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‘Aw. No fun.’ His forehead creased with disappointment. ‘How’s that hangover treating you?’
‘It’s doing okay, but I’ve got copious amounts of water to thank for that.’ I glanced at the almost-empty bottle on my nightstand, but as I moved, another pang ripped through my gut.
‘Nothing worse than working with a grim hangover, eh? Greasy hash browns and an egg-and-bacon burger are my cure.’ He eyed me propped up on my pillows as I stared down at him.
‘Yes, nothing worse indeed. Not the wisest of choices to get drunk and work the following day during school holidays … I really hope to God the dishy is on tonight. Juggling pizzas, desserts, and dishes all at once is not ideal.’ I sighed.
‘You’ll smash it, baby. Billy and I might get one of your pizzas tonight.’ His brows raised in excitement.
‘Let me guess. A takeaway ham-and-pineapple with extra ham and cheese?’ I arched my brow and tried to hide my disapproval.
‘You know it, baby.’ He laughed.
‘I don’t understand the fuss with ham-and-pineapple pizza. Everyone seems to order it, and it’s boring. Moroccan chicken is the best.’ I twirled a stray strand of hair around my index finger, then tucked it behind my ear.
‘That’s biased as fuck because you designed that pizza with the head chef.’ He squinted his eyes in defence.
I let out a laugh. ‘Mmm. Maybe you’re right.’
Seb looked around my spacious, high-ceilinged bedroom. ‘This house must cost you and Deb the whole of your wages to rent, surely? How do you two afford it?’
‘Deb’s parents own this house.’ I sank my back further into the pillows.
‘Really?’ His eyes widened in surprise.
‘Yes.’ I nodded, looking at him.
‘They must earn a shitload.’
‘Seems to be the case for most property developers.’
Two years ago, Deb lived in Brisbane, and we barely talked. Her excuse was she was ‘too busy with work’, yet she still wrote daily Facebook updates and posted photos at trendy bars and restaurants with her new besties. I was lucky to hear from her once a fortnight, and that was when she was having a self-conscious breakdown, and once revived, she’d be gone again. My God, I missed her and how it was when we used to do everything together. Things returned to normal when she came back in July last year, and then we moved in together.
‘Least she knows she can’t get kicked out then,’ Seb said, grabbing my attention again.
‘Yeah, she uses that to her advantage.’ I shook my head while smiling.
‘Well, aren’t you bothluckygirls!’
‘I’m very grateful and feel secure here. Her parents said we can live here for however long we want as long as the bills are paid, which I seem to pay more of, but I get it – it’s Deb’s house.’
‘Sounds like a solid arrangement. Is this furniture yours or her parents’? Including this bed?’ Seb patted his hand on the mattress.
‘The house came fully furnished, and her parents had it as a rental until she persuaded them to rent it to us.’
‘Yeah, nice. How old is Deb? She’s older than you, isn’t she?’ His face looked so certain, I was sad to burst his bubble.
‘Actually, I’m the older one, but only by a year.’ I held up one finger to confirm.
‘Bullshit. Seriously? I thought she was easily twenty-eight.’ His mouth dropped a little as his eyebrows raised.
‘It’s funny you say that because a lot of people think she is older than she is. Personally, I don’t see it, but that might be because I’ve known her for so long. She’s like the sister I never had.’ I smiled before continuing. ‘We’ve been best friends since I was in grade nine at school … She was one grade below me. Her parents used to live in the same street as me, and that’s how we met. We would walk home from the bus stop together.’
‘Bit like Billy and me. We’ve been best mates since grade eight.’ He smiled and nodded.
‘I still can’t believe Deb’s only twenty-four, though.’ Seb’s face was saturated in disbelief.
‘Actually, she’s twenty-three, turning twenty-four. Her birthday is next month.’ I let out a laugh at his facial expression – he was truly surprised.
