Page 13 of Blackout

We grabbed plates and food then moved down the table’s length towards the barbeque where I could see steaks, sausages, chops, rissoles, onions and thinly sliced potato, all cooked on the barbeque hotplate.

Zach led me away from the tables and over to an undercover area with an outdoor table and chairs that were big enough to hold ten people with bench seats all around the three sides. We were the first to sit at the table, but Brock and Shea and a few of Zach’s other friends were quick to join us.

The conversation started as soon as everyone sat down, and around mouthfuls of food, questions were asked and answered. I nibbled away at my food and listened to the conversation around me.

‘The fire is ready to go,’ said a blonde-haired man to Zach.

He nodded his appreciation and said, ‘Light it up,’ and the blonde man was gone to attend the fire pit.

‘Are the festivities like this every year?’ I asked no one in particular. I felt only slightly out of place here as a stranger to Zach’s friends. I didn’t want it to be that I was a city girl and didn’t know what happened around here anymore. But the choice not to be a country girl hadn’t been mine. That choice had been taken away from me the night my life had changed over a decade ago.

‘Every year for the last ten years, hey Zach,’ Brock replied. ‘Your seventeenth was the start of it all. Although the last six years have shown that the party gets bigger every year.’

‘So I take it you’ve lived here for the last six years.’ I turned my attention to Zach as he nodded with a shit-eating grin plastered to his face.

‘And because I don’t have any neighbours, we can make as much noise as we want, and when we’ve had enough, the guys roll out their swags or tents and crash.’ Then he leaned into me and whispered, ‘I get to crash inside in my own bed though.’

‘Princess!’ I smirked. ‘Can’t even rough it for one night?’

‘Hey, there have been some nights early on when I didn’t make it to bed and passed out on the grass,’ Zach told me, like he was offended I’d called him a princess.

‘Your home, of what I’ve seen already, is gorgeous.’ I changed the topic of conversation. It was homely and beautifully peaceful, but I didn’t say that for fear I might get too comfortable and attach myself right here in this little town. If I ever did learn what it was like to relax, then it would be nice to have a quiet place to land just like Zach’s. A woman could dream, couldn’t she?

‘That’s not even the best bit?’ Zach moved closer to entwine his fingers with mine. His other hand had found my waist. He knew I was lost in thought.

‘The best bit is not that your property is gorgeous?’ I raised my eyebrow at him. Not just for the question I had asked but for our closeness and our entwined fingers.

‘The best bit is that this bad-boy piece of land backs on to the river, one hundred metres down the path on the other side of the bar.’

‘Guess it doesn’t get much better than that.’ My eyes looked down towards the bar, and there was an overgrown path that could barely be seen next to it.

Zach leaned over my shoulder and whispered to me. ‘Now that you’re here, it’s perfect.’ I felt giddy and didn’t dare turn to face him. He was already so close, and I didn’t want this moment to be where he kissed me.

I felt my face flush as I asked, ‘Why?’ But my question remained unanswered as we were interrupted. Zach definitely knew more about me than he let on. Oh, boy.

‘Will there be music tonight, Zach?’ Another friend who had just joined us asked. He stood behind his chair in jeans and a flannelette shirt that covered a white tee-shirt.

‘Tonight will be no different to any other year,’ Shea said in defence of Zach. ‘Why would you even ask?’

‘He brought a woman this year.’ The friend who had just joined us said in response, and it made me look up, first to where the voice came from, then to Zach who looked back at me. He still had a hold of my hand.

‘Sit down and eat, Adam.’ Zach looked Adam in the eye, shook his head then turned his attention back to me. ‘A little later, everyone will let loose and sing a few tunes, and Brock will play his guitar. Do you feel up for a little a sing-along?’

‘Sure,’ I nodded. How hard could it be to join in with this sing-along? Earlier today had been the second time I had sung out loud in a long time, the first being last night on my way here. But how would I go singing with other people around me? Would I be okay? Or would it be too much and I’d end up on the floor the same as I had five years ago?

That thought left me feeling a little uneasy, but I had to try, and it wouldn’t hurt for me to loosen up and not be so uptight about singing. I could sing along to a few songs with Zach and his friends. I could pretend I was singing along in my car like I did last night on my way here or in the hotel room earlier singing along to the playlist I had chosen. ‘As long as you don’t ask me to sing a solo, I should be okay to join in.’

Zach shook his head again and laughed. The light-hearted sound calmed me and made me think I could do this, sing, and not get emotional and fall apart. The confidence Zach had was something I could only dream of. ‘One day,’ I told myself. He let go of my hand and waist, and out of the corner of my eye I could see his was observing me.

The conversation continued around the table as we ate our food. My sausage and onions, rissoles and potato chips were gone, and I had moved on to my salads. I looked over to see Zach’s plate was empty. He had eaten his massive steak and sides like he did it every weekend.

‘That’s impressive,’ I said to Zach about his steak.

‘I didn’t get to eat today. I’ve survived solely on coffee and bourbon, so yeah, nothing to it.’

Way to go, look what you did. You stole the man’s attention so much he didn’t even have time to eat. I shook my head at myself and Zach’s feat. ‘Your friends have done a great job with your party, the food especially.’

Zach nodded. ‘They’re the best. They set it all up without me. Now how about another drink?’ Today was Zach’s birthday, and it was supposed to be all about him. He could have spent the morning making everything here perfect, but he had chosen to spend the time with me.