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Freedom finally became mine in July. My eighteenth birthday. It fell on a Saturday which was perfect. Jake was coming home for the weekend and I couldn’t wait to see what he had planned for us, given I hadn’t seen him in over a month.
But I didn’t hear from him. When I finally resorted to calling, he seemed preoccupied and told me he got caught up in work. To top it off, he forgot to acknowledge my birthday. I should have been used to his unusual behaviour given the past few weeks, but I was devastated.
My mum adored Jake and believed he could do no wrong. She offered me reassurances that he simply forgot and would most certainly call back the moment he realised. He was ‘only human’ after all.
As a River’s family tradition, we always celebrated our birthdays at Easton’s Tavern. Dawn and Luke were like family to us, and it seemed wrong for them to miss out due to their work commitments. So, we brought the party to them.
Not wanting to let Jake ruin my night, I dolled myself up in my prettiest dress, heels, and a touch of makeup to highlight my eyes. I released my hair from its twisted bun, and let my long sun kissed curls cascade down my back. As I studied my reflection in the mirror, I found myself wondering if Luke preferred my hair up or down. Snuffing out the unexpected thought, I grabbed my bag and yelled out to my parents I was ready to go.
I squeezed into the backseat of Mum’s car next to Nate and his latest girlfriend, and we drove into town where Luke and Dawn waited for us to arrive.
“Finally!” Dawn exclaimed, moving out from behind the bar. “The birthday girl is here at last.” She crushed me in her embrace. “Happy Birthday, darling,” she cried, holding me out to take a good look at me. “That stupid boy didn’t show, did he?”
I shook my head. I knew Dawn wasn’t a fan of Jake, but she never told me so.
“Well, good. We don’t have to share you then.”
I giggled. Dawn always found a way to cheer me up.
Luke took a little longer to greet us. As Dawn ushered us to our usual table, I spied him waiting by the bar, studying me with a clenched jaw. I assumed he was caught up with a customer.
A few minutes later, he materialised at our table holding a fancy, over-the-top cocktail with a single candle burning from the middle of the fruit garnish. He led everyone in the pub to sing Happy Birthday and left me feeling suitably embarrassed. After I blew out the candle, I rose from my chair and hugged him.
“Thank you,” I sighed.
He held me tighter for a moment and kissed my forehead. “Happy 18th Birthday, Blue.”
I lifted my eyes to meet his and he winked, before quickly returning to his post.
Mum, Dad and Dawn all left fairly early, but the rest of us spent the night drinking and dancing to the jukebox tunes. Luke managed to get someone to cover the rest of his evening shift, and was finally able to relax and join our fun.
“Happy Birthday, Natalie!” yelled Marni, over the music. I was surprised to see her there, considering she had been stand-offish for weeks. Marni was always flighty like that. One week you’re her best friend, the next, she’ll act like she barely knows you. I was currently in the latter.
“Thanks Marni,” I said, and warily greeted the other girls from my class who accompanied her.
I highly doubted they were there for me, but rather, the company I kept. My birthday provided the perfect opportunity for getting closer to Fairleigh’s most eligible bachelors.
Marni scanned the crowd. “Where’s Jake tonight?”
“He had to work.”
“Oh, that’s a shame,” she muttered, and one of the girls behind her sniggered.
Apparently, everyone in town knew we were having problems. “Yeah, well. I’m sure he’ll make it up to me.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Marni agreed, with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
With Jake missing, and Nate’s preoccupation with his girlfriend, Luke became the focus of my classmates’ attention. The thought of Luke with any of those girls made me feel queasy. But to my delight, he didn’t offer them any of his time.
* * *
We kicked ourselves out of Easton’s at 4am. No one had a car, nor the ability left to drive, so we walked home. This was common practice for Luke and Nate, and they had their route down pat. We strolled down back roads, jumped fences and ran across paddocks, cow tipping along the way. Whilst I was petrified of potentially waking an angry bull, I was thrilled to be included in the boys’ antics.
We finally arrived home, and it wasn’t long until sunrise. Nate and his latest conquest raced ahead to the house and warned me to wait at least half an hour before going to bed. My room was opposite his and our walls were thin.
I plonked down on the nearest tree log, and cringed as they giggled their way through our front door. Luke laughed at my predicament.
