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“What’s up with you?” I ask, coming out of the gym and finding Cove pacing the lounge and muttering to himself. I pull my earbuds from my ears so that I can hear his reply, cutting off Greenday’s ‘Basket Case’.
“Nothing,” Cove grumbles, still pacing.
“Yeah, I’m not buying’ it. You’re like a bear with a sore head. It’s totally out of character for you. I’m supposed to be the grumpy one around here. Or the prof – though I maintain he just enjoys being an asshole.” I flick my towel at him and it whips him on the thigh. He glowers at me, but it looks almost comical on his usually smiling face. Dark and brooding, he is not.
“It’s nothing.”
“Bullshit.” Another flick. “Spill.” Again. He swears this time. Think I clipped his ballsack. “I’ll just keep annoying you until you do.”
Cove sighs. “Fine. It’s Malia.”
“What about her?” I ask sharply, suddenly tense and interested.
“She stood me up.”
“Oh? You guys had, like, a date planned or something?” I keep my tone light but really I want to frown, not liking that at all. I thought me and her were getting on pretty well…until she bolted on me. If she’s not leaving her room, even for lessons, how is she dating Cove?
“We do things together online,” Cove explains.
I snort. “Well, that sounds dodgy.”
“Shut up.” He grabs a cushion off the sofa and throws it at me, but I easily bat it away.
“Seriously though, can you explain in a less…bad way?” I ask, pretty fucking diplomatically if you ask me.
“We watch films together on Netflix and stuff. We’ve been talking a lot, texting every day. Video chats. That sort of thing. We were supposed to have another date last night but she was a no show, and now she’s blanking me.”
I hate his use of the term another date but I grit my teeth and try not to let my jealousy show. If I were able to think logically right now, I would be able to pin my feelings on the prophecy…if Malia was the Star. But I don’t think she is; my feelings are genuine. It’s just my bad luck that Cove would be into her too.
“Have you been over to her place to check on her?” I ask. I mean, it’s what I would do. Confront the problem head on. Don’t take no for an answer.
“Yeah, and the stuff I left out for her last night is still sitting on her doorstep, untouched.”
“Bummer.” I try not to smirk. I’d probably be gutted if I were him. I try not to get too deep when it comes to the opposite sex – unless we’re talking balls deep – but I have to admit to working a little harder than normal with Malia.
Which just leads me to think that she isn’t the Star. Because if there was a bond or a pull or some shit between us, wouldn’t she be reciprocating? Instead of trying to keep us at arms’ length and making us work like snow plows in Alaska.
“Maybe she’s just not that into you,” I say cheerily, “and this was the only way she knew how to let you down.”
“You’re a real asshole sometimes, Bhodi. Go fuck a cactus.”
“People pay a lot of money to do that shit, you know,” I point out, shrugging and making my way over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. “Look, just go for a surf or a wank or whatever it is you do to de-stress, and then look at the issue again with an open mind.”
“Yeah…yeah, actually that’s not a bad idea,” he replies thoughtfully before shuffling around the lounge.
“I’ve been known to have one or two.”
“You’re still a dick.”
“You’re welcome,” I call after him as he grabs his board and slams the front door.
Surfing, not wanking then.
As soon as he’s gone I grab my phone and text Reef.
Bhodi: Are you home?
Reef: No. I‘m out, why?
