Lacey

“Are you okay, Lace?” Katie asks the quiet teen, after they have returned to Amy's house from the hospital where Katie and Max had their commitment ceremony.

“Umm yeah, just sore. Where’s the toilet?” Lacey responds.

“There’s one just down that hallway. Second door on the right,” Katie says, pointing to her right, past the kitchen.

“Thanks,” Lacey gets up off the couch and walks towards the toilet.

James and Joey have gone to their room to grab a hoodie as the day is getting cooler not warmer thanks to the rain. Joey gets a message from his sister so answers it before he leaves the room. James has already gone back to the lounge room to play the Xbox with the other boys.

“Woah. Shit, sorry petal,” Joey says, almost bumping into Lacey as he exits the bedroom.

Lacey looks up at him sadly.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” the tall slim built teen boy asks softly.

Lacey just shakes her head and looks down.

Joey grabs her hand, gently pulls her into the bedroom and gets her to sit on the bed. “Talk to me, petal,” he says, sitting next to her.

“I just get a bit overwhelmed sometimes. I’m not used to being around lots of people all the time,” Lacey says quietly. After the week she's had she just wants to be left alone and be invisible. At least her mother is being kept busy for the time being by the other Mum's in the kitchen.

“Well you can chill out in here for a bit if you’d like,” Joey offers.

“Thanks,” she says softly.

“Do you want me to get you a drink or anything?”

“No thanks,” Lacey says shaking her head, fiddling with the sling around her left hand.

“Okay. I’ll leave you to get some peace and quiet for a bit. I’ll come back and check on you soon,” the sixteen year old says, standing up.

“Can I ask you something?” Lacey says, looking up at him.

“Sure. Shoot.”

“Why do you call me petal?”

Joey smiles and he blushes slightly. He sits back down next to her. “Because you’re pretty, soft, and delicate like a flower petal, and you smell like one too,” he says, looking into her brown pools.

“Oh,” Lacey says and looks back down at her hand, not quite sure how to respond to that comment. She's never had a boy say anything like that to her before and it's kind of thrown her off a bit.

“Can I ask you a question?” Joey asks, making Lacey look back up at him. “Have you ever kissed anyone before?”

Lacey shakes her head and looks back down at her hands again. Kissed? Heck she hadn't held hands with a boy since her last month of primary school nearly two years ago.

“Would you like to?” he asks softly.

Lacey nods her head with a sad expression on her face.

“Can I kiss you?” Joey asks.

Lacey whips her head towards him, his forwardness isn’t something she’s used to. “Why?”

“Because I like you.”

Lacey blushes and gives him a small smile. “I like you too,” she whispers.

Joey slowly leans down and places a soft kiss on her lips, holding there for a few seconds. The kiss was soft and tender but they both felt something stir between them.

“Can I have a proper one?” Lacey asks softly, staring into his hazel eyes when he pulls back.

“I don’t want to hurt your lip, petal,” Joey replies, his heart thumping.

“You won’t,” she corrects. Lacey was beaten up at school on Monday by a bully, her bruising is just starting to fade.

“You sure?” he questions, not wanting to hurt her as her lip is still healing.

“Embrasse-moi s’il te plait Joey.” (Kiss me please Joey)

He smiles at her and gently cups the side of her face. The kiss is gentle and sweet, and Joey tilts his head slightly and licks her lips making her open her mouth. Lacey puts her hand behind Joey’s neck at the base of his hair and deepens the kiss.

They eventually pull apart, both their hearts are racing and they are slightly breathless. “Well, that was not what I was expecting,” Joey says smiling.

Lacey smiles back. “Was it okay?” she asks softly.

“Petal, that’s the best kiss I’ve ever had,” he replies honestly.

“Really?”

“Yes,” Joey nods and Lacey blushes. “You’re cute when you blush,” he says rubbing his thumb across her cheek gently. “You know, Angus is gonna be pissed at me,” he adds.

“Why?” Lacey asks, confused.

“Because he likes you too and actually told me that he wanted to be the first person to kiss you.”

“Oh, but I don’t...” Lacey starts.

“I know, petal. And thank you.”

“For what?”

“For liking me back and for the kiss,” he says.

Joey leaves her to chill out for a bit and joins the others. Lacey lays down on the bed, processing her thoughts from the last week - the bullying and finding out that her and Katie are sisters. She feels her lip start to sting a little as the kiss threatened to reopen the split, thankfully the stitch and glue are holding well. She realises that the bed she is laying on is the one Joey slept in as the pillow kind of smells like him. She falls asleep.

After the sudden solemn shift of the day with Annie passing away, Lacey is staying at Katie's house for the night. Gavin and Angus have gone to bed, while Lisa washes the cups and tidies up the photo albums on the table. Katie plays a video marked K1 and her and Max snuggle up on the couch together.

“Are you staying Joey?” Dave asks his son.

“Can I?” Dave just nods.

“Okay try and get some sleep guys,” Lisa says as her, Dave and Jeff prepare to leave.

The kids are on the couch. Max and Katie on one and Joey and Lacey on another. Lisa turns the light out on her way out. Joey pulls the blanket off the end of the couch and puts it over Lacey and himself. Katie and Max have done the same.

