“When will I, will I be famous,” Rob hummed as he unlocked his brother’s apartment door. “When will I get my picture in the…oh my God!” he squealed and covered his eyes, then opened his fingers to see a partially visible naked breast. He’d come home to find Ross and Kirsty snuggled on the couch, asleep and very naked.
          Ross let out a grunt, opened his eyes and saw his brother standing there. “Fuck Rob!”
          “What?” Kirsty squealed and covered herself as best she could.
          “No don’t get up,” Rob pleaded as he tried to manoeuvre through the living room. “Just pretend I’m not here,” Rob babbled, almost knocking himself out on a bookcase. “Continue being happy.”
          “I should ah, probably go,” Kirsty swallowed as she started pulling on her clothes.
          “Oh, you don’t have to,” Ross said, taken aback.
          Kirsty looked at his pleading look and tried not to wince. “Ok, go to bed and I’ll just have a drink and meet you there.”
          “Ok,” Ross yawned and leaned forward to kiss her forehead before wandering still naked, to his bedroom.
          Kirsty continued to redress, and was just fastening her jeans when Rob appeared. “You decent?” he asked with a wry smile.
          “Yes and if you say you saw my jubblies I will rip out your eyes so all you have is memories.”
          “Uh ok,” Rob said warily and then crossed his arms. “You’re not leaving are you?”
          “Why?”
          “Because my brother is waiting for you,” Rob frowned. “Please don’t go. You have no idea how much he needs this.”
          “I don’t think you can replace sanity with sex,” Kirsty countered looking for her keys.
          “Oh come on woman,” Rob huffed. “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have some feelings for him right?”
          Kirsty rolled her eyes and started taking off her jeans. “I want it known that I’m doing this because I’m not in the mood to drive home,” she scorned, dropped her jeans on the floor and headed into the bedroom.
          “Liar,” Rob grinned and tilted his head back to see her barely clad bottom leave the room.

          Julia arrived home, lobbed her keys on the kitchen table and sat in an un-pushed in chair. Dropping her head into her hands she let out a long, sad sigh. The guilt from earlier no longer pressed on her chest, the stress headache that had been threatening to engulf her in gut wrenching pain had gone but still she wasn’t happy.
          Picking at her chipped nail polish she felt her stomach twitch at the image of Liam, a strong, controlled man weeping openly and her absolute powerlessness to help him. While it was apparent her guilt was gone his was clearly manifesting itself deep into the poor man’s psyche.
          Julia got to her feet and opened the fridge; she pulled out a half full jug of water and poured herself some into a glass. She drank greedily, like it was alcoholic and would numb her desperate desire to make things right. As the last of the liquid drained from the glass she placed it on the breakfast bar and wearily headed down the hall to bed.
          Without much thought Julia peeled her clothes off, dropping them unceremoniously onto the floor and pulled on her well-worn pyjamas. As she slid beneath the sheets an idea formed in her mind. It certainly wouldn’t cure Liam but it might just help him feel a little better. With a brief happy thought lodged firmly at the front of her mind she closed her eyes and let the darkness overtake her.

          “Are you sure you’re comfortable?” Penny asked as Chris rested against her in bed, his head resting playfully on her generous bosom, his body relaxed and comforted as he listened to her heartbeat.
          “Never better,” he replied sleepily as Penny switched off the light and began to gently stroke his hair.
          “I don’t know how you stay so calm.”
          “What do you mean?”
          “Well, even with all that’s happened you’re still just cruising along,” Penny breathed. “It seems quite unnatural.”
          “It would be unnatural if it were true,” Chris agreed and moved so his head was back on the pillow. “It’s really just a façade. Every night I relieve the whole horrible thing in my dreams.”
          “Tell me about it,” Penny encouraged. “Please, no one’s really said much.”
          “There’s not a lot to tell and it’s not something you really want to talk about.”
          “Try,” she enthused, reaching out to touch his cheek in the dark.
          “Well, some of it’s vague and some of it replays like a horror movie in my head,” Chris sighed and fell quiet for a few moments. “I remember we left the pub, we were all off our faces. Ross was a bit sullen after drinking to the point of regret whereas Liam and I were at the silly, barely walking stage. No one suggested anyone was too drunk, we just piled into the car. I was in the passenger seat and Ross was in the back. I can remember us laughing about how Liam was too pissed to get the key in the ignition.” Penny felt Chris tense beneath the sheets and squeezed his arm to comfort him.
          “Go on.”
          “It’s a bit hazy but I remember us singing along to whatever was on the radio, then there was a lot of shaking, screaming and the biggest bang I’ve ever heard. There was like a second or two of silence and then I heard people talking outside, Ross was screaming his head off and Liam was unconscious. I passed out after that.”
          “How do you feel now?”
          “Relieved, foolish, scared, thankful,” Chris said softly. “Sorry, mostly sorry.”

