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“Lucky girl.”
I grimace. Not with the way I’ve treated her since finding out Conrad was my half-brother. “Uh, yeah. I guess.”
“You don’t sound so sure.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Sounds interesting.” She flashes a bright white smile. “Maybe that drink will be good for you. You can tell me all about this complicated relationship?”
Guilt swirls around in my stomach. I take a step back, trying to extract myself from Lily’s touch. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
“Where’s home?” she presses, eyeing my casual attire. “You don’t exactly look like you’re from around here.”
“Blue Haven. It’s a coastal town up near Byron Bay.” My eyes drift over to Lily’s group of friends, who are standing to the side, eyeing us warily. It’s kind of strange that they didn’t come rushing straight over to check on her. Isn’t that what girls normally do? Or anyone, really? “Well, I’ll let you get back to your friends,” I tell Lily, stepping away and gentlypulling my arm from her grasp. “Have a good night. Stay safe.”
“Nice to meet you, Harley from Blue Haven,” she says with a warm smile. “Thanks again for saving my life.”
“Stay safe.”
Forgoing my kebab, I head off in the direction of Elijah and Kai’s apartment, but I can’t help casting a brief glance over my shoulder at Lily. She’s still standing on the edge of the sidewalk, her eyes on me while her friends hover a few feet away. None of them have gone to her.
Strange, I think to myself as I walk away. But tonight was enough excitement for me. It’s time for me to go home. I can’t keep hiding away from everything in Blue Haven. At the very least, I need to talk to Ellie. It’s not fair to just keep freezing her out. She’s done nothing wrong. The quicker I accept the inevitable, the quicker I can move on.
TWO
HARLEY
IT TAKES ME three days to work up the courage to leave Sydney. I don’t leave Elijah and Kai’s apartment for those three days, though, choosing to face my demons. Conrad Foster is my half-brother. Ellie Foster is my girlfriend. We’ve been together for eighteen months. I love her. And technically, we’re not related, but my guts churn every time I think about how it’s too close for comfort. It kills me to know I’m going to hurt her when I end things, but I’m hoping she understands why I can’t do this anymore.
Tuesday night, before I have to get on my bike and ride back to Blue Haven to make it back in time for classes, I call my best mate, Lachy. If anyone’s going to understand what I’m going through, it’s him.
“Harley,” he says when he answers. “How’s it going? Where are you, man?”
I blow out a deep breath. “I’m still in Sydney. I have to head back to Blue Haven tomorrow. My classesstart on Thursday.”
“Have you spoken to your old man?”
I called Lachy when I arrived in Sydney, filling him in on the shitshow that has become my life.
“Nope. I can’t… Not yet. I’m too angry at the bastard. First, he cheated on Mum, and then he caused the car accident that killed her.” I rub absentmindedly at the tattoo on my left pec thinking of her.
She was my best friend, and she’d been taken from me in the most horrific way when I was only seventeen. I’d forgiven him for taking her from me. Yes, he’d been drinking, but it had been a freak accident with the kangaroo jumping out into the path of the car. If he hadn’t been intoxicated, maybe his reactions would have been better, and he wouldn’t have swerved off the road and into the tree. But the facts still remain the same: Mum’s gone. Forever.
At the time, I still needed my dad. Now, I can’t even think about him without wanting to smash his face in. Lily Breed was the best woman there was, and he never deserved her.
“Dude, you can’t let these things fester away. Trust me. It’s better to talk it through. Keeping things bottled up is just going to hurt everyone involved. What about Tom?”
“You know I haven’t spoken to him.” Lachy’s silence says everything. I know Jordan has been keeping him updated with everything going on back in Blue Haven. I also know Tom’s been talking to Elijah and checking in on me,but I’m angry at him for keeping Dad’s secret from me for five years. “Listen, that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. I need to ask you something.”
“Go for it.”
“This is awkward, but how did you know calling things off with Ivy was the right thing to do?” There’s silence again, and I pull the phone away from my ear to check whether he’s hung up on me. I sigh. “Sorry, I–”
“It’s okay, you just caught me off guard. I don’t know. I was in a really dark place when Mum passed, as you know. It’s like someone carves your fucken heart out of your chest.”
I grunt in acknowledgement.
“I loved Ives. I always will. But I couldn’t give her what she deserved when I was going through my own shit. It was only fair to let her go. I know I still hurt her, but it was the best thing for the both of us in the long run. I’ve moved on with Chiara, and Ivy seems really happy with Conrad.”