As the night unfolded, Lacey found herself immersed in a whirlwind of emotions she hadn’t anticipated. Sitting close to Joey, their fingers intertwined under the blanket, she couldn’t help but feel a mixture of comfort and uncertainty. Tonight a woman she has known reasonably well since she was four years old, passed away and now she's sitting on her couch and staying in her house. Videos brought her biological mother, Maree, to life in a way she’d never experienced, filling her heart with longing for a woman she could only know through stories and fleeting images.

“Holy shit,” the boys say suddenly.

A couple with a little blonde girl, are laughing on the screen alongside Maree.

Lacey gasps.

Joey squeezes her hand, and she squeezes back. “Lacey?” Joey says quietly.

“Is that him? Is that my Dad?” Lacey asks, her voice tinged with hope and apprehension. Seeing a man on the the screen who she clearly resembles.

Katie and Max look over at Lacey.

“Yes. That is who we think is your Dad,” Joey answers.

“And that girl is my sister?”

“I wouldn’t call her that. She’s a bitch, petal. Her nickname is QB, short for Queen Bitch. She’s a bully and helped her Mum, the blonde woman hurt people. She’s going to jail,” Joey replies.

Lacey nods and turns her head to look at him. “Do you think he’ll want to meet me?” she asks him as a tear falls.

“Yes, petal. If he’s your Dad, then he absolutely will. If that’s what you want?” Joey says looking her in the eyes.

“I do. Do you know him?” she asks, not understanding how he knows that this man will want to meet her.

“I do. I mow his lawns. He’s married with a three year old little girl and his wife is pregnant. She’s due around Christmas time I think.”

“I have a little sister?” she says as her lip quivers.

“Yes, petal. Her name is Kyla and she looks a lot like you,” Joey answers.

Lacey looks back at the TV and silent tears fall.

“Do you want me to turn it off, Lace? I can put a proper movie on instead,” Katie says. Lacey shakes ahead.

When that video finishes Katie puts a proper movie on. Joey stokes the fire and puts another log on before sitting back next to Lacey and covering his legs with the blanket. He sits so close that their legs are touching. Lacey finds his hand again making him smile and glance at her. When he catches her looking at him, he winks at her, making her smile.

“I think they like each other,” Katie whispers to Max.

Max chuckles as he looks over at his best friend and Lacey.

“He called her petal. How cute,” Katie whispers.

Max smiles. “Just watch the movie, beautiful,” he says and kisses her temple.

About halfway through the movie Lacey leans her head on Joey’s shoulder. “Are you okay, petal?” he asks her.

Lacey just nods against his shoulder.

“You tired?”

She shakes her head.

As the movie played on and she leaned against Joey’s shoulder, Lacey felt a flicker of contentment amidst the turmoil. His concern for her well-being, his gentle inquiries, all conveyed a depth of care she hadn’t expected.

When the movie finishes, Joey says he’ll sleep on the couch and starts rearranging the cushions and blanket.

Katie just smiles at him. “Grandma’s bed is definitely big enough for two people, and it’s a crap tonne comfier than the couch,” she says and Joey is confused. “Don’t worry I won’t tell her Mum. Sharon’s a bit...” Katie says thinking.

“Over the top,” Lacey says, reappearing in the lounge room to come stand in front of the fireplace to warm her butt and back.

Katie laughs.

“So what aren’t we telling my Mum?” Lacey asks, not hearing the whole conversation.

“About Joey sharing a bed with you,” Katie says.

Lacey’s eyes widen and her mouth opens as she stares at Katie.

Katie giggles, walks over to Lacey and gently puts a hand on each of her shoulders. “It’s okay Lace. I promise I won’t say anything,” Katie says then leans in and whispers into her ear. “Live a little and enjoy his snuggles. Petal.”

When Katie and Max bid them goodnight, Lacey’s heart raced with conflicting emotions. Part of her yearned for Joey’s reassuring presence through the night, while another part hesitated, wary of the uncharted territory their closeness might lead. Lacey’s mind replayed the late night’s revelations as she prepared herself for bed. The prospect of meeting her father and half-sister loomed large, stirring a mix of excitement and trepidation. Joey’s presence had opened a door to possibilities she hadn’t dared explore before, and she found herself grappling with the weight of expectations and the yearning for connection.

When Katie and Max bid them goodnight, Joey’s decision to sleep on the couch reflected his respect for boundaries and the delicate balance of their evolving relationship. Yet, beneath his calm demeanour, Joey couldn’t deny the subtle pull towards Lacey, the unspoken bond that seemed to grow stronger with each passing moment.

Settling on the couch for the night, Joey rearranges the cushions, his thoughts drifting back to Lacey’s hesitant smile and the warmth of her hand in his. Katie’s mischievous encouragement echoed in his mind, urging him to embrace the fleeting intimacy they’d found. As Lacey reappears in the room, seeking warmth by the fire, Joey’s heart skips a beat. Her presence is both a comfort and a challenge, a reminder of the fragile hopes that bound them together. The night held promises of connection and understanding.

Lacey decides it’s now or never so takes his hand, without speaking, and pulls him into Annie’s bedroom, shutting the door behind them. She had turned the lamp on and took her sling off before going back out to stand in front of the fire. She climbs into bed and pulls back the covers on her left. Joey takes off his hoodie and socks and gets into the bed.