          Kirsty blearily opened her eyes and turned her head to read the time on the glowing alarm clock. It was 7am. She turned back to look at Ross who was curled up next to her, her face the picture of peace and the warmth emanating from his body full of temptation and comfort. Therefore it was with reluctance that she pushed the covers back gently and slid her legs over the edge of the bed. She raised herself, careful not to wake the sleeping Ross and pulled on her abandoned shirt from the night before.
          She tiptoed out into the living room that was lit by the faint morning light and pulled on her jeans and sandals before snatching up her keys and sneaking out of the apartment.
          Kirsty only managed to let out a sign of relief when she reached her car but uttered not a word until she arrived home and hour and a half later to find Julia standing in her pyjamas yelling at a cat.
          “What did Monte Carlo do?” she inquired as Julia threatened the poor moggy with evisceration.
          “He decided to shit in my petunia saplings,” Julia hissed as the cat took the opportunity to flee and hide in the linen basket.
          “You were gardening in your pyjamas?” Kirsty remarked as Julia’s face lightened.
          “No, I’d gone out to see if I had any undies on the line and notice Monte squatting in the pot.”
          “Of course,” Kirsty chided as she wandered into the kitchen.
          “I see you’ve been out all night,” Julia remarked raising an eyebrow. “How was Ross?”
          “It’s not what you think,” Kirsty groaned. “It was a foolish, weak moment.”
          “Where you shagged him.”
          “This isn’t about whether I shagged him or not.”
          “But you did.”
          Kirsty’s face fell further and then she went red. “Yes, ok so I shagged him.”
          “See, I don’t need the rest of the story now.”
          “I think I’ve made a huge mistake Jools,” Kirsty whined and fell into the same chair Julia had the previous night.
          “You’re not pregnant are you?”
          “What? No!” Kirsty scorned. “I don’t want to fall in love with him all over again.”
          “Ok, firstly (a) that would involve falling out of love with him first and (b) shagging him is a pretty unconvincing way to make your point.”
          “Do you actually want to hear my problems?”
          “No,” Julia mused and sat herself in a chair. “But I’ll pretend.”
          Kirsty let out a scowl. “What if I let myself fall for him and get hurt all over again. I couldn’t handle it, I’d become one of those hysterical woman who end up locked in a padded cell getting needles jabbed into their arse three times a day.”
          “Yes, you probably would,” Julia nodded as Kirsty’s eyes narrowed and her mood darkened. “Who’s to say you’ll get hurt anyway. It could just well end up all fairytales and puppy dogs tales with a beautiful white wedding and the popping out of several Ross juniors.”
          Kirsty looked slightly revolted with Julia’s suggestion. “Oh I don’t know,” she wailed and dropped her head into her hands.
          “Are you going to cry because if you are let me know so I can leave the room.”
          “Fuck you.”
          “Would now be a bad time to ask you about Ross’s last show at the festival?”
          Kirsty lifted her head. “What about it?”
          “Well, I went to see Liam yesterday and unlike you I refrained from shagging him.”
          “I’ve never shagged Liam,” Kirsty said with mock seriousness. “Actually you probably should of since it’s not like he can run from you.”
          Julia let out a snort but continued. “He broke down in front of me. He’s convinced Ross and Chris hold him responsible for what happened.”
          “And this has what to do with Ross’s show?”
          “I thought we could take Liam, let him see Ross is ok.”
          “That sounds like a great…wait…we?”
          “Don’t even pretend like you won’t go,” Julia scolded. “So when is it?”
          Kirsty thought a moment. “I think it’s tonight!”
          “Brilliant, can you phone him and get us seats?”
          Kirsty looked at Julia like she’d just pulled a ferret from her cleavage and was clapping along while it did Cossack dancing.
          “Just phone Fringe Tix,” Kirsty declared wide-eyed.
          “It’s not like I’m asking you consummate your marriage,” Julia frowned as Kirsty stuck her fingers in her ears.
          “Lalala can’t hear you.”
          “That’s mature of you,” Julia sighed as Kirsty continued. “No really.”

