Friday seemed to come around so fast but as I was packing my bags to leave I wasn't sad, I was so happy because I was going home with more than what I came with, I had Angus back but I felt bad for Tess, for what she was going to face once she got home. Tess is the strongest person I know, she speaks her mind in every situation and she doesn't take anyone else's crap but I know that she hates hurting people too and I also know that the thought of hurting Declan would be eating her up inside.
I open a drawer I filled with skirts and shorts and I find my red mini skirt, the skirt I was wearing the night Charlie put his hand up my thigh and forced a kiss upon me. I decided that if I was going home with the boy I wanted then I could leave behind something that reminded me of the boy I regret ever talking to. It was a fair trade off.
I take my bag down to the kitchen and place it with the pile of others. Tess is in the kitchen, cleaning the bench, she cleans whenever she's nervous about something.
"Which car do you want to go in?" I ask her, she can go with Angus, Steph, Annabelle and I and get home straight away or go with Declan, Cassie and Sam and have a delayed trip because they live in different suburbs and she would be stuck alone with Declan for the last part of the drive.
"I'll go in the van with Declan, I can't leave Cassie alone to be bored by the sports talk, she would never forgive me" She says as she wipes over the same spot four times. Angus walks in from outside and grabs my bag, he looks at Tess in the kitchen cleaning and comes over.
"We have cleaners who come in do that Gerttie" He tells her but she doesn't stop, she sprays the bench again and wipes it over, her head hung low to hide her tears.
"She's nervous" I whisper to Angus, after our dinner I told him about how she was going to break up with Declan.
"Tess if you're free this weekend I was thinking of having the back wall of the gym painted with one of your awesome murals, something that motivates people" Angus suggests and she looks up at him with a big smile. This is his way of taking her mind off the nerves.
"I'd love to, I have so many ideas of what to design, I'll draw some up when we get home and you get the paints" She says, excited by the new project.
"I really appreciate it little sis, you're a big help and I'll pay you for your work too" Angus says, pulling her in for a hug. This is the distraction Tess needed and I'm so grateful to Angus for helping her.
Angus handed me his keys when we were on the ferry back to the mainland.
"You're driving us back Princess" He says with a big smile on his face.
"I don't know the way though" I panic, this would be the furtherest I've driven and I'm not good with roads I don't know or heavy traffic.
"I know the way baby, you'll be alright and the traffic is light on a Friday morning. The more you practice the better you will get and before you know it you will be doing this drive all the time" He assures me, boosting my confidence up, "Just take your time baby".
The traffic is really light on the drive back so I don't feel as much pressure and it also helps that I am able to follow Declan's van back to the suburbs.
"Angus doesn't let just anyone drive his car" Steph says as we come onto the freeway, she knows this is a big deal for us both.
"Well I know Zoey isn't going to run my baby into the curb" Angus says laughing
"That happened one time Angus, let it go" Steph replies defensively and we all laugh.
Declan pulls off into Newcrest and I follow the road to Brindleton Bay, the drive home was smooth and easy, we made it back in just 2 hours.
I drop Annabelle and Steph at Steph's place and then on to my own house.
"We're ok, right Zoey?" Angus asks in a small voice as we sit in the car out the front of my house, "I know I've got a lot of making up to do to fix what I broke" He looks at me with a worried expression on his face.
"Angus we're good, even better than good, we are great." I confirm to him, "Where is this coming from anyway?" I question
"Just with Tess and Declan splitting up, it made me worry about you and me" He frets
"We are nothing like Tess and Declan, you know that" I tell him, touching him on the leg
"Don't ever let us be either, if something bothers you I need you to speak up and tell me, please don't ever let it get to the point that it did in Del Sol Valley" He begs me, I can see that it still weighs heavy on him.
"The only problem that I had was you keeping Steph's calls secret and now we've sorted that, we're good, we're strong" I promise him and he smiles warmly at me
"Are we training today?" He asks, changing the subject
"Can we skip it? I doubt Tess will be in the mood to go and I just wanna stay home" I say
"We can skip it, just this once" He replies.
We go inside and I throw myself down on my comfy bed, I've missed sleeping in my own bed.
I can hear footsteps coming from upstairs in the kitchen, most likely my mother.
"We should go up there and be sociable" Angus suggests and I lead the way up the stairs. My Mother is busy putting away the groceries, she sees us and drops what she's doing to come give us hugs.
