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Now all I had to do was believe that everyone’s confidence in me was true.
20
TOM
Texts from Lily, 9.20 p.m.:
Lily: happy birthday twin! Greetings from Nashville. Can you believe I’m finally legal to drink in Australian but I’m in a country that prohibits me for another three years?!
Tom: hahaha, you could have stayed for my party. Good luck meeting the agent tomorrow. This could be something big.
Lily: I know. I’ll call tomorrow after the meeting.
My group costume for my nineties party was a huge hit. Ryan, Benji, Pete and Phil all agreed to dress in costume as the Spice Girls.
I was Geri, in a Union Jack sequin mini-dress I’d scored off the internet on sale, stockings for warmth, and an old red curly wig that Lily wore once in the lead for a school musical of ‘Annie’. Ryan wore a little black dress, and honestly, he was method acting Victoria Beckham with the scowl on his face. Benji had worn sweats at Sporty Spice, and Phil was rocking leopard print as Scary Spice. Pete had gone all out and found a blond wig and did pigtails as Baby Spice.
Rosie arrived late for my birthday party due to vineyard matters and I knew what to expect with her nineties costume. Amanda whooped and took over the Bluetooth speakers, changing the song to Robert Palmer’s ‘Simply Irresistible’. In a paddock not far from the house was a scatter of boulders too big to move by hand, and we couldn’t be bothered to try with the tractor. Small rocks had been piled up in a ring and a bonfire lit. Guests had brought camping chairs, picnic rugs and blankets to relax and drink.
I glanced at my phone. 9.37 p.m.
Rosie shimmied along to the song as Amanda and several others from their year in high school danced in identical costumes. They’d come as the backing musicians from Robert Palmer’s Simply Irresistible film clip. All were dressed in figure-hugging black dresses, stockings and heels, hair slicked back with bright red lipstick. Rosie’s curls refused to stay pinned down.
She took one look at my sequin mini-dress and wig, and laughed. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her dress. It highlighted all of her curves. Rosie took a seat on the picnic blanket between Amanda and I.
Several guests passed us, cheering and lifting their drinks, calling out “happy birthday ginger spice!”
I nestled into Rosie, desperate to touch her, feel her warmth, and drew up the blanket around both our shoulders.
“Happy birthday Tom!” Amanda said too loudly, her drink sloshing over the edge of her plastic cup.
I handed Rosie a beer and we tapped our bottles together.
“Happy birthday, Tom.” If a voice could sound like honey, hers did. Flames from the bonfire were reflected in her eyes. She sipped her beer, raising an eyebrow as she wrapped her red lips around the beer bottle. Her look dared me to think she’d rather it was me between her lips than the beer bottle that was there instead.
But Amanda was here. Everyone was here.
I coughed on my beer and Rosie chuckled,
I may have been an adult now but I had no idea what Amanda would think about me hooking up with her best friend. I hadn’t even asked Rosie how we went about telling her, or telling everyone.
All I knew was I’d wanted to be with Rosie, and I was not about to let anyone or anything get in the way of that.
“I’m getting outa here as soon as I can,” Amanda slurred.
Rosie turned to her. “The party?”
“No, this town, this state.” She waved her arms around, losing half her drink. “This fucking country! I’m getting out. Going to London. I applied for my passport today, and I am totally going over there to work and get out of this shithole.”
“Ballydoon isn’t a shithole.” I scowled. Her travel plans revelation cooled my blood with Rosie by my side. “What do you mean, go to London?”
“Duh, like, the UK, Tom Bom,” Amanda said as if I’d an acquired brain injury.
“But you could work in Sydney or other places.”
“I’m getting out of here, little brother. Buying tickets this week.” Amanda’s eyes were both hard and sad. “I am not coming back here to live. Too many ghosts.”
My gut turned cold as if her words had a physical force. On the other side of the bonfire, Stacey sat beside Sam and was watching Amanda with a frown. My face hardened.
