The Happy Endings Book Club (7 page)

Jake seemed interested. “Okay.”

“I’ll go on a couple more scary rides with you …”

“Yes?”

“If you stop flirting with me.” There, she’d said it.

He clearly had no idea what she was talking about. “I’ll be honest, I find you attractive, but I’m pretty sure I’m not flirting with you.”

“With respect, guys like you just do it automatically, with anything with a pulse.”

“Yes, that was respectful,” Jake said sarcastically. He turned away for a moment as if to gather his thoughts. Then he looked back at her.

“There. There it is again. That look,” she said.

“That’s just my eyes.” He crossed them and stared at her.

“That’s better.” She couldn’t help but laugh.

His eyes rolled back in place and he narrowed them slightly. “You work with eyes but you don’t see very clearly.”

“I see that the way you look at me makes me uncomfortable.”

Jake immediately looked apologetic. “Okay, I’m sorry. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable around me.”

There was an edge in her voice. “Well, I am. I don’t know you, but you’re looking at me like …”

“Like what?”

Michi could feel a trail of sweat down her back now. “Like you’re weighing up what it would be like to kiss me.”

Now it was Jake’s turn to look unnerved. “What if I am?”

“No offence, Jake, but you seem like the kind of guy that looks at every woman like that.”

Jake flinched, as though he’d been slapped. “No offence, Michi, but you seem like the kind of woman who makes broad and inaccurate assumptions.”

“It’s not going to happen.”

“You sure about that?”

“Absolutely. Because I’m about to go on the Rotor with you and that means you back off. That’s the deal.”

“Fair enough.”

Their ride came to an end. Ever the gentleman, Jake took her arm as she stepped off the Ferris wheel, but dropped her hand once she was on solid ground. Then, as they headed toward the Rotor he said, “Do you always choose the safer option?”

*

Ten minutes later, Michi wasn’t so sure. She’d started to sweat in the line. By the time their turn came, her legs were shaking. The guy who ran the ride had to pull her onto it, because she was frozen and getting in everyone’s way. She now had her eyes squeezed shut but still felt like parts of her were going to fly off. The Rotor was every bit as frightening as Michi expected it to be.

But on the flip side, Jake hadn’t touched her since he’d helped her off the Ferris wheel. She kept telling herself that she was relieved, but as she emerged from the Rotor and followed him into Coney Island she couldn’t help feeling disappointed. He’d given up easily. Quitter!

“Let’s try the Mirror Maze,” he called over his shoulder.

Okay, quitter.

Coney Island was packed, with long lines for all the rides, but the Mirror Maze was relatively empty. Michi laughed as she stepped into it and caught sight of herself in dozens of mirrors. Short, fat, tall, each reflection was weirder than the last. They moved from mirror to mirror, laughing and waving their arms around. The maze was lit with strange lights and carnival music played loudly. They were surrounded by dozens of misshapen versions of themselves, and each turn they took was the wrong one.

“Oh shit, my eyes! This one is so unbelievably grotesque,” Jake called out.

Michi ran over to him but then saw it was a normal mirror. “You’re right, that one’s hideous.”

He moved on to the next one.

“Check this one out.”

Michi doubled over laughing. He was wider than he was tall.

“No wonder you wouldn’t kiss me,” Jake moaned.

Michi gave him a playful slap. “That was more your attitude than your looks.”

Jake grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him. Very close. Too close. She stopped laughing and stared into his eyes.

“You promised,” she said. “If I went on the Rotor, you promised.”

“I didn’t promise anything. I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”

And with that he kissed her. His lips slammed down on hers. She didn’t even bother resisting. She slid her arms up around his neck and responded with ferocious desire. He pushed her back against a mirror, and around them hundred of versions of them kissed like it was the first and last time it would ever happen. Finally, Jake pulled back. His eyes were glazed.

“You’re right. That’s way more frightening than the Rotor.”

Michi turned and ran from the maze.

*

Michi stared out the window at the harbor. Jake had finally caught up to her and brought her to Luna Park’s bar, The Deck. He’d put her in a seat by a window and gone to get them both a drink.

She needed one.

