested in stuff you didn’t give two hoots about so you looked casual and not nervy. She walked over to where Tara stood with the rest of the group and gave her the present she’d bought earlier in the week. Tara loved music. Georgie hoped she liked the CD she’d picked out.

  As they made their way into the theatre, Nate caught up to her, nudging her arm with his elbow in his usual greeting style. He was dressed up that day, wearing jeans of all things. Nate never wore jeans in summer. He liked board shorts.

  “Hi Georgie.”

  “Hi.”

  “You’re late today.”

  “I had to get changed after ballet.”

  “I’m glad you’re here,” he said, grabbing hold of her hand and dragging her towards the double doors of the theatre. “You can save me from Jessica. She’s being annoying again.”

  It was no secret the Jessica had a crush on Nate. She followed him around like a puppy, even inviting herself along when they went to the beach. Not that Jessica surfed. She was a girlie girl. She sat on the sand in her sparkly bikini and watched. She jumped up and down and applauded Nate’s prowess so that her breasts jiggled. It was very distracting. One time, after a particularly rigorous display, a couple of the boys fell off their surfboards.

  Georgie gave a giggle. “Nathan’s got a girlfriend, Nathan’s got a girlfriend,” she teased.

  “Shut up. She’s not my girlfriend. The only girlfriend I have is you.”

  Georgie refrained from reminding him that she hadn’t been his girlfriend since they got married in his wardrobe when they were eight. They were mates.

  “You look pretty, by the way,” he said, as they shuffled along the row to their seats. He put the snacks down in between them. “That top looks nice.”

  “It’s new.”

  “Well, it looks good. You look good.” His cheery blue eyes glanced over her body before coming to rest on her face. For some reason, Georgie felt herself blushing.

  “Thank you.”

  Then Nate’s focus moved to her lips and Georgie reddened even more. So much for him not noticing the lip-gloss. His eyes were stuck to it, like her lips were made of Super Glue. Trying to concentrate on something, anything other than the way he was looking at her, Georgie twisted at the garnet ring he’d given her because he said it matched her eyes. She shoved her hands between her knees, wiggling her legs up and down. He was making her feel all weird inside. It was very uncomfortable.

  “Georgie?”

  Georgie pretended to watch the previews that had come up on the screen. “Hmm?”

  “Nothing.” Nate half-turned towards the movie too, a queer look on his face. Then he blurted, “Are you wearing lipstick?”

  Geez, what was his problem? It was as if by putting on a bit of make-up she’d transformed from best friend Georgie to a new Georgie he’d never known existed and now he couldn’t stop staring. But she hadn’t done it to make Nate notice her. She’d only wanted to be like the other girls.

  “Is there something wrong with that?”

  Nate shrugged. “Nup. I like you better without it, though. It makes you look like you ate too many toffee apples. I like you better when you’ve just got out of the surf and your hair’s all messy.”

  So much for never commenting on her looks.

  “And I like you better when you’re not being an idiot. If you don’t cut it out, I’ll swap places with Jessica and leave you to fight her off.”

  “You woul
dn’t dare.”

  “Watch me.” Half joking, Georgie stood up in her place, waving to the girl further down the row. “Hey, Jessica…”

  Quicker than she could say popcorn, Nate yanked her back into her seat. His expression was desperate. “Alright, Alright. I didn’t mean it. Please, don’t leave. Don’t make me sit next to Jessica. The way she looks at me is scary.”

  Sort of like the way he’d been looking at her a minute ago.

  Georgie shook her head. Honestly, sometimes Nate was clueless. He pretended to be cool and stuff but really, he was clueless. “That’s because she’s hot for you, silly.”

  Nate slunk down in his seat, giving a sideways glance to where the other girl sat. “Well, I’m not hot for her. She’s loud and her boobs are way too big.”

  Georgie would lay bets that Nate hadn’t shared that fact with any of his other friends. Chest size seemed to be their main topic of conversation these days.

