Page 23 of Take Her On

He hit play, and the title screen lit up, playing the theme tune.

“Grandpa…I haven’t watched this since I was like ten.” The cartoon graphics danced across the screen, filling her with nostalgia.

He offered her the remote. “Do you want t’ watch somethin’ else?”

“I…no. Let’s give it a go, shall we? Maybe we can take it in turns to each pick something. How about that?”

Grandpa smiled a toothy grin. “Perfect.”

She cheersed his cup with hers, and they settled back to see what trouble Tracy was getting into at the Dumping Ground.

* * *

“Dinner is served,” Hannah belted from the kitchen, even though she was sitting by the island counter, less than a metre from Maya.

The steam floated up from the Pot Noodle cups, teasing a satisfying aroma of minimal flavour and maximum convenience—every student’s dream.

Maya inhaled deeply, the chicken and soy sauce teasing her nostrils and causing a rumble in her stomach. It was their first Pot Noodle Night of the term, and Maya had missed this flat so much since moving back home. The familiarity of it all soothed her. With Hannah’s loud, mess-making antics in the kitchen, and Maddie’s refusal to come out of her bedroom until they’d stopped singing, it felt like another version of home.

Hannah stirred her noodles with a fork, flipping her head back to yell “Maddie!” for the third time.

“You know she won’t come out until you turn Britney Spears off,” Maya said.

“Ugh. Fine.” The song cut out mid-verse and just the hissing from the kettle remained. “No more Britney, Maddie. I get it.”

In the corridor, a door clunked open, and Hannah and Maya shared an amused glance.

“Who doesn’t like Britney? I mean, come on,” Hannah mumbled under her breath.

Maddie appeared in the doorway, her pink fluffy dressing gown brightly contradicting the look of contempt on her face. It always made Maya smile to see Maddie in something that so obviously contrasted with her everyday style of grey and black and heavy eyeliner. Her brother had bought her the robe for Christmas one year, and she felt obliged to wear it—despite claiming pink was her least favourite colour. Maya thought she secretly liked it.

Maddie crossed her arms and leaned against the door jamb, casting a scowl in Hannah’s direction. Her black hair hung straight, touching her shoulders. “You know I checked out after her Circus album.”

“What’s wrong with “Work Bitch”?”

Maya groaned. “Please, not this conversation again.” Truthfully, she found it entertaining how much these two got on each other’s nerves, but tonight she wanted to catch up, not debate what greatest hits Britney would play if, on a random whim, she and her management team suddenly decided she must tour to Millton University. “Our delightful meal is getting cold.”

Maddie’s face broke into a small smile. “So, how’s things?”

“Better for seeing you in your favourite dressing gown,” Maya replied.

Her scowl returned. “It’s not my favourite, I—”

“Only wear it because it’s cheaper than putting the heating on. Yeah, yeah, we get it,” she teased.

“Well, those niceties lasted for all about two seconds,” Maddie grumbled.

Maya stood from the bar stool, arms open to envelop her in a hug.

“Maya…” Maddie whined but didn’t protest when she squeezed her tight. She patted her twice on the back. “Yes. Yes. Very nice. I’ve missed you too. Now, can we eat, please?”

The three of them squeezed onto the tatty red sofa, Maddie at one end, Hannah in the middle, and Maya lying with her legs draped over the two of them.

She scooped her noodles out, slapped them between two pieces of buttered bread, added a few splashes of Henderson’s Relish—her favourite table sauce—and squished it all together. She handed Maddie the bottle, and she did the same.

Now it was Hannah’s turn to scowl.

“You’re animals. After I’ve slaved away in the kitchen…for hours…you insult my cooking by insulting sandwiches everywhere.”