Half the world away

Chapter 9

Ruby

Stevie was great every story she told me about the guys had me in stitches. It was like I was catching up with an old friend not meeting someone new.

"Has he told you about his time as a trainee?" She said taking a swig of her beer with a smirk on his face.

"No don't think so." I said putting my drink back down.

Stevie started to laugh a bit like she was remembering it.
"When Sammy was training he'd always get into trouble. He got locked in the lookout tower, lost 2 radios in the surf and broke the roller door on the side of the lifeguard tower." She laughed.

"Wait wait how'd he brake the door?" I asked with a laugh.

"So he was backing up the quad to put the jet ski away and forget to open the roller door and knocked the whole thing down. He was so scared Roodie was gonna can him for it."She laughed making me laugh too as I pictured a 19 year old Sammy doing stupid stuff on the beach.

"That's amazing." I finally said through laughs placing my drink down again.

Stevie nodded sobering up from her own laughter and then looked at me for a second.

"So not to pry but your from London right and you've never been here before?" She asked me and I could sense were the conversation was going.

"We'll just outside of London, and yeah it's my first time here." I said back to her.

"Interesting. So what's going on with you and Sammy? He looks at you like, like I don't even know I've never seen him look like that before." She said looking deep in thought.

"What'd ya mean?" I asked her, she'd been friends with him for so long.

"It's just the way he smiles at you it's like you're the only person in the room. Like he sees something that nobody else not even you can see." She said taking a sip of her drink looking back at me again.
"Whatever it is that's going on with you guys, sammys one of the best guys not just in Bondi but anywhere. You're not gonna find another one of him." She said smiling at me.

I didn't know what to say, Sammy had been my best friend since I was 17. But now talking to someone he's known and worked with for a long time and have her tell me that Sammys different with me was strange. I'd only know Sammy one way and I honestly thought that was just him. Maybe it's not.

"So ladies what's the gossip?" Jesse appeared out of nowhere leaning on his hands like a 14 year old girl.

"Jess you're about as good with secrets as a stone is at swimming." Stevie laughed making Jesse pout at her.

"Hey I'm like Fort Knox. Nothing gets passed me." He returned.

"You couldn't even keep Roodies birthday party a secret last year." Sammy said sliding into the chair next to mine smiling at the pouting guy on the tables end.

"Danny let that slip not me." He whined.

"We might be twins dude but we're not identical." Danny laughed sitting down next to Stevie.

"Whatever I need a drink." Jesse grumbled jokingly and headed to the bar with Stevie and Danny.

"So looks like you and Stevie get on pretty well." Sammy said throwing his arm behind my chair.

"Yeah she's pretty great." I smiled back at him trying to see what Stevie was talking about. Trying to see if I could spot the difference in the way he looked at me to everyone else. But I couldn't spot it.

"So you talk about anything interesting?" He gently pried for information.

"Maybe some stuff about you." I said suppressing a laugh as I pictured him locked in the look out.