"My baby is back, I've missed you" She says kissing me on my cheeks, "And she brought Angus with her" Now its his turn for a kiss on the cheek
"Hey Ruth, let me get those for you" Angus says as he starts packing away the groceries
"You're a good boy Angus" She praises him before turning her attention back to me, "Where's Tess? Please don't tell me you two are still fighting" She scolded me
"We made up on the first day there, you know we can't stay mad at each other for long." I tell her, "She's with Declan, Angus brought me home", Mum smiles brightly at Angus.
"You take such good care of my baby" She says, throwing her arms around him
"She's my Princess Ruth, I've gotta treat her right" He tells her and I watch Mum's eyes go wide.
"Does this mean?" She asks us both and we nod, "I knew you two would sort things out" She says, kissing me on the head, everyone seemed to believe it except me.
"Can Angus stay for dinner?" I ask Mum
"Of course sweetie but Don won't be home til late tonight, I know he's dying to talk to about that house you are going to look at" Mum says to Angus
"What house?" I question Angus and he smiles at me.
"I was going to look at house this afternoon, it's not far from here actually, I sent the details to Don last night and I was going to ask if you wanted to come have a look with me but I got sidetracked by all the Tess and Declan drama" He explains
"Theres drama with Tess and Declan" My mother asks surprised
"She's breaking up with him" I inform her
"Oh, I did see that coming actually, he's a lovely boy but she's just out grown him" Mum says, "Anyway tell me about your holiday, did you have a good time?"
"I had the best time, I want to go back there and play on the beach and swim with dolphins, I loved it" I tell her as I dance around the kitchen, I think Sulani is my new favourite place.
That afternoon Angus drove us to look at the house he is thinking of buying, we met the real estate agent out the front. The house is a modern style, two story with basement, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, pool out back with a decent sized backyard. The bedrooms are spacious with an ensuite in the main bedroom. The house looks to be freshly painted and has hardwood flooring throughout. Theres even a fireplace in the living room.
"What do you think Zo?" Angus asks me after we've viewed every room
"I think it looks amazing but are you sure you're ready to leave the city for the suburbs? It's a big change and you can't just walk to work from here" I point out
"I'm going to step back from the gym next year, let Immie and Justin run things while I'm studying and this is close to your family, there's even room for Tess to come live here like you wanted, as long as she knows to not walk in while we are showering" He says and I kind of like the idea of staying in Brindleton Bay.
"I'd love to live with you here" I tell him and he kisses me on the forehead
"I'll put an offer in then, if they accept it we could be moving in by Christmas" He says smiling brightly at me. I can't believe that in six weeks time I could be living with him and celebrating Christmas in a new home.
"We haven't got any furniture, we are going to need so much if we are going to live here" I start to stress thinking about all the things we have to get organised before moving in but, as usual, Angus is not stressed about anything, he just takes me into his arms and says
"We will go shopping on Sunday, it will all be sorted and You and Tess can be in charge of decorating however you want" Full creative control over a new project, Tess will love this.
When we arrive back at my house Tess is sitting in the backyard, sketch pad in hand, drawing away, she jumps up excited when she sees us coming.
"I think I have the perfect design for the wall" She tells Angus holding up her sketch pad. I love seeing Tess' art work, how she's able to tell a story with a simple design. Her concept for the wall is marathon being run, shown from the angle of the finish line as the person in first place is just about to cross it.
"I love it Tess" Angus praises her, "I'll pick you up in the morning and we'll get paints"
"You can stay over" I tell him.
"I would love to baby but I really should put in some sibling time with Immie after being away for a week and I have schedules to do for next week" He says and I'm disappointed but I do understand, "Can I take you on a date tomorrow night?" He asks me and I instantly perk up
"Yes you can, I have work until 3 though" I tell him
"I'll pick you up at 6, take you somewhere fancy" He promises and I feel so special.
"Ah cute, dinner dates, I'm going to miss those" Tess says, interrupting our moment.
"Did you talk to Declan?" I ask her, I know when Tess sets her mind on something that nothing stops her from following through
"Yeah I did, I told him that it just wasn't working anymore, that we'd grown apart. I think he thinks I'll be over it tomorrow and everything will stay the same" She complains, "Why can't my break up be as easy as yours was?" She laughs, I look at Angus, both of knowing it was anything but easy.
"When Zoey broke up with me it ripped my heart out Teresa" Angus states and I can see the pain in his eyes, like he's reliving that moment all over again, stupid tackless Tess, she never thinks before she speaks.
"I know it hurt you, both of you, I was the only person who saw what you were both going through, I just meant that when she told you it was over you listened, you didn't treat it as a joke and think she's just PMSing, which is exactly what Declan accused me of. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you Angus, or you either Zo, I'm just angry that he even takes me breaking up with him as a joke" Tess explains and I see Angus soften.
