Tall, Dark & Distant (2 page)

Georgia grabbed a bikini and the blue T-shirt and headed for the bathroom. ‘
Love Angel
coming through,’ she mumbled.

Did it really matter what she wore to the beach? She’d just be taking it off when she arrived anyway.

‘Don’t wait for me,’ Georgia shouted, closing the bathroom door. ‘I’ll see you at the beach.’

‘We’ll be at Little Cove,’ her mum called back. ‘We’re meeting the Simms and the Monktons there. We’ll be easy to spot.’

Georgia walked along the boardwalk to Little Cove a short time later, excited about the chance of seeing Hot Running Guy. She wanted to thank him properly for returning her sister’s hair-tie, saving Georgia from a long lecture on respecting other people’s possessions and probably several nasty pinches. But would she be able to manage more than a cane-toad croak if he strolled past her on the boardwalk? There was no guarantee.

Georgia walked down the stairs to the beach feeling optimistic, a towel over her shoulder and a new copy of the medical bible
Gray’s Anatomy
under her arm. What greeted her, however, wasn’t a boy with dreamy eyes, but the catastrophe of kids, parents, balls, towels and noise that was her annual family holiday with their family friends, the Simms and the Monktons.

The Simms made up much more than their fair share of the group. In fact, the four Simm brothers were almost a crowd in their own right. By the time they had joined forces with Georgia’s brother, various fathers, mothers and several other unidentified kids, their game of cricket took up most of the beach. Add to that Ella Simm, Mei Monkton and Georgia’s sister, and there was not much of the beach left at all. Her mother had been right – Georgia certainly couldn’t miss them. Her heart sank a little as she realised she wasn't going to see him. The hottest guy in Noosa would stay as far away from this group as possible.

Ella was tossing her blonde mane about, engaged in what appeared to be a hilarious conversation with Mei.

‘Georgia!’ Ella shouted, a little louder than necessary. ‘What’s happening?’

Georgia threw her towel on the sand beside her friends. She gave them a hug and a brief rundown on her end-of-year exams before the conversations turned to the inevitable.

‘I can’t believe you missed schoolies,’ Ella said.

Georgia sighed. ‘I know, right. Pneumonia and a week in hospital – great timing!’

It was painful to recall how Georgia had missed out on the week-long beachside party, when thousands of school leavers from all over the country descended upon coastal Queensland to celebrate the end of their schooling lives.

‘It was awesome,’ Mei said. ‘It was unbelievably awesome. It was awesomely unbelievable.’

Georgia’s chest swelled with jealousy. ‘Don’t!’ she groaned, covering her ears.

Ella winked. ‘It wasn’t that great. It’s just that Mei’s got a new boyfriend.’

Mei showed off the wallpaper on her phone – a picture of a sweet-looking guy in a pink polo shirt flashing a slightly goofy grin.

Ella stared at the picture for a few moments. ‘He’s a keeper.’

For as long as Georgia could remember Ella had been an oracle on boyfriend matters. Ella opened her mouth to elaborate on her assessment, but her commentary was interrupted by a tennis ball smashing into the side of her head.

Ella squealed like a puppy. ‘Who the hell …’ she began, looking around wildly. Her eyes settled on the cricket game. Her brother Dim swung his bat in a half-hearted apology, then waved more enthusiastically with his free hand at Mei and Georgia.

They smiled back.

‘Douche bag.’ Ella rolled her eyes. ‘As if that was an
accident
.’ She picked up the tennis ball and hurled it into the water.

Dim put up his arms as if to say,
What was that for?

‘Dim by name, dim by nature,’ Ella said.

‘Aw, that’s a bit harsh,’ Mei said.

Ella gave her a shove. Mei had always had a soft spot for Dim.

‘It’s not his fault he’s got a dumb nickname,’ Mei said.

It wasn’t entirely true – Dim could definitely be dim. He completely lacked common sense and he was convinced that all the girls loved him, which made him look a bit stupid. But the name had been coined a few minutes after he was born. He arrived in this world looking like a yellow dumpling, and his dad couldn’t resist – he nicknamed him Dim Simm. Dim might have grown up since then, but the nickname had stuck.