  The movie started and the pair settled down. Because the theatre was empty apart from the birthday party, there was plenty of room to spread out so Georgie bent her long legs onto the seat in front of her. Nate did the same and together they dug into the huge bucket of popcorn and took alternate sips of the Coke Nate had bought. Some of the other kids had paired off as soon as the lights had dimmed and were sitting very close to each other but not Georgie and Nate. They were just, well, Georgie and Nate, two best friends.

  As the opening credits appeared, Georgie felt Nate sneeze and his shoulder rub against hers. It sounded like his Hay Fever was playing up again. Nate suffered terribly in summer. Only last week, he’d been to a doctor about getting his nostrils desensitized but they wanted to wait till he finished growing. Personally, Georgie hoped he didn’t grow another centimeter. He already looked like a giraffe and he towered so far over her, she needed a stepladder to look him in the eye. She turned to enquire if he was okay but he was staring straight at the screen like it hadn’t even happened. Deciding he was probably fine, she dug her hand into the bucket of popcorn and did the same.

  Then, Nate sneezed a second time. This time his hand simultaneously came to rest on her bare knee. What was he doing? He never touched her unless it was to punch her in the arm. He’d given her a hug once when she got upset over that dog movie — the dog had died — but as soon as she’d stopped crying he’d gone back to normal. She watched, appalled as he lifted the armrest and scrooched closer, his eyes never leaving the screen. A vein pumped rapidly in the side of his neck. Clearly, something was up. This wasn’t like Nate at all.

  “What’re you doing?” she hissed, indicating the position of his body touching hers.

  “Nothing.”

  “You have your hand on my knee.”

  “I know. I thought it was what you wanted me to do,” he whispered, so quietly she had to practically put her ear to his mouth to hear him. His hand gave her knee a cursory rub.

  “Why would you think that?”

  “You’re wearing lipstick and you bought a new top. Isn’t that what girls do when they want a guy to notice them?”

  And before she could think of an appropriate come-back, Nate leant into her chest, and, pressing her back into the red velvet of the seat, locked his lips with hers. They were soft and warm and not at all what Georgie expected. Her body began to quiver. Butterflies flew around in the pit of her stomach. The bucket of popcorn fell into her lap and spilled between them.

  “Get off me!” she screeched, her hands pushing against his chest. “Now.”

  “What? Why?”

  “What do you mean ‘why’? You kissed me, you oaf.”

  “I thought you wanted me to.”

  “Well, next time you decide to use your brain, can you let me know first?” She bent down, flicking bits of popcorn from her lap to the floor and examining the splodges of butter on her front. “My top’s ruined. Mum’ll kill me.”

  “Didn’t you like it?”

  Was he kidding?

  “That’s not the point.” How would she know if she liked it, anyway? It had been over faster than she could blink.

  Pushing the armrest down between them, Georgie flopped back in her seat. If this was the result of her attempt to look more like a girl, she wouldn’t bother again. She had no idea what prompted Nate to react the way he had. He’d never shown that type of interest in her before. He was like her brother, for Pete’s sake. It was disgusting. Sort of.

  For the rest of the movie, Nate sat in stony silence, his face grumpier than a bear without dinner. Usually annoyingly talkative, especially in the serious parts, he refused to engage with Georgie, even after she apologized for spilling the popcorn and bought him a bag of Gummi Bears as a replacement.

  Georgie sulked too. If this was how he was going to behave for the rest of their lives, she would just give in and let Jessica have him.

  Chapter 5

  They’d been sitting in the café for most of the afternoon. Juices had progressed to coffee, food and then alcohol. It was as if the twelve years they’d been apart had never happened, except that it had. They knew nothing about what the other had been doing. They’d never sought each other out on Facebook or asked mutual acquaintances how they were doing. Since Georgie and Nate broke up, in the summer when she was to leave and go to University, they’d never spoken again. The only reminder of their life long friendship was the ring Georgie wore, and the picture Nate carried in his wallet. It was the way they’d believed it should be — a clean break, a chance for each other to live their life.