"He'll get the picture when you're not chasing after him anymore" Angus tells Tess, speaking from his own experience I suspect, I lean over and kiss him on the cheek, I'm so grateful our dark days are behind us
I open a drawer I filled with skirts and shorts and I find my red mini skirt, the skirt I was wearing the night Charlie put his hand up my thigh and forced a kiss upon me. I decided that if I was going home with the boy I wanted then I could leave behind something that reminded me of the boy I regret ever talking to. It was a fair trade off.
I take my bag down to the kitchen and place it with the pile of others. Tess is in the kitchen, cleaning the bench, she cleans whenever she's nervous about something.
"Which car do you want to go in?" I ask her, she can go with Angus, Steph, Annabelle and I and get home straight away or go with Declan, Cassie and Sam and have a delayed trip because they live in different suburbs and she would be stuck alone with Declan for the last part of the drive.
"I'll go in the van with Declan, I can't leave Cassie alone to be bored by the sports talk, she would never forgive me" She says as she wipes over the same spot four times. Angus walks in from outside and grabs my bag, he looks at Tess in the kitchen cleaning and comes over.
"We have cleaners who come in do that Gerttie" He tells her but she doesn't stop, she sprays the bench again and wipes it over, her head hung low to hide her tears.
"She's nervous" I whisper to Angus, after our dinner I told him about how she was going to break up with Declan.
"Tess if you're free this weekend I was thinking of having the back wall of the gym painted with one of your awesome murals, something that motivates people" Angus suggests and she looks up at him with a big smile. This is his way of taking her mind off the nerves.
"I'd love to, I have so many ideas of what to design, I'll draw some up when we get home and you get the paints" She says, excited by the new project.
"I really appreciate it little sis, you're a big help and I'll pay you for your work too" Angus says, pulling her in for a hug. This is the distraction Tess needed and I'm so grateful to Angus for helping her.
Angus handed me his keys when we were on the ferry back to the mainland.
"You're driving us back Princess" He says with a big smile on his face.
"I don't know the way though" I panic, this would be the furtherest I've driven and I'm not good with roads I don't know or heavy traffic.
"I know the way baby, you'll be alright and the traffic is light on a Friday morning. The more you practice the better you will get and before you know it you will be doing this drive all the time" He assures me, boosting my confidence up, "Just take your time baby".
The traffic is really light on the drive back so I don't feel as much pressure and it also helps that I am able to follow Declan's van back to the suburbs.
"Angus doesn't let just anyone drive his car" Steph says as we come onto the freeway, she knows this is a big deal for us both.
"Well I know Zoey isn't going to run my baby into the curb" Angus says laughing
"That happened one time Angus, let it go" Steph replies defensively and we all laugh.
Declan pulls off into Newcrest and I follow the road to Brindleton Bay, the drive home was smooth and easy, we made it back in just 2 hours.
I drop Annabelle and Steph at Steph's place and then on to my own house.
"We're ok, right Zoey?" Angus asks in a small voice as we sit in the car out the front of my house, "I know I've got a lot of making up to do to fix what I broke" He looks at me with a worried expression on his face.
"Angus we're good, even better than good, we are great." I confirm to him, "Where is this coming from anyway?" I question
"Just with Tess and Declan splitting up, it made me worry about you and me" He frets
"We are nothing like Tess and Declan, you know that" I tell him, touching him on the leg
"Don't ever let us be either, if something bothers you I need you to speak up and tell me, please don't ever let it get to the point that it did in Del Sol Valley" He begs me, I can see that it still weighs heavy on him.
"The only problem that I had was you keeping Steph's calls secret and now we've sorted that, we're good, we're strong" I promise him and he smiles warmly at me
"Are we training today?" He asks, changing the subject
"Can we skip it? I doubt Tess will be in the mood to go and I just wanna stay home" I say
"We can skip it, just this once" He replies.
We go inside and I throw myself down on my comfy bed, I've missed sleeping in my own bed.
I can hear footsteps coming from upstairs in the kitchen, most likely my mother.
"We should go up there and be sociable" Angus suggests and I lead the way up the stairs. My Mother is busy putting away the groceries, she sees us and drops what she's doing to come give us hugs.
"My baby is back, I've missed you" She says kissing me on my cheeks, "And she brought Angus with her" Now its his turn for a kiss on the cheek
"Hey Ruth, let me get those for you" Angus says as he starts packing away the groceries
"You're a good boy Angus" She praises him before turning her attention back to me, "Where's Tess? Please don't tell me you two are still fighting" She scolded me
"We made up on the first day there, you know we can't stay mad at each other for long." I tell her, "She's with Declan, Angus brought me home", Mum smiles brightly at Angus.
