Chapter 1
Lia tuts to herself as the cool wind blows her hair into her face, almost landing in her cone of strawberry ice-cream.
“I told you it was going to be windy today.” Madison says as she holds out her own ice-cream for her friend to take before swiftly taking a hairband from her wrist and moving behind Lia to tie her thick, dark hair back.
Lia grumbles, handing the cold treat back to her tall friend once her hair is safely away from interfering with her snacking as they continue through the courtyard to get to the carpark. It’s an activity day at Madison’s university, and since Lia had the day off work, the two girls decided to head down to spend a day in the sun, enjoying the sweets and cute knickknacks the university offered to students.
“Is Brandy going to meet us here?”
Maddy shrugs, bouncing at she walks, eyes darting from stall to stall as they walk. Brandon was probably asleep; he didn’t come home ’til late last night after staying back to help close the shop. He worked in retail, often the go to man to unpack large boxes from the trucks into the shop’s back room.
“Nah, I reckon he forgot. If he was going to come, he would have been here already.”
Lia hums, stopping briefly at a stall to touch the soft fabric of some of the homemade scarves before scooting back to Maddy’s side, licking a drip of her melting ice cream before it lands on her hand.
“Did you want to buy anything?”
Maddy shakes her head. “No, I’m happy to head home now actually. We’ve walked the length of the courtyard and I’m getting hungry for lunch.”
“You don’t want to get some here?” Lia was surprised.
Usually, Maddy loved days out at her university, she would practically bounce off the walls and buy something from every stall available to her. The place had many wide-open courtyards filled with green grass and tall trees that shaded the paths. There were always little markets going on, particularly towards the beginning and end of the year. By the end of the day, Maddy would have done laps, her arms filled with paper bags overflowing with handmade art, earrings, scrunchies, and the occasional succulent that would die within the next eight months.
“Nah,” Maddy huffs. “I kind of wanted Brandon to come and since he’s at home we might as well join him.”
Lia sighs, disappointed that her friend was only leaving because she felt obligated to go home to their other roommate, Brandon. She could be so easily swayed by others around her.
Lia agrees anyway, linking their arms as they head down to the car. It doesn’t take long to walk down the many flights of stairs to the cement carpark littered with student cars. Their car is a bit on the old side, its green paint peeling off of the side mirrors and the side doors speckled in dents.
“So,” Maddy smacks her lips. “What’s for lunch?”
Lia can only laugh at her friend as they both take their seats, the soft smell of strawberries from the hanging scent tree filling their senses.
“Is that why you want to go home early? So that I can cook you food?”
Maddy giggles to herself, pouting playfully as they pull out of the parking lot and head home. “You’re a good cook! Those Italian genetics make everything taste good.”
Lia laughs, switching on the radio. “My genetics? I studied culinary arts for a year!”
Madison can only shrug her shoulders innocently, a smile still on her face.
***
“Honey we’re home!” Maddy yells into the apartment while kicking off her shoes, Lia only steps behind her, twisting the stubborn key from the door.
The curtains in the small loungeroom are open, letting the afternoon sun cast shadows throughout the house. The walls are painted an off white, decorated with the occasional photos and small wooden bookshelves the three collected over the year. The apartment wasn’t originally built for three, the landlord had added two bedrooms to try and coax students into shared housing. It was small, but the three had made it work.
The smell of something cooking fills the girls’ senses, and both make their way into the small beige kitchen, smiling when they see the oven on, garlic bread cooking away.
“Oh, hey, sorry I didn’t come with you guys, I slept in.” Brandon stands at the stove, spoon in hand as he stirs a pot of sauce, his grey shirt splattered lightly in red.
“So, you made us lunch?” Maddy squeaks, hopping up on the single barstool their little kitchen can hold, her elbows on the ugly beige laminate bench as she wiggles in happiness.
Lia smiles, moving over to give their tall friend a side hug, standing briefly on her tippy toes to place a thankful kiss to his cheek.
“Did you at least catch up on your sleep?”
Brandon shrugs, sighing gently as he leans into the hug, his body exhausted from last night’s haul.
His boss asked for some help to set up some shelves for the store. Heavy, metal shelves that required a lot of muscle to put the pieces together. He didn’t mind helping, but it delayed his shift by three hours meaning he didn’t get home until about three am.
“Come on, go lay on the couch with Mads and I’ll finish up lunch.” Lia bumps him away from the stove, taking the spoon from his hands.
He makes a noise of complaint, but when Maddy springs into action, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him to the loungeroom, he stops. She chats to him as she pulls him into the couch with her, practically dragging his torso into her lap as she grabs the tv remote and begins to tell him all about the new tv show she found while running a hand through his hair.
Lia smiles, shaking her head as she focuses on the sauce in front of her, adding in a little bit more herbs from their mixed spice container before giving the sauce another stir and turning to check on the garlic bread.
Brandon can cook, they often came home to freshly baked goods or lunch foods ready to eat, but when he’s tired, he tends to burn things, or add sugar instead of salt to the dishes.
