“Are you going to say something?” Ben asked after Joaquin had been standing in a stunned silence for a few moments.

“I think I need to use the restroom,” Joaquin managed to mumble. She handed Ben her champagne flute and hurried out of the room.

“Shit,” Ben breathed and averted his attention to the floor. He stayed looking at the well-polished oak floorboards until Aidan’s and Adele’s feet came into view.

“Where’s Jo?” Adele asked, looking around the room, hoping to spot her friend.

“She went to the bathroom,” Ben shrugged, finishing off both glasses of champagne in his hands.

“What did you do?” Leo demanded as he made his way over. The abruptness of his comment made the others jump.

“What do you mean what did I do?” Ben frowned.

“Dude, I just saw Jo getting in a cab outside.”

“Shit, no,” Ben hissed and stalked off toward the cheese on the buffet table.

Adele let out a groan and turned to Aidan. “I should probably go and, y’know, make sure she doesn’t drown herself in triple chocolate ice cream.”

“She’s a grown woman…” Aidan groused, looking more than a little disappointed.

“Yes, but she’s also Joaquin Owen, and so the lines between adult and screaming lunatic are blurred.”

Aidan broke into a small smile. “Yeah, I know.”

They looked at each other a moment and Adele could actually feel herself start to blush. “I should probably find a cab.”

“Yeah. Hey, at least let me escort you home,” Aidan enthused and turned to Dale before Adele could object. “I’m leaving, are you coming?”

“And miss the rest of the do?” Dale said mortified. “I’ll stay here with Joel.”

“Fantastic,” Joel muttered as he walked past and Dale raced after him.

Adele and Aidan sat in silence in the back of the taxi. Every now and then she’d look over, see he was looking and then quickly refocus her attention out of the window again. The silence of the ride was only broken by the radio, which seemed to be warbling out the top hits from 1946.

“Just here will be fine,” Adele eventually said, her voice cracked from lack of use during the journey.

The cab driver pulled over and Adele handed him an exuberant amount of money before slipping out into the street. She straightened her dress and noticed Aidan getting out as well.

“What are you doing?”

“Walking you to the door.”

“Oh,” she said, surprised. “I’m quite capable of doing that on my own you know.”

“I know,” he scolded. “Allow me at least one romantic gesture.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Fine but only because I’ve been drinking.”

“Hey, you wouldn’t be getting a romantic gesture if I were completely sober,” he chided, lifting his arm for her to take.

They walked the short distance toward the entrance to the apartment building and stopped at the door. She was reluctant to let him go. “Well, thank you for seeing me home,” she breathed, glad it was too dark for him to see her blush.

“Anytime,” he nodded and they stood looking at each other in silence for a moment.

“You should probably go before your cab fare ends up being more than your weekly food budget,” she announced, not wanting the silence to go on any longer.

“Huh,” he said blankly and looked over to the waiting cab. “Oh yeah,” he added.

For a moment Adele thought he was going to kiss her but instead he looked at her awkwardly for a few more seconds, squeezed her shoulder and then left.

She raced upstairs to her apartment and opened the door with the expectation that Joaquin would be parked on the couch eating her body weight in ice cream. Instead she found the couch vacated and the sounds of some god awful, morbid music emanating from her friend’s room. Adele decided it would be best to leave her stewing in her unhappiness and went to bed to think further about what could have been.

Joaquin awoke mid-morning to find that she was still dressed in last night’s clothes, that her Placebo CD seemed to have been on repeat for more hours than she could remember, and that her head was thumping enough to indicate that the half a bottle of vodka she’d devoured was probably a bad idea.

She rolled off the bed and stripped off her red dress, leaving it where it fell on the floor. She pulled on her well-worn blue robe and glasses and padded out of her room to look for aspirin.

October appeared from beneath the kitchen table, stretched and parked himself by his bowl. He mewed and poked the ceramic food dish in an attempt to indicate he wanted food, but Joaquin ignored him and instead hunted out some painkillers, which she took eagerly.

“I feel like there’s a tiny little man with a very big drum inside my skull,” she remarked to October, who wailed in response.

Joaquin yawned, sighed and then noticed the answering machine light was flashing. She pressed the ‘Play Message’ button and took to drinking orange juice out of the carton as she listened.