          Penny ran the sponge over the taught muscles of Chris’s back, down to the cleft of his buttocks. Chris in return let out a small squeal, which was indicating the whole process was providing him with more pleasure than pain although; she only had to look at his entire naked form to realise that.
          “I’ll be glad when you can do this yourself.”
          “I can do it myself,” Chris mused, knowing full well that even with the stitches across his abdomen, the cuts and the purple bruising that he was still an impressive sight. “But it’s much more fun this way.”
          “For who?” Penny chided as the desire to kiss his bare shoulders took over. She dropped several teasing kisses on his cool flesh, which elicited a chuckle from Chris.
          “I promise I’ll sponge bath you every night when I’m well again,” he mused as Penny’s kisses brought her to his front. She looked up as he dropped his head to kiss her eagerly on the mouth. He felt her edging closer, a hand on his bare rear and forced their lips apart. “We have to stop, I’m under strict doctor’s instructions. I can’t have sex until the stitches heal. All that thrusting would pop them right open.”
          “Bugger,” Penny breathed a cheeky glint in her eye. “Not everything revolves around missionary position though.”
          “What?” Chris said blankly, Penny’s hand still noticeably on his rear.
          “Oops I dropped the sponge,” Penny feigned and dropped to her knees to retrieve it.
          “Yes don’t want anyone to…Oh my god…” Chris’s eyes rolled back as the phone rang out from the kitchen. “Please ignore it…please ignore it…” the phone stopped ringing, Chris sighed and then it started ringing again.
          “I’ve gotta get it,” Penny sighed, getting up from the floor.
          “No, you can’t do this to me!” Chris whined as Penny ignored him to dash from the room.

          When the evening rolled around Kirsty found herself sitting alone at a table in a restaurant. Every loved-up couple was canoodling over their meals, candlelight highlighting their joyful faces.
          She felt a small vibration by her foot and realised it was her phone. Fishing it out she discovered a text message, it was the fifth from Ross that day and she ignored it like the other four.
          Just as Kirsty was about to give up hope Julia appeared with Liam, who was hobbling on his crutches.
          “I was starting think you’d forgotten!”
          “He took a bit of convincing,” Julia mused as Liam dropped heavily into a chair.
          “I don’t feel like being out,” Liam frowned. “I’m not even hungry.”
          “That’s not the attitude,” Kirsty chided. “Besides, it’ll do you the world of good.”
          “You have no idea how much I’m sick of hearing that,” Liam huffed as the waiter appeared to take their drinks orders.
          “You’d think we were going to take his land rights away from him the way he’s been carrying on,” Julia chided as she ordered herself a beer.
          “That’s not funny,” Liam frowned.
          “Yeah it is,” Kirsty giggled, then coughed. “No you’re right, it was mean.” She looked over at Julia and started giggling again, causing Julia to crack up.
          “I’m a repressed minority you know!” Liam huffed, slapping the menu onto the blue linen tablecloth.
          “God, your people go on a bit don’t they?” Julia teased. “Wah you stole our land, wah you stole our children, wah we don’t have equal rights…sob, sob, boo!”
          “Oh and your people are so much better?” Liam countered. “Oh let’s go and invade that country and kill harmless people because they have oil.”
          “Uh they’re not our people,” Kirsty piped up. “They’re Americans.”
          “Anyway we’re all Australians,” Liam declared. “Just some of us weren’t brought here as criminals.”
          “No you fucked off from Africa,” Julia giggled as Liam narrowed his eyes at her.
          “Stop being mean!” he whined with half a smile.
          “Aww poor Liamski,” Kirsty cooed as Julia started giggling again and squeezed Liam’s shoulder.

          “Fuck it,” Ross hissed, lobbing his phone across the living room. It hit the top of an armchair, bounced off and landed in the bowl of cereal Rob was eating.
          “HEY!” Rob squealed as the milk splashed his chest and face.
          “She won’t fucking reply to me,” Ross hissed. “Why won’t she reply to me?”
          “Because she’s just decided to start using you for your body,” Rob declared and then laughed. “No, she couldn’t be that desperate…”
          “Get fucked,” Ross frowned and ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t get why she came here, why we…why she stayed.”
          “Booty call?”
          “You’re not helping.”
          “Not trying to.”
          “Maybe I did something wrong…”
          “From what I saw you did everything right.”
          Ross looked despondently at his brother and flumped into the couch. “Did she say anything to you last night?”
          “No,” Rob said unconvincingly. “I never talked to her, not a word. I didn’t even see her get redressed.”
          “Redressed?” Ross said raising an eyebrow. Rob looked blankly a moment, shoved his cereal bowl into Ross’s hands and fled into his room.
          “ROB!” Ross yelled and stood up quickly sending the remaining cereal and milk onto his feet.