What the hell was that kiss? She’d never been kissed like that. She didn’t know it was possible to be kissed like that. Oh yes, she read romance books—she had a real soft spot for them—but even in the books she read it wasn’t like
that
. She was awash with desire. She could feel the moisture between her legs and knew it wasn’t sweat because the bar was air-conditioned. Sitting here now she could barely think straight.

“Here’s your beer.”

“Thanks.”

Jake sat opposite her and watched her for a moment. “You okay?”

“Sure, why wouldn’t I be?” she said way too quickly.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment I laid eyes on you yesterday.”

Christ, they needed to turn up the air conditioning in the bar.

Michi gave him the evil eye. “You make it sound like you deserve a medal for waiting so long.”

“And right now,” he continued, “I’d like to take you back to my place, but I won’t because I don’t want to scare you off.”

“What makes you think I scare that easily?”

As soon as she’d said it she wished she hadn’t. They locked eyes, and there was a moment where he visibly bit his lip … and then they both cracked up. As daft as she felt, it broke the tension.

“Yeah, right, you’re a regular adrenaline junkie,” Jake laughed.

“You must think I’m such a wimp,” she said.

“C’mon, with your job? No. You know what I think?” Jake ran his eyes over her face. “I think you like things to have a certain order to them. I bet your apartment is very organized.”

“Yes, it is. Drives my roommates mad.” Michi squinted slightly. “So what else, Sherlock?”

“You live a life that to most bystanders seems quite interesting, even courageous. You’ve left your home country, moved to London. You probably travel to Europe when you can.”

Michi didn’t like where this was heading now. “I do.”

“You have a job that is great dinner party conversation and god knows would give me nightmares.” He leaned forward. “But you don’t want to lose control. Screaming your arse off on a ride feels out of control to you. And I imagine it’s the same for you in bed.”

There was an intake of breath. “You know, if I wanted a full psychological evaluation, I’d speak to my parents.”

“But why would you do that when they’re the root of your problem, right?”

“Are you always this rude?”

“You seem to bring it out in me.”

“I have no intention of sleeping with you,” Michi said.

“Good, because I have no intention of sleeping either.”

“I won’t fuck you.”

“Michi, you said you wouldn’t kiss me either.”

Michi turned and stared out the window. She yearned for London. She always felt trapped in Sydney and Jake was making it worse.

“Don’t you like what you see here?” Jake asked quietly.

“You mean in the view, or in you?” Michi gave him a resigned smile. “Why do people love particular places? Because they’re the best version of themselves there, right?”

“I guess that’s one reason.”

“You like Australia because you get to be all
nature boy
.”

Jake looked like he was about to laugh. “That’s right, and in fact, I’ll be getting my own cartoon soon,
The Adventures of Nature Boy
.”

“Make fun of me if you want, but I never had a chance to know or like myself in Sydney,” Michi said. “I was raised in a bubble that was very much about my parents. I look at that harbor and remember the yacht we’d spend every New Year’s Eve on. Josh, Greg and I would be dressed like dolls, but as the booze flowed, the adults would forget we were there. The things I saw were not appropriate for children.”

“I see.”

Michi eyed him with defiance. “No, you don’t. You look around this city and all you have are the memories you’ve made here. I look around and have nothing but reminders of a city that made me miserable, reminders of how self-absorbed my parents were.”

“Were they that bad?” Jake asked quietly. “They’ve been so kind to me.”

“Of course they have. As people they’re warm and welcoming. As parents, they failed to protect me.” Michi finished her drink. “Probably best you take me home.”

*

Jake pulled up outside Keith and Kayoko’s house. The drive had been silent. He put the old car into park and turned to her.

“I’ve been invited to your parents’ New Year’s party on the boat. But I don’t have to come.”

“I don’t have a problem if you’re there.” She did, but she’d never admit it.

“I apologize if I stepped over a line with you today.”

“This isn’t about you, Jake. It’s about me and this place.”

“What if spending time with me could change that?”

Michi raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t mean it like that,” Jake said sheepishly. “The thing is I love this place. Not just Sydney but the whole bloody country. Let me share that with you.”

“In a week? The whole of Australia?”