The three of them worked well as roommates together, sharing the chores and taking care of one another. Brandon often attempts to do more than his fair share of work, but when Maddy tells him enough is enough and drags him into the small living room tucked away from the rest of the apartment, he does as he’s told and relaxes.
Maddy sits on the couch, her eyes glued to the screen and her mouth now slammed shut as her brain completely focuses on the show, her hands gently combing through Brandon’s dark ginger hair as he rests in her lap, content enough to fall into a soft doze.
They all met in high school, Lia and Maddy having moved to the same school after being together since they were eight. Brandon came into the mix in their first year as one of the new boys and easy became friends with Lia when they were put together for a class assignment.
He was quite sociable, but even he had his limits when the class’s popular group attempted to indoctrinate him since he was athletically inclined. Lia was the one that kicked their asses when they wouldn’t leave the poor kid alone, and with the help of the bubbly Madison, the three became fast friends.
They decided to move in together at the end of high school, knowing the split cost of living would allow them all to have a little bit more freedom to their days. Together they managed to rent this place, a third story apartment with three-bedroom, one bathroom, and a connected living/kitchen area. It’s small, for sure, but the fresh coats of lightly coloured cream and breezy curtains did wonders to brighten up the place.
The door to the apartment opens once again, and Lia pops her head out from around the kitchen, holding up a finger in a shushing motion as another body enters the house.
“Is Brandy still asleep?” Oliver asks, laptop tucked under his arm.
Lia nods, gesturing for him to close the door quietly and come with her into the kitchen. He does as he’s told, setting himself up at the bar stool, laptop in hand. He’s dressed in grey sweats and a shirt one size too big, his face adorned with a pair of glasses he only wears when he’s working, his eyes tired behind the glass.
“Roommates get in the way again?”
Oliver grunts a yes, zoning in on his computer screen as he gets sucked into his work now that the only noise is the soft hum of the oven and the low volume of the tv, his long fingers clacking against the keys.
Maddy swivels on the couch to look over, smiling at the sight of another one of their friends. “Ollie! Cameron not with you?”
Oliver waves a hand in the air, eyes still focused on his screen as he replies. “No, he’s at work. Said he’d try and make it to lunch though.”
Lia snorts, taking the garlic bread from the oven. “Of course, he’ll be here for the food.”
The house falls into a lull as Brandon naps, Maddy continues watching her show, Oliver works, and Lia finishes making the food for their group of friends.
It isn’t until the door bangs open that everything is startled into moving again, Brandon jerking awake in Maddy’s lap as she lets out a loud yelp and spins around in her seat to glare at the newcomer.
Cameron grabs the door before it can smack into the wall, his backpack slipping off his shoulder and landing in the crook of his arm. He’s still dressed in his work clothes, his shirt askew and his once white shoes scuffed in black.
“Sorry! Sorry, I was rushing, and I didn’t think the door would just open like that.” Cameron whisper yells as he slowly shuts the door behind him, dropping his backpack next to the growing pile of shoes.
He enters the kitchen next, rushing over to smell the food set out ready for them all to eat. Lia clears her throat until he turns to her with a cheeky grin, his cheeks pink from the cool air outside.
“You didn’t just come here for the food, right? Or I’ll kick your ass right out that door—”
Cameron leans down a little and places a chaste kiss on her forehead to shut the small European woman up. It works as she puts the wooden spoon down and hugs him in return.
“How was your day? Did you have a good shift?”
“Yeah, it was alright. Same old, same old. I didn’t bother going home though, Ollie texted me he was already here so ... can I go change? I feel gross being in my work clothes.” He lifts his shirt to sniff at it, exiting the kitchen as he does so.
As he leaves the room and heads into Brandon’s, Lia turns to the rest of the group with a frown on her face. “Is it just me or is he a little more scatterbrained then usual?”
Maddy shrugs, getting up off of the couch and moving to the kitchen to grab some food. “He’s been working more shifts this week, it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s feeling a bit overwhelmed.”
Lia hums. “Brandy, come get some food.”
Brandon stands up slowly from the couch, his hair sticking up from where Maddy ran her fingers through it only moments before. While the nap was probably well needed, he still felt tired, his body heavy to move.
As the four get their plates and begin to load them up, Cameron dawdles in Brandon’s bedroom, picking through the pile of clothes in the corner until he finds the hoodie he’s looking for, the fabric a soft dark blue with a little bird stitched on the front. He lifts it to his face, taking in the scent of Brandon’s aftershave before quickly tossing his work shirt to the ground and sliding the soft material over his head.
It’s a little big, but the larger size is comfy on his body as he slides off his rather tight work pants in exchange for too-big sweatpants that he easily tightens around his waist by the draw cords.
He hadn’t known the group for very long, but as soon as they all accepted him into their little friendship circle, Cam felt as if he’d always belonged. It was a bit strange really, but he was grateful to have such good friends that genuinely cared for him, and him them.
***
