Page 16 of Connectio

Chapter Four

“Why the urgency to go out?” I ask Carly as we climb into her car to make our way home from work.

It’s her turn to drive. We take turns and carpool to save money on fuel.

“No urgency. I just want a night out with my friends.”

I scoff; she’s only ever keen to go to Opals when she wants to pick up a one-night stand.

“You seem to forget, even though I tell you all the time, that you are the world’s worst liar.”

Rolling her eyes, she leans forward and turns up the radio to avoid telling me the truth. It’s typically Carly.

I lean forward and switch it off. “That was Derek on the phone in the staffroom, wasn’t it? What happened?”

“Nothing. He just said he’s going away for a while, that’s all.” She shrugs as if she’s not hurt by him leaving.

I turn to face her. “That’s not all.”

“Just let it go, Lib.”

“No. Not until you tell me the truth.”

“Oh my God! What are you, a mentalist?

“Maybe.” My smile is smug.

Carly glares then returns her attention to the road and murmurs, “More like mental.”

I ignore her childish stab and continue. “So Derek said he had to leave for a while and that the two of you are over, is that it?”

“No.”

I narrow my eyes as if I’m confused—I’m not—and continue to bait with ridiculous theories. “Hmmm… so he said he was leaving indefinitely and wanted to try a long-distance relationship but wasn’t sure if it would work?”

She keeps staring straight ahead but taps the steering wheel and sneers. “No.”

I groan. “Then what’s the problem? I’m not seeing one. He’s going away for a little while. So what? That doesn’t mean the two of you are over.”

“He said he had to go to Sydney for ‘family’ issues,” she snaps, emphasising the family bit with one-handed quotation fingers. “He didn’t tell me any more.”

“Again, what’s the problem?”

“The part where he wouldn’t tell me any more.”

“Maybe it’s personal, or he’s not even sure what that ‘any more’ part is just yet. And maybe when he does, he’ll let you know.”

“Or maybe he has a wife and kids up there and I’m his dirty little secret,” she adds, sulking.

Oh for God’s sake.

“Don’t be so fucking stupid, Carly.”

Her head snaps in my direction, her eyes wide. “Whoa! Geez, I didn’t know my love life meant so much to you.”

“Yeah, well, it shouldn’t, because it obviously doesn’t mean that much to you. You’re forever sabotaging your own chance at happiness. Finally, a guy comes along who appears to mesh with you, a guy you’re clearly smitten with and he with you, and yet you refuse to stop playing this what-we-have-is-nothing game.”

“I’m not playing games, Lib.”