Kylie & Jack 1: Humble Beginnings

24. Long Day

Back at Murruma, under the blinding light of the setting sun, Kylie released a breath as she stepped off the bus and waved all the students goodbye on the Sunday evening. Since yesterday, she and Jack had fumbled and bumbled their way through the National Art Gallery and up to Blackjack Tower before collapsing into their seats on the bus for the drive home.

Kylie had woken up that morning wanting to take at least some of Loz's advice and stop using her job as an excuse to push Jack away because letting him see her vulnerable actually terrified her, but her fear had wrapped itself tight with a thick layer of stubbornness. So, instead of spending the ride home talking to him about anything or nothing, she caught up on her messages.

It wasn't for a lack of trying, especially on Jack's part, who made two more determined attempts to talk to her last night, the first time she was on the phone to Loz and the second time, he knocked on her door, hearing her mumble "come in", to find her half asleep on the bed and instead backed out of the room. She had fallen asleep before he had even closed the door.

However, when Kylie woke this morning, she felt nothing but guilt for being so appalling with him, when he had made it perfectly clear he wasn't upset. All it did was entrench her guilt and coated with it irritation for being so damn stubborn that she pretended all weekend that Jack hadn't held her as she cried herself to sleep. Because she was terrified that if she let go of that, she would lose again.

Right now, they were alone for the first time since driving out here on Friday morning. He turned to face her in the baking orange evening sun.

"Home time, I reckon!"

"Yeah, absolutely – uh, do you mind if we stop somewhere first? Won't be long, I promise."

"Nah, go for it."

Jack looked out of sorts. Kylie had noticed him texting on the bus, his jaw clenched quite tightly beneath his stubble and his brow furrowed.

"Are ... are you ok, Jack? You don't seem ... yourself?"

"I'm alright, mate ... well, as long as I'm not at home."

Kylie frowned at him as they walked across the grass to her car.

"Home? What – why –"

"– my housemates said Nicole turned up about half an hour ago. I'm exhausted and the last thing I need is to try and shake her ... and I know she won't leave until I get home –"

"– so don't go home?" Kylie offered with a shrug. Jack huffed mirthlessly at her.

"I'm just saying, whenever me or my girlfriends had a bad break up or whatever, we'd spend a night at someone's house –"

"– unlike you and your mates, I live with all my Wangarra mates."

"You – you – don't have, like, fifty people who's couch you could sleep on for a night? You're one of the most sociable people I know!"

Jack tutted again, balling a fist and pressing it to his open mouth as he yawned.

"Nah, mate. None that I'd intrude on like that at the last minute."

They stopped by her car, waiting for Kylie to dig out her keys from her overstuffed handbag. She squatted down on the dirt, dumping her bag on the ground and unpacking it to find her keys at the very bottom.

"I just can't ..." Jack yawned loudly again, running his hands over his face. "I just can't get through to her that when I tell her there's nothing here for her, she doesn't get it."

In the car, ready to stop in at her parents, Jack continued to rant between yawns about Nicole.

"Promise, I won't be long –" Kylie said pulling up behind her father's ute.