…Hi sweetheart, it’s Mom! I have some very exciting news, your father and I couldn’t be more excited. Your sister Fern is expecting her first child; a new life is growing inside of her, Joaquin. We all had a little post conception party, which everyone was so disappointed you couldn’t be at. Of course, what makes this event even more special is that the father of the new life is none other than Seth. You remember him, don’t you sweetheart? He was the leader of that lovely group of people who live on only grass and air…

Joaquin stopped the tape, let out a long, low sigh and headed for Adele’s room. She opened the door precariously and climbed into the bed beside her.

“Morning Jo,” Adele mumbled, not opening her eyes or turning over.

“My 16-year-old sister is going to give birth to the spawn of a cult leader.”

“Just a normal day in your life, then.”

“I’m going to be the aunt of a child who lives on grass.”

“I can still think of worse things,” Adele sighed, finally turning over. “Aside from freakish grass eating children, how’re you?”

“My head hurts.”

“I’m assuming that has more to do with a vodka therapy session than anything consumed at the launch last night.”

“Ben likes me.”

“Likes you?”

“Likes me, likes me.”

“Oh,” Adele teased. “And this is bad?”

“Yes, no.” Joaquin’s forehead creased. “I don’t know.”

“Do you like him.”

“I like Aidan.”

“He’s a likeable guy,” Adele remarked. “But I’m asking about Ben.”

Joaquin turned her head so she could look at Adele. “We’ve nothing in common.”

“I know, but what about Ben.”

“Del!”

“Well answer the question, woman,” Adele scorned. “You don’t have to have anything in common with someone to like them.”

“He has his moments.”

“But?”

“I just think Aidan and I are a better match.”

“Why?” Adele asked, propping herself up on her elbow.

“Well,” Joaquin pondered a moment. “We both love art!”

“Well if you’re basing any future relationship on that, then how do you know Ade and I aren’t a perfect match.”

Joaquin giggled. “Oh get real, Del.” She rolled onto her back still amused. “You have less hope than me.”

“I know,” Adele said taken aback. “I don’t like him or anything, I was just making a point.”

“I know,” Joaquin breathed. “I can’t explain why I think we’d make a good match but I certainly know there would be more hope than if I were to try things with Ben. He’s a jock, and artist and jocks are just not meant to be, y‘know?”

“Not really,” Adele shrugged. “I’ve always believed that love conquers all. So that includes all differences.”

Joaquin propped herself up on her elbows. “Gee Del, I never thought this over-commercialised world could actually pollute your brain into believing such pathetic romantic notions.”

Adele let out a small sigh. “You’re nasty when you’re hungover.”

“Sorry.” Joaquin fell back onto the pillows and let out a long sigh. “I’m just sick of being single.”

“You want laid.”

“That would be an added bonus, yes.”

“You want Aidan to take you against his desk while his murmurs how fantastic the works of Dürer are.”

“ADELE!”

Adele started to snigger into her pillow. “I can see it now, you groaning, ‘Oh Mr Murdoch, harder,’ while he pants, ‘God I love the way you shadowed around that bowl of peaches,’ into your ear.”

Joaquin sat up and frowned at Adele. “Yes, thank you, I really needed that image,” she clambered off the bed, almost tripping and breaking an ankle on a stray blanket. “How am I ever going to be able to sit through class now? All I’m going to imagine is…THAT!”

Adele lost the ability to form words and roared with laughter until Joaquin left in a huff and she could hear her banging things around the apartment.

By Monday the hangovers and tantrums were over, and issues involving Aidan and Ben were easily put into denial. Despite the fact that Joaquin was convinced she didn’t like Ben in ‘that way’ and that Aidan was her soul mate, while Adele was trying very hard to believe that anything said at the launch was said through a drunken state and that any thoughts of romantic liaisons with Aidan was clearly derived from a desire to annoy Joaquin.

“Have you seen my sketch book?” Joaquin asked as she flittered about, trying to be semi-organised for her art class.

“Should I have?” Adele replied cheekily as she worked on a bowl of noodles.

“Well, it’s only you and me that live here, unless, y’know, October has taken up drawing.”

“If he has, can we put him on show in Vegas and earn millions?”

Joaquin gave Adele a withering look and checked her watch. “Shit, can you give me a lift?”

