Nineteen-year-old, Bea Somerton, knows exactly how she wants to live. Become a doctor, remain in remission from her childhood Leukaemia and have a happy, normal, life.
The last thing she expects is to meet rising star and troubled musician, Holden P...
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Everything aches today. Every fibre of my being feels like they are weighed down, like an anchor sitting at the bottom of the ocean.
Despite this, I try my hardest to focus on the late humidity today brings. My hand fits tightly in Holden's as he leads me down the strip of restaurants in town.
Fairy lights line each shop, twinkling in the dark as we walk by.
"It's just up a bit further. Is that—"
"Holden," I deadpan, raising an eyebrow. "I'm alright."
"You'd say that even if you weren't," he mumbles.
A pang of guilt hits me in the stomach but I shake it off with a bright smile, squeezing his hand. "Where are you taking me, anyway?"
"Only to the best burger joint in the city," he moves his hand to wrap around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him.
"That's a big call," I whistle. "The best?"
"Only the best."
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"Okay, so maybe you're right."
"Aren't I always?"
I take the final bite of the best cheese burger I've ever tasted. The aioli oozes in with the juicy beef patty perfectly. The cheese melts in my mouth and I sigh.
"How did you find this place?"
"Tour last year," Holden speaks after his mouthful. "Came here everyday for a whole week. My PT didn't like that."
"I can imagine," I snort, shaking my head. "I'm sure your doctors liked it too."
He throws me a playful glare. "Very funny. About to throw in a bad heart joke too?"
"I would never go that far," I grin, stealing one of his fries.
A timer goes off on his phone as he reaches into his pocket, hand fisted.
"I noticed that you have to take medication too," he says, staring at his callused hand, watching the two pills he holds. "What's it for?"
"Medication for the side effects of chemo mostly," I sigh. "Although they don't always work. And they have their own side effects, so it's really just an endless cycle."