          “And then,” Kirsty gasped. “She fell down the front steps, onto the cat and that’s why Vovo only has three legs now.” Kirsty wiped a tear from her eye.
          “I love it when Aunty Mabel visits,” Julia sighed. “There’s never a dull moment when she’s over.”
          “What about the time she got locked out the front in her underwear and you had to come all the way from work to let her back into the house,” Kirsty piped up giggling at the memory.
          “Why was she in her underwear in the front garden?” Liam asked.
          “I don’t know. Went to borrow a cup of sugar from the neighbour or something,” Julia shrugged.
          “Have I ever told you how weird your family is?” he breathed, raising an eyebrow.
          “Only at least once a week,” Julia shrugged. “What about that time you were dating Franklin and she walked in on you two in the bath and claimed that she didn’t know you were in there? You made the dog howl, I’ve no idea how she didn’t know you were there.”
          “What about that time she got you the vi…”
          “Oh look at the time. We should be leaving for the show now,” Julia interrupted Kirsty.
          “What show?” Liam asked, frowning at Julia.
          “You don’t think we’d take you out to dinner and just take you home afterwards?” Julia replied nonchalantly.
          “Yeah, we’ve got a great evening planned so get those crutches and let’s get going. We’re on a tight schedule here people,” Kirsty chirped as she picked up her bag and ushered everyone towards the exit.

          “I don’t see why we have to go anywhere,” Chris complained as Penny drove towards the city. “We were perfectly happy in the bathroom together. You were happy, I was more than happy, I don’t see why it had to end and we have to go into the city.”
          “It will be good for you to get out. You can’t spend all the time at home moping about and using your injuries as an excuse not to go anywhere and live a little.”
          “Last time I lived a little I nearly died. Do you remember that?”
          “Chris, I can’t forget that but it’s not healthy for you to be cooped up inside all the time. I promise if you come out with me tonight you can stay inside for the rest of your life.”
          “Cross your heart promise?” Chris chided.
          “Cross my heart I will never bug you to go out ever again,” Penny chirped as she pulled into the car park. They got out of the car and made their way over to join the queue that had formed outside the small theatre where Ross was performing.
          “Hey Pen over here!” Kirsty waved, catching Penny’s attention and alerting Chris to Liam’s presence.
          “Hi,” Chris mumbled, looking at his feet.
          “Hi,” Liam nodded. He turned to Julia and whispered in her ear. “Can we go now?”
          “No, you need to do this; it’ll be good for you to see Chris. Trust me,” she whispered and gently stroked his hand.
          “I can’t wait to see what Ross is doing for his show tonight,” Kirsty announced, hopping around on the spot as she waited for the doors to open.
          “We’re here to see Ross’s show?” Chris and Liam asked together.
          “Yes, we decided that in order to help you all heal better you three need to get together and sort out whatever neuroses you each have and make you all friends again?” Julia babbled in an attempt to sound serious.
          “Did that make sense?” Kirsty asked blankly.
          “Look, you can’t jut keep doing things you think will be good for us. Why can’t you just let us sort ourselves out in our own way?” Chris grumbled.
          “Because you three haven’t done anything about it yet. You’ve all just been moping about as miserable as ever and blaming yourselves for the accident,” Julia countered.
          “If this is the only way we can get you to talk about it, that’s what we have to do. Don’t you realise its killing us seeing you like this?” Kirsty added with a sigh.
          “Oh look, they’re starting to let people in now,” Penny declared as the line started moving forward.

          “I can’t do it. I can’t go out there. I think I’m going to be sick,” Ross babbled.
          “You’ll be fine. It’s no different to any other night you’ve performed. Once you’re on stage you’ll forget about everything else. You’ve done it hundreds of time before,” Rob soothed.
          “This is different. They’re out to get me. I can feel it in my cast,” Ross said rubbing his cast.
          “You think you can feel everything in your cast. Yesterday you said you could feel a thunderstorm coming and last week you said it would snow even though it’s summer and we’re in the middle of a heatwave,” Rob informed him.
          “It snowed in the Northern Hemisphere. I didn’t say where it would snow. The cast was right about the snow wasn’t it?” Ross retorted.
          “Ross you’ve got five minutes until you’re due to start,” a young theatre hand announced as he came into the room.
          “I think I’m going to faint,” Ross stammered as he made his way towards the stage.
          “Don’t be stupid. You’ll be fine. Here, have a beer to calm your nerves.” Rob thrust a stubbie of VB into Ross’s hand. Ross skulled half the bottle before taking it away from his mouth.
          “Better, much better,” he smiled and ran onto the stage. Rob grinned at Ross, grabbed himself a beer and made his way down to join Kirsty and the others in the audience.