Adele rolled her eyes. “See, if you were prepared earlier, you wouldn’t be running late.”

“What are you, my mother?”

“No, your mother would tell you that there is no such thing as time and that you are free to come and go as you please with all consequences being provided by the desert god Shanini of Western Peru.”

Joaquin looked blankly. “Oh God, you’re actually right!”

Adele leaned over to put her bowl on the coffee table and grabbed her keys. “Come on,” she sighed, grabbing a deflated-looking Joaquin and dragging her out of the room.

Thanks to Adele running a red light and nearly decapitating a German Shepherd, they arrived at the school with several minutes to spare.

“You nearly killed a dog,” Joaquin gasped, unclasping her seatbelt.

“It should’ve moved quicker,” Adele replied and allowed herself a small smile.

“Oh, that’s horrible,” Joaquin scorned and then jumped when there was a knock at the window.

It was Aidan in a pair of trendy faded jeans and another fitted shirt that seemed to be just the right colours to make his dark eyes stand out all the more. Joaquin instantly dropped her bag at her feet while Adele managed to ignore the stirring in her stomach to lower the windows.

“Evening ladies,” Aidan winked, causing a light sweat to break out on Joaquin’s neck and a sigh to form in Adele’s throat. “I don’t know what was in those drinks on Friday but man was I sick as a dog Saturday.”

“Jo is nasty when she’s hungover,” Adele jeered and watched Joaquin’s cheeks flush red.

“Jo, nasty? I’d never believe it!” Aidan smiled and Joaquin blushed even more. “I better get to class — you coming, Jo?”

“There’s something she hasn’t been asked in a while,” Adele giggled.

Joaquin went into embarrassment overload and wished they’d get struck by lightening then and there and die a horrible, painful death.

When she finally found the ability to talk and walk again, she slid out of the car and walked in silence with Aidan to the classroom.

Adele returned home to find Leo waiting outside the apartment with a plastic bag of cables, several books, and a few other things she wasn’t quite certain of.

“Is this some weird kind of gesture?” she asked as she approached the door.

“Huh? Oh no, Jo wants me to take a look at her computer,” he replied. “She didn’t tell you?”

“No, but is that really surprising?”

“Guess not,” Leo smirked as Adele ushered him inside.

“Not talking to Misty tonight?”

“She’s gone to visit family,” he sighed. “Won’t be back until Thursday.”

“Oh my god, how’re you gonna cope?”

“I’m fine,” he chided as he stopped on his way to the study. “Ben is a mess though.”

“I never knew he felt that way about Misty.”

“No, about Bliss!”

“He didn’t take the knock back well?”

“Well? He’s been moping about for days,” Leo laughed. “He’s really hooked on our Jo.”

Adele smiled. “The poor thing!”

“I’ll say,” he sighed. “If it wasn’t for that fucking art dude…”

“Oh, Aidan’s ok.”

Leo smirked. “You would say that, you wanna fuck him!”

She let out a gasp. “I don’t, I’m not even attracted to…” she paused. “Ben told you, huh?”

“He didn’t have to, Del,” he smiled. “The man couldn’t keep his damn eyes off you all night.”

She felt her cheeks start to burn. “Oh, right.”

Deciding he’d gone too far, he motioned to the study. “Mind if I get to work?”

“No,” Adele swallowed. “I’ll uh, put the kettle on.”

Joaquin propped her canvas up on the easel as she watched Aidan out of the corner of her eye. She liked watching the way he moved, his shirt tightening around his shoulders as he reached up to pull down the white screen for the slides he was going to show. She watched as he knocked some papers from his desk, and licked her lips as he went to bend over to retrieve them.

“Hey Jo!” a shrill voice declared and ruined the moment entirely.

“Fiona,” Joaquin grumbled.

“Oh, are we looking at slides?” Fiona asked loud enough for Aidan to hear.

“Yes Fiona, I want to show you some works by Dürer.”

Joaquin felt her throat go dry and made a mental note to throw something at Adele later.

“Who?” Fiona said blankly.
 “Y’know,” Joaquin piped up. “Feast of the Garlands, The Four Apostles, Praying Hands?”

Fiona continued to look baffled. “Was he a popular artist?”

Joaquin and Aidan looked at each other mortified at the plump blonde girl’s lack of artistic knowledge.

