Page 24 of Try Hard
“I know, Mum. Thank you.” I lifted my mug in the air. “And thanks for the drink.”
“Of course,” she said, smiling widely before she walked back across the room. “Got to take every chance I can to spoil you. You’ll be back across the world again before I know it.”
She wasn’t too far off. After my break for Kim’s wedding—and just a general holiday from work—I had a visit to Scotland, followed quickly by a trip to New Zealand. In no time at all, I’d be half a world away. Which was a really good reason not to get involved with Eve or any… residual feelings her presence was stirring up.
Mum hesitated in the doorway. “If she wants to be friends, though, let yourself have good things.”
I frowned as I listened to the door click shut. Had Dad heard Eve talking about staying in touch? It was possible, I supposed. Or, was Mum just using her supernatural parenting abilities to put together the pieces and somehow happen upon the correct answer?
In truth, I’d spent all afternoon and evening wondering whether I should text Eve. The ball was in my court. It would be rude not to reach out. Our dads, evidently, hung out, and bad energy between the two of us might impact that. And… I didn’t really want bad energy between us. Not because she’d once given me my gay awakening. That was neither here nor there. I just needed to know if she ever would win that Tizer.
I flicked the TV on, scrolling until I found a repeat of a comedy show I’d seen before. If I was going to message Eve, I needed background noise, but not something that required all of my attention. And as the sound washed over me, I stared down into the hot chocolate from my mum. She’d long since sworn off powdered mixes, instead brewing up her own drink from milk, cream, vanilla, and pieces of chocolate she melted down in the pan. No matter how many hot chocolates I tried around the world, none of them tasted quite as comforting as hers.
This time, however, it felt like she was less trying to warm me up and more like she was buttering me up—or, at the very least, giving me courage. How did you keep a single secret in a world where Lorraine Pendrick existed?
I shook my head and slipped back down in the bed, carefully holding the drink so as not to spill it. I couldn’t think too hard about my mum and her insinuations if I was actually going to text Eve. My mum was angling for some kind of rediscovered romantic feelings. I was… looking to win a bet.
Two unread messages from work flashed across my screen. They’d keep. Everyone knew I was out of the office and I couldn’t bounce between them and Eve. Especially not on a Saturday night while I was working on chasing away a bone-deep chill and my mother’s knowing glances.
As I stared at the screen, it occurred to me that I couldn’t recall the last time I’d attempted to send such a message. Sure, I sent plenty of them for work, but they were professionalcontacts. I’d messaged Kim back—once I’d finally figured out who was attempting to contact me—and she’d messaged pretty frequently since, but the last time I’d been given someone’s number and tried to reach out to be friends? I wasn’t sure it had ever happened. Ordinarily, we’d become friends and then exchange numbers. And none of them had such a storied past with me. If they didn’t text back, it wasn’t exactly the end of the world.
Not that Eve refusing to text back would be the end of the world. It just might make things in Eddlesworth—and for our dads, maybe—a little complicated.
I swallowed another huge mouthful of hot chocolate. A little too much for comfort, and still a little too hot. It ached in the middle of my chest, my oesophagus getting scalded.
A fantastic start.
Hey. It’s Ophelia, I typed, my phone balanced awkwardly against my stomach so I could type with one hand.Just thought I’d give you my number in case you ever do figure out how to win that Tizer.
Before I could overthink it, I hit send. The message was probably fine. Fairly light, breezy, a continuation of the morning’s joke. Nothing too much, no expectation of a reply.
However, it only took two minutes to receive one.
Ah, Ophelia Pendrick, is it?
I shook my head, immediately moving to respond.How many other Ophelias do you know? It’s not exactly the world’s most common name.
Almost immediately I was alerted to the fact that Eve was recording a voice message in reply. My stomach tensed unnecessarily. I’d spoken to her all morning. I didn’t need to stress about hearing her voice.
Without getting out of bed, I reached over to the desk, yanking my headphones towards myself. I couldn’t promise thatmy mum wouldn’t be outside the door, listening for any signs of conversation. What other explanation was there for how much she seemed to know?
Eve’s message arrived and my heart pounded painfully as I hit play. Maybe Iwascoming down with something.
Her laughter played directly into my ears, somehow even more intoxicating than earlier. It was like concentrated sunshine when heard directly through headphones while I lay in bed.
I rolled my eyes at myself.
“Okay, that’s a fair point,” Eve said. “Also, sorry, I’m just recording this because Hercules doesn’t like it when I’m not touching him. He’s very jealous. I hope that’s okay?”
I frowned and typed a reply. I didn’t mind her voice messages, but I wasn’t going to embarrass myself by sending some back.Hercules? Greek god or Disney hero?
She was laughing again when her next message came in. It felt like she never stopped. As if, for Eve, the world was wonderful and bright, and a laugh was never more than a breath away. She’d been like that at school, too.
“My mum’s dog. He’s a huge ball of fluff who needs nothing more than kisses and cuddles. Here, I’ll send a picture,” she said.
And she did.
Right as I finished listening to her message. There it was. A photo of the two of them, lying on the floor.
