“Oh, sweet of you, babe, but Olly has a point.” Aubrey turns to face my way. “Chance is right, we have room in the car for both of you.”
Chance puts his beer down, fork pitched upright. “So now you want to double date after you’ve just admitted you’re perving on the surfers?”
I had no clue what perving means, but I assume it’s some sort of Aussie slang for checking out the opposite sex. Good luck, Aubrey, Chance doesn’t look like he will back down.
Aubrey draws her eyebrows together. “It’s not a double date. It’s a group outing. How about you, Adele?”
“I’d love to, but I have something on. I’m sure you’ll all have fun, though.”
Dammit! If Adele had come, our numbers wouldn’t feel like a double date. Why did Chance have to go and put that notion in my head?
Group outing. Repeat, Group outing.
“Let’s lock it in.” Chance smiles proudly. “The four of us.”
Aubrey clears her throat, nudging sideways at CJ.
“Sorry, five of us.”
Pixy lets out a loud baaa from the grass patch he’s been chomping on.
Chance groans. “Jesus Christ... six of us.”
Oliver
Out of all places in Hermosa Beach, she lives next door.
Gabriella.
The name has a beautiful ring to it, nothing like the vomiting beast I came across last night. It’s such a shame her entitled attitude overshadows anything beautiful about her.
Gabriella strolled in carrying a fruit basket, dressed in a pair of white shorts with this strappy green top, which made her tits bounce around, and that made it impossible to ignore her.
And then there’s the hair. The long, untamed curls cascading down her back and against her skin. I’ve never been one to care about women’s hairstyles, yet something about hers fascinates me.
Despite the previous night’s shenanigans, she could have fared a lot worse. I’m surprised she managed to get out of bed given how intoxicated she was.
The moment our eyes met, her mouth fell open in shock, followed by a stiffened posture as she froze on the spot. I thought it was all bloody hilarious. Out of all fucking places, she is Chance and Aubrey’s neighbor.
At least I can vouch that I didn’t make a complete fool out of myself last night. I’d had a few beers but would hardly call myself drunk. Far from it. Gabriella, on the other hand, I’d hate to be in her shoes.
After a rather tense lunch and her blatantly ignoring me, we somehow have ended up on a double date. Aubrey rewords it to a group outing.
It doesn’t bother me either way. These days, I have nothing better to do than wallow in self-pity, but then the Prince Charming thing changed the whole game plan.
The game plan now—I don’t give a shit either way.
Gabriella is gorgeous despite her wild and unruly behavior last night, but something about knowing a woman is on a ‘break’ makes it all the more intriguing.
Fucking admit it—you’re playing cat to her mouse.
She excused herself rather quickly after lunch, not giving me another chance to strike up a conversation with her, which most likely would have resulted in her calling me a jerk again.
I’ve busied myself over the next few days by attending specialist appointments for my shoulder, checking out potential houses with a broker should I consider moving here one day. It’s always been a dream of mine to buy something small by the beach, jet back and forth from here to Australia, so I can experience the best of both worlds.
Nothing piqued my interest. My head just wasn’t in it.
And I hated to admit I’ve earned my stalker badge and tried to purposely run into Gabriella again.
Occasionally, when in the backyard, I hear classical music filter through.
Odd, considering it doesn’t match the girl in the Irish pub dancing to 90s pop bands.
Chance is of no help. He doesn’t know that much about her, referring me to Aubrey. I know better than to ask Aubrey. I’ve only been under their roof for less than a week, and in that time, she’s tried to set me up with numerous women.
Another neighbor down the road.
A single mother at CJ’s playgroup.
And other random girls she used to work with.
Time drags, but Saturday morning rolled around, and at eight on the dot, Chance yells out from the driver’s seat for Aubrey to get her butt in the car if she knows what’s good for her.
“Honestly, women.” He exhales, honking the horn. “I managed to get CJ and Pixy in the car. What else is there?”
I don’t want to tell him Aubrey’s busy packing everything else, especially since she’s already had a packing meltdown earlier in the day.
“So, you and Gabbie…” Chance teases with a grin. “You hooked up, yet?”
Shrugging it off, I stare out the window. “Nah, mate. She looks too high maintenance for me. Besides, I have a few appointments with specialists this week, so I think it’s best I focus on that.”
“Good idea.” Chance nods in agreement. “You’ve always been determined. Don’t let no pussy get in the way.”
Aubrey and Gabriella are standing outside the car. Aubrey’s making a checklist, going over everything CJ needs while Gabriella checks inside the large striped beach bag. I have no clue what they’re called, but the sheer white dress she’s wearing over her bikini looks like a muumuu. Aubrey’s wearing something similar. They must have done the girl thing and coordinated.
“Towels,” Aubrey asks.
“Check.”
“Binky?”
“Check.”
“Sunscreen?”
“Check.”
“Am I forgetting anything?”
“Yeah, you forgot to get into the car. Hurry up, woman, we’re gonna struggle for parking if we don’t leave right now.”
I turn to watch Gabriella, enjoying the fact she still chooses to ignore me.
Oh, this shall be fun. You’ve already crawled under her skin and caused damage. Let’s make it ten times worse.
Chance suggests I sit in the front seat with him. I decide it’s a good idea considering Pixy is in the back, and being close to him makes my skin prickle with fear. We had an almost altercation in the bathroom this week. Pixy was inside, and I needed to pee. He didn’t move. I asked him kindly for privacy, then got the death stare.
Fucking goat.
We packed into Chance and Aubrey’s red minivan, driving an hour over to Newport Beach. Chance was right, parking’s a goddamn nightmare, but we manage to score a spot without having to walk too far.
I exit the car, stretching my arms and legs from the drive over. On one side, there’s oceanfront mansions and a yacht-lined harbor. On the other side, there’s a bunch of historic cottages, dive bars, and a string of eateries.
The day is nice with blue sky and a warm summer ocean breeze. It feels a lot like back home in Sydney. Bondi Beach is one of my usual hangouts, and something about this place reminds me of home.