“Right,” Aidan frowned. “Unlike the rest of the class, Fiona, I want you to go to the library and research Dürer.”

“What?” Fiona gasped. “That’s not fair!”

Aidan crossed his arms. “And to prove that it’s actually sunk in, I want an 800 word essay on why he was such an important figure in his time.”

Fiona, who was now flushed pink, grabbed her things and dashed from the room fighting tears.

“Was I too harsh?” Aidan asked, cocking his head to the side.

“She doesn’t know who Dürer is!” Joaquin countered.

“You’re right,” Aidan agreed and smiled rather naughtily. “She should be flogged.”

“It’s alive,” Leo mused as the computer hummed to life.

“Yes, but will it boot Windows?” Adele asked as she sat on a chair next to him at the computer desk. Bored of trying to find things to take her mind off Aidan (there was only so many times any sane human can clean a bathroom), she’d decided to lend a hand with the computer maintenance.

“We can only pray,” Leo chided and then looked coyly at Adele. “I never knew you were so technically minded.”

“Is it that much of a shock?”

“Yeah, considering I always thought you were a bit flighty.”

“Oh my God!” she gasped. “You thought I was stupid?”

“Not in a bad way,” he winced and accidentally patted her knee. His pale cheeks turned pink. “I mean you’re still more sane than Bliss.”

“Gee thanks,” she huffed, crossing her arms and sitting back sulkily in her chair.

“You also come off as a bit cold,” he continued, realising he was just really digging himself deeper. “But lately you’ve changed, Del.”

“I’ve melted?”

He smiled. “Something like that.”

She felt her cheeks grow warm. She’d never really been close to Leo. She’d always thought of him as a bit of an arrogant bastard. At the moment, though, she suddenly felt he was feeling a bit lonely. “Thanks, that’s sweet of you to say.”

“Really?” he said, stunned as a fanfare ran out from the tinny sounding computer speakers. “Oh hell, what has she done to those?” he added looking at the speakers like they’d been raped.

“Tortured them with her music,” Adele shrugged.

“That folk shit isn’t music.”

“And yes, it’s sweet. I mean, jeez, Leo, you’ve never complemented me before.”

He half smiled. “I never talked to you because you generally frighten me.”

“Oh,” she flustered. “My bad.”

“Y’know, you’re pretty cute when you’re being normal.”

“Aw Leo,” she smiled and gently slapped his shoulder. “What would Misty think if she knew you were flirting with me?”

“Misty,” he gave a short laugh, which came across as rather sad. “She’s beautiful, yes, but she’s in Singapore, y’know,” he shrugged. “I miss everything about a real woman. Fuck, do you know how long it’s been since I went on an actual date?”

“Can you beat more than a year?”

Leo looked at Adele startled a moment. “Wow, so you really are fucked up?”

“Oh yeah,” she nodded and found herself squeezing his shoulder. “Perhaps it’s time you gave up Misty and went looking for a new girl.”

He smiled again. “Actually, I think I’ve kinda found one.”

“Oh who? Is it Jo? It’s Jo, isn’t…” Before Adele had a chance to finish, she found Leo’s lips locked against hers. When she realised what was happening, she pulled herself away. “W…wait a second…”

“Sorry,” Leo blustered. “Fuck, shit…sorry…”

“What was that?”

“I’ve had a crush on you for ages, Del,” he breathed. “I just thought, I thought it was the moment.”

“Oh god, that so wasn’t the moment,” she said, totally shocked.

Leo opened and closed his mouth a few moments before his forehead creased. “This is because of Aidan, isn’t it?”

“Leo…”

“Didn’t think I had a chance anyway,” he grabbed his things and hurried out of the room. He paused at the front door and gasped when he turned around to find Adele right behind him. “Jesus fuck, he’s even why you’ve been so happy lately, huh?”

Adele looked at her feet and didn’t look up again until the door had slammed shut. She felt ashamed and didn’t even know why. What was wrong with being attracted to someone who was clearly attracted to you?

She sighed heavily and decided to lock herself away in her room and do something worthwhile like cry, when the phone rang. She let the answering machine pick it up.

…Del it’s me, it’s started to rain, can you pick me up? Otherwise my notes on Dürer are going to get wet…