          Kirsty, Julia, Liam, Penny and Chris were all seated a couple of rows from the front of the stage. Julia was in a considerable amount of pain as her foot had been crushed by one of Liam’s crutches whilst they were making their way inside.
          “Jools I’m sorry about your foot,” Liam whispered as Ross bounded on stage.
          “Is it just me or does he look like he’s about to vomit?” Kirsty asked, a little concerned.
          “I think he’s going to vomit,” Penny announced to a now deathly silent room.
          “You didn’t feel this in your cast did you?” Rob called out.
          Ross snapped out of his stupor, told Rob where to go and threatened to stick the cast somewhere unpleasant before breaking into his first gag of the evening.

          After one of Ross’s funniest performances in a few months, the girls decided that they'd go for a little celebration at a nearby café once Ross had finished dealing with his female fans.
          “You’re not jealous are you?” Julia asked a she glanced at Kirsty. Kirsty was scowling at the women surrounding Ross and her hands were in such tight fists that her knuckles had turned white.
          “So I hear you’re single again?” A rather skinny brunette cooed a she placed a hand on Ross’s arm.
          “That’s it!” Kirsty scowled and marched over to Ross. “Honey we should really be going now. I know how much you love putting the baby down for the night,” she purred as she placed a hand on his butt.
          “Oh but Honey I thought your mother was looking after the baby,” Ross grinned cheekily.
          “Yes, but in my condition we should be leaving soon,” Kirsty insisted as she patted her belly.
          “That’s not a condition that’s chocolate!”
          “That’s what you think,” Kirsty grinned to a gobsmacked Ross.
          “Well since last night was the first time we’ve fucked in ages and you look about seven months gone I’d say you work pretty fast,” Ross declared and was swiftly slapped. He stared at Kirsty for a few moments before grabbing her and kissing her needily.
          “That guy is weird,” a young woman told her friend as people started walking away from the snogging couple.
          “Prick,” Kirsty grumbled breathless as she pulled away from Ross and wandered back to the others.
          “You can’t resist me,” Ross called to her departing back.
          “You realise you’re going to have to go back and get him,” Julia said bluntly to Kirsty. “We need Ross to be there too.” Kirsty stormed back over to Ross.
          “I knew you couldn’t resist me. Back for more are you?” Ross grinned as he watched her approach.
          “Come,” Kirsty growled, grabbing Ross by his collar.
          “Glerk!” Ross yelped as he was dragged to the others.

