Upside Down(28)

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi.”

“Love the yellow.” He blushed a little.

“Oh, thanks. It’s like wearing a little bit of sunshine during shitty Sydney winter weather.”

“So do you have twenty different pairs of shoes for whatever colour you’re feeling?”

“Basically. Is that your daily question?”

He grinned. “Well, it wasn’t what I had planned, but it can be.”

“I’m not opposed to two questions.”

“How did your shopping go with the velociraptor yesterday?”

“It was fine. If you throw coffee and cake at it, it simmers down. She’s just super judgey and condescending, and whatever Merry does is never good enough, and then, of course, that includes her friendship with me. And basically everything about me, really.”

“Is she that horrible?”

“She’s all pomp and no ceremony, if you get my drift. Thinks she’s above everyone else. No one takes it personally with her though. I mean, she was even critical of Princess Diana, which is probably why she hates me. Because I called her on that shit. No one says a bad word about Princess Diana and remains unscathed.”

Hennessy smiled. “Absolutely. Now, Camilla on the other hand.”

I gasped and put my hand to my heart. “Oh my God, you get me.”

He laughed. “And you can pick Charles apart if you want, but you must leave William and Harry out of it.”

I sighed happily. “I feel validated.”

He chuckled and gave me a nudge. “So, do you want to know your real question? It’s my stop soon.” He peered up the front of the bus.

“I do, yes. Ask away.” Then I put my hand on his arm. “Wait!” I relaxed my shoulders a little and let out a breath. “Okay, now I’m ready.”

He smiled at me. “If you could live with one family on TV, which would it be?”

I stared at him, then blinked twice. “What kind of motherfucking question is that?”

He burst out laughing. “Come on, hurry up. This is my stop.”

We rounded the corner and the bus was slowing down to pull in at the kerb. “Um, well, it’s a no brainer, really. There is only one family where I would fit in, where I could be myself and be truly appreciated.”

“And that is?”

“The Golden Girls.”

His grin widened, pressing a dimple into his cheek I hadn’t noticed before. It was hidden in his scruff. “That’s actually a perfect answer.”

I sighed with relief. “Oh my God, I survived the first one.”

He picked his bag up from his lap and stood up, squeezing past me to stand in the aisle, just as the bus came to a stop. “Did you have a question for me?”

“Um, shit! Uh, oh God. Yes, of course!” So what did my brain do? It leapt merrily back into familiar territory, with my stupid mouth written all over it. “‘If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?’”

Hennessy did a double take, opened his mouth, but quickly shut it again.

I cringed. “I panicked.”

He laughed and hopped off the bus, still smiling as we pulled away and he put his headphones back on.

“I’m such an idiot,” I said to myself. The lady sitting across the aisle was looking at me like she very much agreed with me. “I panicked,” I told her.

She smirked and nodded, which was great. Even the general public thought I was an idiot. I took out my phone and hit Merry’s number.

“Jordan,” she answered. “Tell me, did he ask you a life-altering question?”

“Probably not life-altering, but it was cute and gave him an insight to who I saw myself identifying with, without really asking. So yes, clever and insightful.”

“And? What was it?”

“That I’m the fifth fucking Golden Girl, which, mind you, was a brilliant answer. But then I had to go ruin it by asking him one back. I had one question to get right, to show him I can be just as smart and funny and as insightful as him.”

“Oh dear.”

I nodded. “I not only asked him a rhetorical question, but I quoted ‘Ode to the West Wind.’”

“You quoted Shelley?”

“I panicked!”

“Jesus, Jordan.”

“I. Panicked.”

She laughed. “Well, I guess he now knows what he’s getting himself into.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She ignored me. “You need to go home tonight and write a list of the questions you want to ask him each day. Memorise them, Jordan. So you’re not caught off guard again.”

I sighed. “Good idea. That’s even if he decides to keep talking to me.” Then I had a great idea. “Or you could think of some questions for me!”

“Or not,” she replied. “He’s playing this game to get to know you, Jordan. Not me.”

“Oh my God, you suck. How are we even friends?”

She laughed. “See you tomorrow morning.” And the line went dead in my ear.





I trudged off the bus and into the blustery cold, thankful to get inside the entry hall of our apartment block and out of the wind. I marched up the two flights of stairs, unlocked my door, and dumped my satchel on the couch. Angus was in the kitchen, and something was smelling pretty good.