"You take such good care of my baby" She says, throwing her arms around him
"She's my Princess Ruth, I've gotta treat her right" He tells her and I watch Mum's eyes go wide.
"Does this mean?" She asks us both and we nod, "I knew you two would sort things out" She says, kissing me on the head, everyone seemed to believe it except me.
"Can Angus stay for dinner?" I ask Mum
"Of course sweetie but Don won't be home til late tonight, I know he's dying to talk to about that house you are going to look at" Mum says to Angus
"What house?" I question Angus and he smiles at me.
"I was going to look at house this afternoon, it's not far from here actually, I sent the details to Don last night and I was going to ask if you wanted to come have a look with me but I got sidetracked by all the Tess and Declan drama" He explains
"Theres drama with Tess and Declan" My mother asks surprised
"She's breaking up with him" I inform her
"Oh, I did see that coming actually, he's a lovely boy but she's just out grown him" Mum says, "Anyway tell me about your holiday, did you have a good time?"
"I had the best time, I want to go back there and play on the beach and swim with dolphins, I loved it" I tell her as I dance around the kitchen, I think Sulani is my new favourite place.
That afternoon Angus drove us to look at the house he is thinking of buying, we met the real estate agent out the front. The house is a modern style, two story with basement, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, pool out back with a decent sized backyard. The bedrooms are spacious with an ensuite in the main bedroom. The house looks to be freshly painted and has hardwood flooring throughout. Theres even a fireplace in the living room.
"What do you think Zo?" Angus asks me after we've viewed every room
"I think it looks amazing but are you sure you're ready to leave the city for the suburbs? It's a big change and you can't just walk to work from here" I point out
"I'm going to step back from the gym next year, let Immie and Justin run things while I'm studying and this is close to your family, there's even room for Tess to come live here like you wanted, as long as she knows to not walk in while we are showering" He says and I kind of like the idea of staying in Brindleton Bay.
"I'd love to live with you here" I tell him and he kisses me on the forehead
"I'll put an offer in then, if they accept it we could be moving in by Christmas" He says smiling brightly at me. I can't believe that in six weeks time I could be living with him and celebrating Christmas in a new home.
"We haven't got any furniture, we are going to need so much if we are going to live here" I start to stress thinking about all the things we have to get organised before moving in but, as usual, Angus is not stressed about anything, he just takes me into his arms and says
"We will go shopping on Sunday, it will all be sorted and You and Tess can be in charge of decorating however you want" Full creative control over a new project, Tess will love this.
When we arrive back at my house Tess is sitting in the backyard, sketch pad in hand, drawing away, she jumps up excited when she sees us coming.
"I think I have the perfect design for the wall" She tells Angus holding up her sketch pad. I love seeing Tess' art work, how she's able to tell a story with a simple design. Her concept for the wall is marathon being run, shown from the angle of the finish line as the person in first place is just about to cross it.
"I love it Tess" Angus praises her, "I'll pick you up in the morning and we'll get paints"
"You can stay over" I tell him.
"I would love to baby but I really should put in some sibling time with Immie after being away for a week and I have schedules to do for next week" He says and I'm disappointed but I do understand, "Can I take you on a date tomorrow night?" He asks me and I instantly perk up
"Yes you can, I have work until 3 though" I tell him
"I'll pick you up at 6, take you somewhere fancy" He promises and I feel so special.
"Ah cute, dinner dates, I'm going to miss those" Tess says, interrupting our moment.
"Did you talk to Declan?" I ask her, I know when Tess sets her mind on something that nothing stops her from following through
"Yeah I did, I told him that it just wasn't working anymore, that we'd grown apart. I think he thinks I'll be over it tomorrow and everything will stay the same" She complains, "Why can't my break up be as easy as yours was?" She laughs, I look at Angus, both of knowing it was anything but easy.
"When Zoey broke up with me it ripped my heart out Teresa" Angus states and I can see the pain in his eyes, like he's reliving that moment all over again, stupid tackless Tess, she never thinks before she speaks.
"I know it hurt you, both of you, I was the only person who saw what you were both going through, I just meant that when she told you it was over you listened, you didn't treat it as a joke and think she's just PMSing, which is exactly what Declan accused me of. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you Angus, or you either Zo, I'm just angry that he even takes me breaking up with him as a joke" Tess explains and I see Angus soften.
"He'll get the picture when you're not chasing after him anymore" Angus tells Tess, speaking from his own experience I suspect, I lean over and kiss him on the cheek, I'm so grateful our dark days are behind us
