Slow Grind (Men of Mornington)

Jacey waves me away. “No worries there. I have my eye on Nash.”

“Nash?” I laugh. “You’ve been here two minutes, Jace.”

“And after your little stunt yesterday, I’ve spent nearly that entire two minutes with Nash.” She shrugs, her expression unapologetic. “What can I say? I work fast.”

“I’m not sure I should be leaving you here,” I grin. “It’s a recipe for disaster.”

Jacey’s face turns serious. “You go be with Max. He needs you. We’ll be fine here. I’ll make sure the guys do their shows so Max can keep receiving treatment. You don’t have to worry, okay?” She leans over and hugs me and I smile, tears welling in my eyes. I’m lucky to be surrounded by such amazing friends.

“Thanks Jacey,” I grin.

A car horn sounds, and we both look up to see Drew grinning over the steering wheel. He jumps out and jogs over to us, grabbing hold of my suitcase.

“I see you haven’t left anything behind,” he mumbles, heaving the heavy case down the stairs.

Only you.

“You never know what you’re going to need,” I say defensively. I follow him down the steps, Jacey at my heels, and over to his car. Em jumps out of the passenger seat.

“Are you okay?” she asks, pulling me into a hug. I nod and smile, even though I don’t really feel it. Deep down I know this is Max’s only shot. If this doesn’t work…I shudder. I can’t even think about that. “If there is anything I can do, let me know, okay?”

“Actually, there is something,” I half whisper. My eyes dart to Drew, who is busy trying to shove my suitcase into his small boot. “Nate. I need him gone.”

“You want me to kill him?” Em hisses, her eyes wide. I laugh and whack her over the arm.

“No, you idiot. I need him away from Drew and my life. I haven’t had a chance to really speak to him, and I’m worried he hasn’t gotten the message that we are over.”

“Leave it to me,” Em assures me. “If there is one thing I do well, it’s breaking things down. There’s no way he can not get it when I’m done with him.”

“Thanks, Em,” I say, relieved.

“How come you didn’t ask me?” Jacey asks. I can’t tell if the hurt expression on her face is real or fake.

“Because you let him come over here,” I scoff. “Besides, you’re too nice and have a soft spot for the guy who can’t get a hint. I need Em’s hard edge for this and she doesn’t know him enough to care if he gets pissed at her.”

I hug both my friends and leave them bickering over who is going to talk to Nate. I don’t even care, so long as he is far away from Drew and Australia, because the last thing I want is to worry about Drew getting the wrong idea again.

“Ready?” Drew asks, nudging me gently.

I nod and slide into the passenger seat.

“What about Em?” I ask as he is about to drive off. Drew glances back at her and Jacey still arguing and smirks.

“Looks too busy to me. Besides, I was kind of hoping to see you off myself.” I melt into my seat. Could he be any sweeter? He reaches over and takes my hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m gonna miss you, Aubs.”

“I’ll be back,” I promise him.

He nods. “Until you leave for the States again,” he murmurs.

I glance out the window awkwardly. We haven’t discussed the fact that we live in different countries. Suddenly I’m doubting myself. I’m doubting us. How the hell is this going to work?

The drive to the airport is short in distance, but the heavy traffic means I need to get my ass to the check in or I’ll lose my place. Drew pulls into the drop off zone and jumps out of the car to grab my bags. I wait, anxiety filling me. I’m not good at goodbyes. I never have been. I breathe a sigh of relief when he leans forward and hugs me, glad he made the move.

“Call me when you get settled, okay? And tell Max I’m thinking of him.”

His fingers slip around my neck as he pulls me closer. I sigh as his mouth touches mine, his soft lips in contrast to the roughness of his kiss. I pull away, a dazed smile on my face, aware that I need to move or I’ll miss my flight.

“Go,” he orders, nodding toward the entrance. I nod and step back, holding his hand until the distance between us it too great. Taking hold of my case, I hurry toward the counter, arriving just before the attendant loops the chain across the entrance.