𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗼𝘄 ━━━━ roman kemp

━━━━ six

━━ IN THE BUSH TELEGRAPH ━━

"Last night was amazing!" Mathilda exclaims, reflecting on the delicious feast and the positive atmosphere of the previous night. "I dreamt that I was swimming in a river of gravy; it was the best night's sleep I've had all week. Obviously, there are downsides. The dunny seems to be taking the brunt of it. It's even more disgusting than usual today."

━━ IN THE MAIN CAMP ━━

Mathilda sits on Roman's hammock, her side pressed firmly against his as they talk. Every so often Roman will stretch and they will both let out loud yawns, still clinging to the last remnants of sleep.

"Just going to sit by the gas fire, yeah," says Ian and the two younger celebrities exchange confused glances.

"Who is he talking to?" Mathilda asks but Roman just shrugs his shoulders.

"Yeah, it's alright. I'm fine this morning. Can I get a word in, or what?" It is at this moment when the two of them realise that Ian is actually speaking to the photograph of him and his wife, and that he could possibly be hallucinating that she is there with them. "You can vote for me as much as you like. If you're not voting me out of love, you're gonna be disappointed because I'm gonna smash it."

Just looking at the serious expression on Ian's face as he speaks makes Mathilda feel sympathetic towards the man. It is abundantly clear that he misses his wife, and this is his newest coping mechanism for that. "Bless him," she mutters.

Roman nods, stretching his arms above his head. "We should keep an eye on him today," he suggests. "Just to cheer him up if he looks too down."

"Agreed."

"What do you miss the most about home?" Roman asks conversationally.

Several things pop into Mathilda's mind straight away. Her family, food, the internet, showers that aren't cold, television, etc. "I miss my family the most, obviously," she says, "but I didn't realise just how much I would miss just being able to sleep in a bed and to be able to go out whenever I want to. There isn't much to do around here..."

"Yeah, that's true. I miss speaking to my family; I always call them all every single day," he informs. "My parents and my sister, they're like my best friends. Is that sad?" he asks with a laugh.

"Not at all," she hastens to assure him. "I think it's beautiful, actually. I talk to my parents and my brothers all the time, too - even Haz and he isn't even my real brother."

"Who's Haz?"

Harrison Osterfield is the childhood best friend of Mathilda's older brother, Tom. They have been inseparable since the day they met and Harrison has been welcomed into the Holland family like a real addition. While she may see him as a member of the family these days, Mathilda actually spent the first sixteen years of her life harbouring a major crush on the boy; something that he both knows and teases her about without mercy.

Mathilda tells Roman as much. He grins, making a comment about how he could absolutely imagine a teenage Mathilda trailing along behind her brother, fawning all over his friends.

"Shut up, you wanker!" Mathilda shouts, slapping his arm playfully and turning away so as to hide the blush on her cheeks. "I get enough of this bullying back home."

"It's sweet," Roman says and he seems genuine with his words. "I know that I definitely had a crush on some of Harley Moon's friends when I was younger."

From the context of the conversation, Mathilda deduces that Harley Moon is Roman's older sister. "Did you ever date any of them?" she asks curiously.