“Not the whole country. Let me share a little bit. And maybe then you’ll go back
home
to London with some fond memories.”

“I’m not interested in a fling.”

“We won’t have one. Let’s hang out together, as friends. It’s less complicated anyway.”

Michi thought about this for a moment. The idea was appealing. When he wasn’t flirting with her, she enjoyed Jake’s company. And hanging out with him would get her out of the house.

“Okay, why not. Show me your Australia.”

“Great, I’ll pick you up at six in the morning. Pack for an overnight road trip. Nothing fancy.”

Michi baulked. “I thought you meant you’d take me … I don’t know, to the zoo or something.”

“You want to see animals, I’ll show you animals. You’re not backing out now, are you?”

Michi quite liked the idea of a couple of days away. Her parents were already doing her head in. “I’ll see you at six.” She swung herself out of the car. “By the way, Jake, when you apologized to me before, thank you for saying sorry you kissed me.”

Jake reached over to the door. “I apologized for crossing a line. I’m not sorry for kissing you.” He slammed the door shut and backed out of the driveway.

*

Jake pulled up right on six. He was evidently a stickler for punctuality, thought Michi. And she approved. She’d been raised by people who figured nothing started until they arrived, so punctuality was a foreign concept. Michi herself was one of those rare members of her generation who wore a watch.

She allowed Jake to carry her bag to the car, although she did protest all the way, and then she pretended she didn’t see her parents, who were standing on their bedroom balcony waving them off. A few minutes later they were on the Pacific Highway heading north, away from the city.

“There’s a map next to you I’ve marked the route on,” Jake said.

Michi was impressed. He’d marked this one up for her benefit. His other maps weren’t marked.

Michi read the map for a moment. “Oh … we’re heading south?”

“The map’s upside down.”

Michi turned the map around. “I knew that.” She studied it for a few minutes and then neatly folded it back up. “Excellent. I’ve never heard of the place we’re going, but I’ve got my bearings. Thank you.”

“No problem.” They were at a red light so Jake quickly set up his iPod and the car filled with music.

“Do we need to stop for supplies?”

“I’ve got everything,” Jake said.

“I’ll give you some money.”

“No need.”

Michi’s eyes flashed angrily. “I’m paying my own way.”

“Okay, settle down. You can put some petrol in at some stage.”

That appeased her. “Thank you.”

They turned right at Wahroonga onto the freeway and merged with the traffic.

“It’s less than an hour from here,” Jake said.

“Why’d you pick me up so early then?”

“We needed to get on here before the holiday traffic. By nine it’s nuts.” He concentrated while he overtook one of the mammoth trucks that ruled the Australian roads. “Besides, where we’re going, you’ll want a full day.”

“Fair enough.” Michi relaxed back. “Have you always enjoyed camping?”

“God, no. My parents took us on holidays to resorts in Spain. The closest I ever got to any animals were the other brats in the Kids’ Clubs.” Jake threw her a sideways glance. “I followed a girl to Australia. Phoebe’s family were big on camping.” He looked almost sad for a moment. “I got on well with her dad. He taught me how to appreciate it.”

Michi felt a stab of jealousy, which was ridiculous, she knew. “What happened to the girl?”

A shadow crossed Jake’s eyes. “Just didn’t work out, but I have this to thank her for.” He waved his arm around his 4WD. “I’ve been in Australia for three years. I love it.”

“When are you planning to go home?”

“When are you?”

“Touché.”

The further away from Sydney they got, the more relaxed they were. No surprise, but Jake was great company. He was funny, and fun, telling tall tales about his adventures, and making up weird road games.

“Number plate sentences. I’ll go first. EDB.” He pointed at the number plate of the car in front of them. “Every dog burps.”

“Nice one,” laughed Michi. “My turn. PMT …” She looked mortified.

“That one speaks for itself.”

And the two of them cracked up.

The trip flew by and suddenly they were off the freeway and heading past the villages of the Central Coast toward Bouddi National Park. Part of the road was unsealed, and Michi finally appreciated the beast that Jake called a car. She was thrown around in a similar fashion to when she was on the Wild Mouse, but hopefully without the drop at the end. Eventually, he pulled off the road, parked the beast and they jumped out.