This Love

4

The next morning we sit around the table with our travel books and phones to plan our day. "Okay since the race isn't for another two days we gotta fill the time with other stuff" Jill explains, I flip open the travel book we brought along to the Melbourne section. "There's a botanical garden that's open right now" Lexi chimes, "oooo and there's an aquarium" I say reading the book in front of me. "The pictures we could take at these places though" Lexi adds with a grin, "your standards are not high" Jill tells her making me laugh, "stop picking on me" she mumbles, "we love you Lex even if you do take about a million pictures a day" she rolls her eyes but smiles nonetheless.

Once we have made an itinerary of sorts we go get changed for a day of sightseeing. I pull on some jeans, a plaid shirt and a jacket before joining my friends by the front door. I slide into my sneakers before grabbing my crossbody bag filled with stuff that could be and is useful. "Ready for this?" Jill asks, me and Lexi nod so we grab the key before leaving the penthouse.

——

A short drive later we're at the Royal Botanical Gardens. I smile when I get out of the car admiring the greenery as we approach the entrance. "Ohhh man I can feel the inspiration" Lexi exclaims making look over at her with a smile, "I hope that you realize we both want pictures here for Instagram" she nods enthusiastically before linking our arms to pull us forward.

"Hold still Cal, this is gonna be a perfect picture" Lexi says to me as I touch one of the many flowers around us. I look over at her with a smile posing easily as she holds up her phone. Jill suddenly jumps in making me laugh as we stumble a bit, her arms around me. "Come here Lex we'll get someone to take our photo" Jill tells her happily. We ask the next person who walks by to snap a photo of us grins on our faces as we pose with the flowers. "Thank you" we exclaim in unison making the stranger smile, we walk away to the next place giggling as we look through the pictures we just took. Once we have posted them on each other's Instagram we decide to go grab some food for lunch before making our way to the aquarium.

——

We spend an hour eating lunch, planning what else we should do while here. My eyes follow the people on the crowded sidewalk, "where did all of these people come from?" I ask my friends, "I'm sure it's just for the Grand Prix thing" Lexi says waving away my statement staying focused on the food in front of her. Jill changes the subject making me forget about my question as we laugh about old memories from university.

I grin when the three of us walk into the aquarium later that day. "I haven't been to a place like this in ages" I exclaim, "same here" Jill mumbles as we walk over to the ticket counter. Once we've paid for admission the three of us use the map we were given to head into the aquarium. "Cal look" I turn to Lexi who is pointing to a fish, "that's you" I scoff and look in the tank, "well that one's you" I exclaim pointing to a brown coloured fish, "Jill that one's you" Lexi chimes in pointing to another fish near our two, she laughs, "guys we really need to find someone because we have literally gotten to this point in our lives naming fish after one another" I shrug, "but it's so much better being single, plus men are trash" I tell her with a grin. We burst out laughing at that, I miss when Lexi takes out her phone to snap pictures of our laughing faces with the glow from the fish tanks giving an artistic filter to the shots.

"Lex Lex Lex!" I exclaim, my friends run into the room to see me under an arched tank with fish swimming all around me. I grin when Lexi takes out her phone I throw my arms in the air happily, "perfect Cal, now me and then Jill" I nod and run over to take her place behind the phone camera snapping some shots of my friends before we walk to the next exhibit. Jill links our arms with a smile "so far this is the best vacation ever" I nod, "definitely, I don't want it to end" the three of us walk through the rest of the aquarium happily, stopping to take pictures of the various sea creatures and occasionally of each other.

——

Hours later we get back to the penthouse exhausted from our day out and the jet lag. Jill wanders over to the fully stocked fridge and starts taking out things. "Anyone up for grilled cheese?" She asks, I lift my hand and so does Lexi, "coming right up babes" I smile before flopping onto the couch sinking into the cushions. "You truly are a hero Jill, making us food after such a long day" she shrugs and preps the sandwiches before throwing them onto a pan. I grab my phone out of my pocket to post the aquarium pictures on my Instagram as we wait for our cooking expert of a friend to finish the sandwiches. I bite my lip as I type m caption 'I quit, I'm moving to live with these fish!' I smile and turn off my phone going to help Jill in the kitchen. "I'll make dessert after this" I chime in making my friends cheer, I giggle and grab some plates for the grilled cheese sandwiches, sitting at the table with mine. The three of us spend the night baking, laughing and an occasional glass of wine thrown in there.