  “What’s been going on, then?” Nate asked.

  For the past hour they’d been talking about old times but not a word had been uttered about the present. It was almost as if they were too scared to open the box, in case it contained something they didn’t want to know about.

  “Not a great deal.” Under the table, Georgie felt Nate’s knee knocking against hers, as he tapped his foot the way he used to when he was nervous. She smiled a little to herself and fingered the rim of her glass. “I went to Uni, got my degree. Then I did Honors and a Masters. I moved to Sydney after that, got a job in this huge building firm, designing interiors for show homes. I didn’t like it much. I didn’t like being told how to be creative.”

  “You didn’t become a vet?”

  Georgie threw an incredulous look in Nate’s direction. “And stick my hand up a cow’s bottom? No, thank you. Once I got to Melbourne and started the course, I discovered it wasn’t my thing. Architectural design was much more fun. And cleaner.”

  “I never told you but I couldn’t imagine you knee-deep in cow shit.”

  How well he must have known her.

  “You were right. I think I only chose it ‘cause Mum and Dad wanted me to. You get those ideas in your head and they’re hard to dismiss, especially when you’re young and you think your parents must be right. What about you?”

  “I never became a fireman. And Batman’s offsider didn’t have quite the same ring once I grew up.”

  “But you looked so good in tights.” Georgie smirked. “What did you end up doing?”

  “After the split, I bummed around for a year or so, travelling. I told myself it was a gap year but I think it was because I was trying to block you from my mind by filling it with new experiences. I ended up in Bali, working in a bar. I surfed all day and drank all night. I met lots of pretty girls in bikinis but none of them held a candle to you.” His face softened as he reached across the table to take her hand. “I missed our trips to the beach and the fun we used to have.”

  “Me too.”

  “Then the bombing happened. That was a wake-up call. It gave me this urge to be at home with the people who loved me.”

  “Wow. You weren’t hurt?” Georgie knew a number of people who’d been directly affected by the bombings in Bali. It had taken them ages to move on from it.

  “I was okay but I knew people in that bar. People who died. I couldn’t handle any more so I came home, got my shit together and got a degree. Now I
’m an engineer. I fly in and out of South Africa, sometimes Mongolia. It’s interesting and it pays well but it’s dangerous.”

  “Ever the thrill-seeker.”

  “Isn’t that how life’s meant to be?”

  “I almost got married,” Georgie blurted, instantly wondering why she had. Nate didn’t need to know stuff like that. It would only hurt him but in the whole time they’d been apart that was the most outrageous thing she’d almost done. She couldn’t think of one thing, other than dancing on a table when drunk that would prove to him she was the same girl she used to be. Being without Nate had dimmed the switch on her enthusiasm for life.

  Georgie looked down at Nate’s hand, covering hers. That switch was definitely turned on now. It was firing missiles through her body.

  “You’re kidding?” Nate joked, letting out a laugh so loud, people at the other tables turned to stare. “That’s the best you can do? I tell you I’m basically the Blood Diamond guy and you say ‘I nearly got married’?”

  “Well, he was a mobster. Big drug lord. Huge amounts of cash. He got sent down for ten years so I broke it off. I actually had to leave Sydney… if you know what I mean.”

  Nate sat up in his chair. “Jesus, Georgie, how’d you get mixed up with someone like that? You always hated drugs.”

  “I’m joking. As if I’d go out with a drug lord. I wouldn’t even know where to find one. I was engaged, though. His name was Matt. He worked for the same firm as me in Sydney. He was very dashing. He looked a bit like you.”

  “What happened?”

  “I caught him doing the dirty on the kitchen bench after I got home early from a girls’ weekend. It was all very Bridget Jones. Apparently, he had every woman in the office, under the age of thirty, on some sort of speed dial attached to his penis; I just refused to see it. I had no idea men could play you like that.”

  “And that’s why you came home?”

  “That, and the opportunity to freelance. I’m going to work for myself, start my own business. I’ve already got a few accounts lined up.”