Ella smoothed her hair. ‘What were we talking about before my deranged brother hit me in the head …? Oh yes, schoolies.’

Georgia let the conversation wash over her. She was still disappointed about being in hospital while everyone was having so much fun at schoolies. But that was only half the reason she missed most of the conversation. She was also distracted, watching the beach for dark hair and green eyes.

She peered at surfers. She studied swimmers. Every time a group of people descended the stairs to the beach, she craned her neck to see if Hot Running Guy was among them – hidden behind a surfboard or obscured by a sun shelter.

‘Don’t you think, Georgia?’ Ella asked as Georgia squinted to get a better look at a guy swimming across the bay. He was wearing a yellow cap. It was unlikely to be Hot Running Guy, but she wanted to make sure.

‘What do I think about what?’ Georgia asked. She’d completely lost track of the girls’ conversation.

‘Are you even listening?’ Mei asked. ‘You can’t stop fidgeting.

What’s going on?’

‘I’m listening, I just missed the question,’ Georgia lied. ‘Hey, would you swim out to save someone if they were attacked by a shark?’

‘Not a chance,’ Mei said.

‘It’d depend who it was,’ Ella replied.

‘How about a complete stranger?’ Georgia said. ‘Would you help a complete stranger?’

Ella looked at Georgia with a confused expression. A stranger was well and truly off her rescue list.

‘People do it,’ Georgia said, shrugging. ‘Remember that woman last summer who just dived into the water when she saw a kid in trouble? Blood in the water and the shark still out there. It didn’t stop her. She saved him.’

‘So you’d rescue a stranger?’ Ella asked.

‘Yeah,’ Georgia nodded, reddening slightly as she imagined Hot Running Guy in the jaw of a shark. ‘I think I would.’

‘This game is not normal, Georgia,’ Mei said. ‘It’s one thing to spontaneously dive into the sea in the heat of the moment. It’s another thing entirely to actively plan it, in case a random stranger needs your help.’

‘Wait a minute,’ Ella said slowly, narrowing her eyes at Georgia. ‘This isn’t some random stranger we’re talking about here – is it? This is some
particular
stranger who has his leg in the mouth of a bull shark and is screaming for help. And you’re planning to rescue him.’

Ella paused for a response. Georgia’s eyes met her friend’s. Her hypotheticals had been uncovered for what they really were that day – an excuse to daydream about Hot Running Guy.

‘I was just thinking about someone I saw running this morning,’ Georgia said as nonchalantly as possible.

‘I knew it!’ said Ella triumphantly. ‘Georgia, your face is like a book. You’re so easy to read.’

‘Who did you see?’ Mei whispered, edging a little closer to avoid the boys overhearing.

‘I ran past this guy. I gave him a smile and he said hello.’

‘Was he hot?’ Ella asked, eyes shining at the promise of gossip.

Georgia nodded and smiled. ‘Gorgeous. But there was something else as well. In his eyes. There was this … intensity. I don’t know. It’s hard to describe.’

Georgia trailed off. She had already said too much. Ella and Mei both had boyfriends now – boyfriends with names and identities. Ella’s boyfriend spent so much time with the Simm family that he was practically one of them. And Mei had some guy in a pink polo shirt. Georgia was rambling about a guy who had picked up a hair-tie. She didn’t know who he was and would probably never see him again. She sounded like a complete nutcase.

‘And he said hi to you?’ Mei said.

‘Actually, he said good morning,’ Georgia said. ‘And then I said hello. But it came out more like,
oh
, because I was running. Then I dropped my hair-tie somewhere on the path. He found it, followed me down the path and gave it back. Then he ran off.’

Ella tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. ‘So, he followed you down the track to return some manky old hair-tie that was lying in the dirt? The guy is clearly mad about you.’

Georgia wasn’t sure how Ella knew this, but her friend
was
the expert. In biology and physics, Georgia was top of her class.

But when it came to boys, she was a D student at best. She and her schoolfriends didn’t have a single boyfriend among them and, even though they discussed guys endlessly, she had to admit they were all pretty clueless. But Ella was a
family
friend. They only saw each other once or twice a year – in the holidays, when their families visited Noosa. Georgia and Ella didn’t really have that much in common, but Ella’s friendship was particularly useful at times like these.

