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Michelle cackles. “Oh Eden. What a shame.” Grabbing the ball, she lines up a shot and effortlessly sinks it. She fist bumps Ben before turning her attention back to me. “Now drink up.”

I do as she says. The drink is some horrible mix of soft drink and a random spirit, so I splutter as I hand a ball to Oliver, who simply laughs. He throws the ball without so much as a forward glance and…

Straight in.

This is embarrassing.

Oliver winks at me. “What can I say? It’s my secret talent.”

This continues for a few more rounds. Oliver and Michelle getting every single ball they throw in. Ben and I…well, we won’t be trying out for any Olympic teams any time soon. By the time I throw back maybe my fourth drink my head spins unpleasantly. And so does the backyard.

“Woah there, cowboy.” Oliver’s by my side instantly, taking the cup out of my hands and placing it onto the table. An arm wraps around my waist, and I shiver. “Are you good? Need some water? Don’t want you throwing up again.”

I giggle when I look up at him. It may be the alcohol— or it may be how close I am to him— but I can’t help smiling. “Oh, come on! That was one time,” I laugh. “I’m fine. I’m good. I promise.” He casts a doubtful eye over me.

“Well, if you’re so good, I’m sure you won’t mind me doing— “ Oliver steps away from me, and in the split second he does so I sway, landing a bit too heavily against the table. I wince at the sound.

“Okay, maybe I’ve had a bit too much to drink.”

“Just a bit? Come on, let’s get you somewhere warm.” Oliver throws his jacket over my shoulders as we head inside.

I’m grateful for the extra coverage—the autumn chill is just starting to kick in— but I’m also grateful for him. When he hands me a glass of water in the dim light of Ben’s kitchen, I can’t help but think about how nice it is to have him in my life. He’s become part of the furniture. I snort, and he looks at me like I’m crazy.

“What’s so funny?” He asks, a smile mirrored on his face as he fills himself up a glass from the sink.

“Nothing, nothing,” I say. Wiping my eyes, I look up at him. “Nothing at all.”

* * *

It’s about this time every six months that shit starts to get real. The assignments start to pour in, there’s more content every week, and exams are just around the corner. Even from weeks away, I’m acutely aware of their presence. I feel like I always am.

I’ve been trying to give Oliver some space lately. I know that his own schoolwork has picked up, as well as his tutoring business. I’ve been handling the content on my own with only minimal guidance from him. But that doesn’t stop me from missing him at every possible moment. At least with the whole tutoring thing I had a good excuse to see him. And now? Now I have to be content with the occasional text message.

I’m sitting on the fourth floor of the library when my phone buzzes against my desk, drawing me out of my work induced stupor. I tuck the phone between my head and my shoulder as I continue to type.

“What do you want?” When my brother doesn’t respond immediately to my usual greeting, I know something’s up. “Jake?”

“I told them.”

“Told them what?”

“About the girl.”

“What?” I snort. “The one our whole lineage apparently hates?” I flick through my chemistry textbook while waiting for his response. I do love my brother, but did he have to call right now? It’s almost the end of semester, and the stress is starting to hit me. Well, it’s starting to hit me more than usual. And I don’t have time to sort out the family drama from a couple of hundred kilometres away.

“Well, I told Mum and Dad, right?” He pauses for breath. “I said ‘hey, you guys were chill with Eden bringing home a boy’— “

“It’s more complicated than that,” I interrupt. I can hear the shuffle of his clothes as he shrugs.

“Irrelevant. Anyway, I said to them I want to bring a girl over. And they were like yeah, yeah, that’s fine. And then they asked for her name. And I said Kiara. And they said Kiara who? Because obviously everyone knows everyone. And I said Kiara Mariano. And they said the Mariano who made Grandpa sell all the land? And I said yes that Mariano….she’s in the driveway.”

“And how did that turn out for you?”

“They love her.” I can hear the smile in his voice even through the phone. “They want you to bring Oliver back so we can have a cutesy family Sunday roast.” He must notice my silence. “You’re still together, right?”

I blow air out of my nose, absentmindedly rubbing my thumb over my knuckle. “It’s more complicated than that.”

“Like you’ve been saying.”