          Julia, Kirsty and Penny were sitting in the café talking animatedly about Aunt Mabel’s antics. Chris had taken a dose of painkillers and was trying hard not to doze off, Liam was staring glumly into his coffee and Ross was picking at his plaster.
          “Do you remember that time Aunt Mabel thought I was her friend from Cockaleechie and called me Betty for the three weeks she was over?” Penny giggled. “She kept pulling out her yearbook and showing me pictures that looked nothing like me.”
          “How about the time she added bleach to the washing and turned everything white?” Julia added.
          “She ruined my favourite green top,” Kirsty sighed.
          “Oh do you remember that time she was going to cook us a fantastic meal and we got boiled eggs?” Penny announced excitedly.
          “We didn’t even get soldiers,” Kirsty mumbled.
          “And the time she used the cat for a mop and washed the kitchen floor,” Julia giggled.
          “And when she made us try that peach, rose and ginseng tea and when she went to the bathroom we poured it in the pot plant and the pot plant just keeled over,” Kirsty announced and the girls burst out laughing.
          “I miss Aunt Mabel,” they sighed together.
          “When did she die?” Liam asked gently.
          “Die? She’s not dead. She had to go to Glenside after she decided to turn the nursing home into a nudist colony. No-one needs to see lots of old naked people together,” Julia shuddered.
          “You blokes are pretty quiet. I’d have thought you would have heaps to talk about what with you all nearly being killed together,” Kirsty announced bluntly.
          “We don’t need to talk about every single little thing that happens to us,” Chris informed them.
          “We don’t talk about every little thing,” Penny refuted.
          “Why do you always talk about your periods then? Nobody needs to know about that,” Ross spat out.
          “Because one day it won’t be a period and it will have booties on it,” Kirsty retorted.
          “That’s just twisted,” Ross shook his head.
          “We’re not talking about us we’re talking about you guys,” Penny piped up. “If you don’t talk about it how do you guys cope?”
          “We drink,” Chris shrugged.
          “We go into denial and pretend it never happened,” Liam sighed.
          “We wait until an ex-girlfriend turns up on the doorstep and fuck her,” Ross added. “For example,” he looked at Kirsty and suddenly his eyes welled up.
          “Did she kick you in the shins?” Chris asked curiously.
          “No,” He peeped and buried his face in his hands.
          “Guys, you don’t hold me responsible for what happened do you?” Liam asked suddenly.
          “No,” Ross and Chris answered in unison.
          “Was that so hard to do?” Julia asked with the overwhelming temptation to smack her head against a wall.
          “We should be going now,” Chris looked at Penny. “After all the excitement of the evening I think I need another wash.”
          “You don’t think you should talk about things a bit more?” she asked, finishing off her coffee.
          “Actually I think we’re kinda sick of the whole thing,” Ross announced. “Every day all we hear is ‘the accident, the accident’ can’t you girls give it a rest?”
          “Well we’re the ones who have to pick up the pieces,” Julia snapped.
          “Well no-one asked you to,” Liam retorted, glaring at his empty coffee mug.
          “Actually, I asked Pen to do it,” Chris said sheepishly.
          “You’re pretty quiet on this subject,” Kirsty mused to Ross.
          “You’re carrying our chocolaty child. How can I disagree?” Ross smirked. “Please don’t kick me again, otherwise Cadbury won’t be getting siblings.”
          “Right. If we’re done here I have better places to be,” Julia spat as she hobbled out of the café, slamming the door behind her.
          “See there’s a reason your people lost their land,” Kirsty scorned at Liam “You’re such a bastard. Why she’s besotted with you is beyond me. You treat her like crap and she still runs after you. I just hope she’s finally realised what a prick you are and finds someone else like Ryan the gardener.”
          “Shut the…Who’s Ryan?” Liam asked with sudden interest.
          “Oh just some hot gardener with a great arse who she’s been fucking in her spare time. She’s got plenty of it now she’s not with you.”
          “I think we should be going now,” Chris announced hurriedly.
          “No I wanna hear more about Ryan. Why hasn’t she told us about him?” Penny asked.
          “Well you don’t usually talk a lot about the people you’re using for their body. From what I hear she’s definitely using his and he’s more than using hers,” Kirsty smiled knowingly.
          “How do you know it’s not serious?” Ross asked raising an eyebrow.
          “She’s not invited him home yet,” Kirsty shrugged.
          “And that defines a serious relationship does it?” Liam frowned.
          “Yeah, I think they just enjoy pleasuring each other til dawn.”
          “Why don’t you just go and get fucked,” Liam spat, getting to his feet.
          “Hey don’t you talk to my girlfriend like that!” Ross hissed. “Just because you’re incapable of having a mature relationship doesn’t mean you can take it out on everyone else!”
          “Aw that’s sweet,” Kirsty cooed. “But I’m not your girlfriend.”
          “Penny!” Chris wailed. “Can we please go now?”
          “Hold on. You turn up on my doorstep and have sex with me but you’re not my girlfriend?”
          “Yes we can,” Penny announced, shot to her feet, collected her bag from under the table and left as quickly as possible.
          “Can I get a lift with you two?” Liam asked and quickly hobbled out after them.
          “Why aren’t you my girlfriend?” Ross asked, rather taken aback as Kirsty got to her feet.
          “Because you’re an arsehole who hurt me and I don’t want to go back down that track again,” Kirsty shrugged, not daring to look at him as she stepped out into the street. “And you’re going to Melbourne for a month so what’s the point?”
          “Oh,” Ross said quietly as they paused outside the cafe. “So, no chance of you coming home with me for a farewell root?”
          “Well I was tempted when you defended my honour.”
          “Just bear in mind that Jools will be at your place in a vile mood,” Ross declared with a sigh.
          “Rob will be at your place trying to cop a perve,” Kirsty retorted, finally looking at him. They stood staring at each other for a few moments before Ross moved forwards and kissed her gently on the forehead.

          Julia paced the living room anxiously until she heard a car pull into the driveway. As soon as the doorbell rang she flung open the door, pulled Ryan inside and wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered breathlessly, “I’m so glad you’re here.”