Life One Summer [On Hold]

Chapter 6

Everyone was now staring at me and I felt like an utter moron. Casey began interrogating me, "So what's his name, this boyfriend of yours?"

My brain panicked, "It's, Sam."

Oh god Kelsey is going to be mad at me for that.

"That's so sweet," Lily gushed, "How long have you two been together?"

"About...six months." I stuttered, why was I just retelling Kelsey's relationship as my own?

"It must be serious then?" Travis questioned.

"I suppose so."

Despite being incredibly enthused Lily wasn't helping the situation, "Oh do you have a photo we could see?"

I gulped and nodded thinking back to a time Kelsey had forced me and Sam on a trip to the beach together as a bonding exercise. She'd nicked my phone and forced us to take loads of photos. I reached for my phone and opened the album from that day. I flicked through until I found one where we were surprisingly smiling and clicked on it. I faced the screen toward Lily and a small part of me was happy that a shirtless Sam was built like Channing Tatum.

Lily grinned like a teenager, "Honey if things don't work out between you I think I may have found my next toy boy."

I laughed at her joke which made me relax a little and James leant forward to take a look, "Understandable, but I'm glad that at the moment I'm your only toy boy."

She smiled at him and he pecked her lightly on the lips.

"Eww, gross," said Cody who grabbed my arm so he could see the picture, "Personally I think you could do better."

"As if." Alice teased at him as she caught a look.

I was beginning to feel so guilty about this decision, but a frustrated Casey wouldn't drop it, "It seems Travy and I are the only people here who haven't seen this photo."

"I haven't." Josh piped up and I felt sorry that he had been practically ignored.

But obligingly I showed the picture to Casey and Travis and she frowned obviously before smiling, "He's gorgeous Aria."

"Absolutely great." Travis added in a slightly strange voice.

James helpfully managed to change the topic, "Perhaps we should stop interrogating Aria about her boyfriend?"

Lily nodded, "So where did you and Travis go to today?"

Before I could reply Travis stepped in, "You know, around, I took her up to see some of the cattle sheds, some of the fields up west. That kind of stuff."

He neglected to mention the lake, but instead of questioning this I went along, "Yeah the ranch is quite something."

Travis smiled across at me and Lily continued, "And how was the horse-riding?"

"Well...um."

"She's a natural." He replied and I smiled back.

"That's great sweetie."

*

After dinner Casey pulled Travis upstairs to his room but not before James could call up to them, "Keep the door open." Making me feel even more uncomfortable.

I decided uncharacteristically to help with the washing up, the walls were so thin who knew what I'd be able to hear if I went upstairs?

Josh and Cody began whipping each other with the dishcloths once we'd finished and to escape I came and sat on the sofa in the living room. Alice was sat on an armchair flicking through the TV channels and I could feel an uncomfortable silence. She finally settled on an episode of a show I didn't know and we began to watch it.