‘Why would he like me?’ Georgia asked. She wasn’t looking for a compliment; she was genuinely interested.

‘Why
wouldn’t
he? You’re so cute,’ Ella said.

‘Yeah, I like your hair long,’ Mei added. ‘I used to think you were a supergeek. But you’re looking pretty hot these days. In fact, go and sit at the other end of the beach. You’re making me look ugly.’

It was the sort of backhanded compliment that Mei was good at. Her soft Eurasian features and petite stature completely mis-represented her brusque, direct nature. With two straight-talking lawyers for parents, Mei had no chance of being anything else.

‘Remember the time your sister cut that big chunk out of your hair and you had to cut it all really short?’ Mei reminisced. ‘You looked like such a potato head. Skinny arms and legs and a big head.’

‘I was seven when I had that Mr Potato Head haircut,’ Georgia reminded them. ‘Everyone had a bad haircut when they were seven.’

‘Yours was much worse,’ Mei insisted. ‘My mum would have sued if someone gave me a haircut that bad.’

Georgia left the haircut and moved on. She wanted to get back to the guy with green eyes. She needed to know if she had a chance. Short of consulting a clairvoyant, Ella was the next best thing.

‘What do you think I should do? Do you think I’ll ever see him again?’

It was meant as a question for Ella. But Alice, who had obviously been eavesdropping, decided to answer.

‘It’s him!’ she shouted, dropping her iPod and jumping to her feet, pointing.

Georgia’s heart thumped as she followed her sister’s gaze.
Hot Running Guy was on the beach!

Then Alice laughed and Georgia saw she was pointing to an old guy with a saggy butt and a hairy back. ‘It’s your new boyfriend!’ Alice shrieked. ‘What a couple. I think he bought his togs at the same place you did.’

‘Very funny,’ Georgia said, slumping with disappointment.

Alice walked towards the water, imitating the guy with the saggy backside, and then turned around to blow Georgia a kiss.

Georgia blew one back sarcastically, but inside she was aching. ‘I’m never going to see him again, am I?’ she sighed.

‘Just ignore Alice,’ Mei said.

‘Of course you’ll see him again,’ Ella added.

‘How?’ Georgia asked desperately.

‘Think about it,’ Ella said. ‘If he’s a runner, then he’ll be out at the same time every morning, won’t he? Just go out running at the same time and you’re bound to bump into him. And next time, say something more than just
oh
.’

Georgia rolled her eyes. ‘Something like,
Oh, you’re so hot
?’

‘That’s worked for me,’ Mei said.

Ella laughed and winked. ‘I think you’ll make a great couple.’ ‘Why do you say that?’ Georgia asked.

‘You’re eighteen, Georgia. Normal people sleep in until midday on holiday. They don’t run around the national park at daybreak. If this guy was doing that too, I’d say he’s just as obsessed as you. You’re clearly made for each other.’

Ella had a point. Georgia’s obsession had driven her across thousands of kilometres of cross-country terrain, through mud and cowpats, gravel and sand, through the pain of sprained ankles, hamstring injuries and grazed shins, all the way to state championships. But while she was flogging herself outside or locked away with her textbooks, Georgia had missed out on the crucial social and romantic skills that other girls had obviously been honing. It wasn’t that she was opposed to boyfriends – she just didn’t know where to start. Luckily, Ella was always ready to share her skills in that area and loved nothing more than a romantic project.

‘Do you really think I’ll see him again?’ Georgia asked again, probably a bit pathetically. ‘What if he’s only here for a few days? He looked like a tourist. He wasn’t wearing any sunglasses and I think he had an accent.’

‘Then you’ve got no time to waste,’ Ella said. ‘If you see him tomorrow, arrange a time to meet him.’

That was easy for Ella to say. She was the product of a perfect socio-economic alliance, the daughter of a property developer and a charity fundraiser. She always wore the right clothes, went to the right parties and was about to start the right university course that would no doubt lead to the right career in the media. Saying the right thing to guys just came naturally to her.