Chapter 3
"So Nico, Jodi tells us you're studying to become a doctor," Paul commented while stabbing a piece of pork on his plate.
"Yes, I'm very early off in the program though, so I won't be a doctor anytime soon," Nico replied modestly.
"That's very honorable Nico – you're going to be a great catch one day," Leanne said, glancing in my direction. I felt like snidely questioning her motives, but I didn't. I didn't so much as flinch as Leanne implied that Nico and I* should get together – it was never happening.
"What about you Ella?" Paul questioned.
"I- I don't really know what I want to do yet..." I stammered.
"Aren't you a year out of high school already?" Leanne prodded.
"Um...yeah, but I took a year off...for personal reasons..." I said. It was half true. Besides, Aunt Jodi had probably already told them about me having cancer. I didn't need to reinstate that fact.
Leanne gave me a pitying smile before turning to Aunt Jodi.
"Liam, do you know what you want to do?" Mike said out of the blue. He had been silent and sharing in my pain up until this point.
"I'm thinking of going into history. Or maybe anthropology," Liam replied.
"Ah, that sounds interesting," Aunt Jodi said. Nico nodded in agreement.
"Anything in particular you want to specialize in?" I asked Liam.
"I'm hoping to specialize in World War I and II research, and maybe some American Civil war history," he said. "But I'll likely end up teaching it instead."
"I love World War I!" I exclaimed, maybe a bit too enthusiastically.
"Do you? I've never really met anyone else who thought it was interesting," Liam said, raising his eyebrows.
"I think it's so interesting," I said. I didn't notice until then that everyone else at the table had gone silent and was listening to our conversation. Soon enough though, Nico, Paul, and Mike launched into a conversation about new medical discoveries, Leanne and Aunt Jodi talked about what stores were having sales, and I was left to talk to Liam. But I didn't.
"Shall we go into the sitting room for dessert?" Aunt Jodi asked. "And hey, after dinner Ella, why don't you go show Nico and Liam the pool? I'm sure they'd love to see it and maybe go for a swim."
"Sure," I told Aunt Jodi simply. But there was no way in hell that Liam and Nico were going to see me in a bathing suit.
Leanne and Aunt Jodi brought cups of chocolate mousse into the sitting room along with a bottle of dessert wine and some glasses.
"Ella, you can have some this time, special occasion and all," Aunt Jodi made sure to say. I felt the blood rush to my face and turn it scarlet.
She handed me a glass and I took a few huge gulps, much to Aunt Jodi's dismay. Then I set the glass down and picked up a cup of mousse. My mouth was watering in anticipation.
"So Ella, I never asked where you're from. I'm assuming you're not Australian, because you don't have an accent," Liam asked right before I could put a spoonful of mousse into my mouth.
"Uh, Vancouver," I said. "But not the ghetto. And I am Australian; I've just never lived here. Aunt Jodi and my Dad are siblings."
Liam laughed. "I'm sure. You live with your parents?"
"Godparents," I corrected. "Well, in their basement suite."
"Ah, I see. I should show you my place sometime."
"Don't you live with your parents?" I asked.
"Nope. They dragged me along to this dinner. Something about a pretty girl," Liam said, smiling.
With that I blushed, looked down and took another huge gulp of wine.
"So I hope you don't mind me asking, but you have...uh...cancer?"
I shoveled a heap of mousse into my mouth to avoid talking and just nodded.
"Yeah," I said after swallowing the heap of mousse.
Liam just nodded and then looked away.
"I'm sorry I asked," he said, looking into his lap.
"No, no, it's fine," I replied.
"I reckon that's why you took a year off?" he commented.
"Yeah," I said again.
"Elle, show us the pool now!" Nico called excitedly from across the room.
"Liam doesn't have any swim trunks," I said, fishing for an excuse not to go swimming.
"He can swim in his boxers," Nico said. Liam nodded; a sign of agreement.
"Then he'll get his pants all wet when he puts them on over top!" I argued.
"Uh, hello? It's called going commando Ella!" Nico said, flabbergasted that I hadn't thought of that option. All the men laughed.
"Okay, just please don't tell me about it next time! Please!" I begged, then sighed. "Boys will be boys."
"Shut up. Girls will be girls," Nico said, jokingly crossing his arms as if to signify his anger towards me.
"You boys wait here then. I'm going to go change and grab some towels," I said.
"Sounds good," Liam replied.
I trudged up the stairs and into my bedroom. There was no way in hell I was wearing a bikini in front of those two. I threw one on anyways, then rushed down the hall to Nico's room.
"Biggest shirt he owns, biggest shirt he owns," I chanted to myself like a mantra.
As it turned out, the biggest shirt he owned was none other than the one he had wanted to wear to dinner earlier. I threw the large grey t-shirt over my head and looked in the mirror. I had to admit, with "Maui Beach Society" plastered across my chest and a giant shirt covering the tops of my pasty legs, I looked decent.
I turned on my heels and grabbed towels from the linen closet before heading back downstairs.
***
The pool was out back. It was a long, gorgeous lagoon-styled pond, complete with a waterfall, a natural looking slide built into the rocks and a tree on a tiny cement island in the middle. It even had a built-in window that you could look through while you were swimming into the lounge in the basement. The almost-completely-set sun sent reflections of light bouncing off the water's surface.
"Shit Elle. This is an amazing pool," Nico said, mesmerized by the tiny piece of heaven in my aunt's backyard.
"Yeah, well, it's not mine. So don't break it, or yourself," I told him.
"Yeah, yeah," Nico said, waving one hand at me as he undid his pants.
"Don't tell me you're both wearing boxers swimming. You have your trunks Nico!" I said, but it was no use. He shrugged and pulled down his pants, revealing solid green boxers. Liam did the same, showing his orange plaid boxers. I started to walk towards the water when Nico stopped me.
"You're wearing my shirt," he said flatly.
"Yeah, so?"
"The chlorine will ruin it. You have to take it off," he said.
"Are you serious?" I said, laughing. I didn't believe him.
"Yeah."
"Fine then. I'll go put on a different shirt," I said.
"You're so stubborn Elle," he said. "It's like, 33 degrees Celsius out here. You don't need to be wearing a t-shirt."
"Fine," I grumbled, taking off the shirt and handing it to him. As fast as I could, I ran towards the pool and sprang into the deep end. Cool water washed over my face as I sank beneath the surface. Just as I emerged, a wave of water came barreling towards my face. Liam's head rose above the water.
"Hey there," he said, smiling.
Before I could answer, Nico howled a loud Tarzan scream and went plunging into the water next to Liam. He too emerged, hair flopping over his eyes. He shook his head before speaking.
"Ella, this is amazing," he said, swimming over to me.
"I know," I said. "I spent many a summer of my childhood here."
For the first time since I landed in Australia, I remembered my bucket list.
"Guys, do you want to go to the beach tomorrow?" I asked them both.
"Sounds good to me," Liam said.
"Great," I told him. "We'll meet at the beach at 10:30am?"
"Sure. I'm assuming you mean the beach down by the bay," Liam said. Nico looked blankly between the two of us.
"That's the one," I said, smiling brightly at him. Tomorrow, my trip in Australia really began.
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