Tall, Dark & Distant Read online

  ‘Are you ready for the surprise?’ Nik asked, bouncing down the stairs with his hands behind his back.

  He sat down beside Georgia on the sofa and slowly revealed a pair of large padded headphones with a funny little microphone attached to the front. ‘These are for you.’

  Georgia looked at the headphones, totally confused. Nik had been right; she never would’ve guessed headphones were the surprise. She was really glad she hadn’t mentioned she’d been expecting a car.

  ‘Thank you,’ Georgia said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. ‘I’ve always wanted a set of headphones like this. I was hoping to get them for Christmas, but I guess I can cross them off the list now. This is great. Really. I love them. Thanks. Wow. Headphones.’ She looked at Nik, who was laughing. She’d gone too far.

  ‘You have no idea what they’re for, do you?’

  Georgia shook her head blankly.

  ‘I’ll show you.’ Nik led her towards the back of the house, through an impressively sized laundry.

  ‘Nice tumble dryer,’ Georgia said, stroking the appliance.

  Nik looked at her and frowned.

  She took her hand off the tumble dryer. She had definitely blown it this time. First she hadn’t been able to contribute to a discussion of the Honesty Metaphor, then she had homed in on a scary self-portrait that Nik obviously didn’t like. She didn’t understand the headphones and now she was enthusing about a laundry appliance. How much worse could this get?

  Nik frowned. ‘Why’s the door open?’ he asked, looking at the back door standing ajar. He sounded annoyed, but Georgia was relieved. At least he wasn’t frowning at her unnatural obsession with tumble dryers.

  ‘I don’t know. I didn’t open it,’ she replied meekly, just in case she had done something wrong. ‘Maybe your sister?’

  Sisters did things like that. One time Alice had even let in a snake, although she insisted the snake had come in through the bathroom window and not the back door, which officially made it her mum’s fault for opening the window.

  ‘My sister didn’t leave it open,’ Nik replied, blowing her theory out of the water.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  Nik nodded. ‘She’s in Singapore.’

  ‘That was a quick visit,’ Georgia said, a little suspiciously. ‘I thought she’d just arrived.’

  Nik shrugged. ‘She wanted to go shopping.’

  ‘She went to Singapore to go shopping?’ Georgia asked.

  ‘Sure.’ Nik shrugged like this was the most natural thing in the world.

  ‘Australia’s not exactly a retail desert,’ said Georgia, shaking her head. ‘Did she even go for a swim before she left?’

  ‘No. That’s Kat,’ Nik said. ‘She’s not really too nice. That’s why I didn’t introduce you.’

  ‘Oh,’ Georgia said. ‘Okay.’

  ‘I can’t believe I left this open,’ Nik said, returning his attention to the back door.

  ‘Do you want to check if anything is missing?’ Georgia asked. She’d seen a home cinema on her way to the laundry, and there was valuable-looking artwork on every wall and antiques at every step. If burglars had been in, they must’ve been extremely fussy.

  ‘Nothing’s missing,’ he said, without checking. ‘I must’ve left it open this morning.’

  Eventually Nik gave a deep long sigh, then the frown slipped from his forehead. He gave Georgia a little kiss on the cheek.

  ‘After you.’

  She took a few steps outside and suddenly the headphones made sense. A hundred metres down the hill was a landing pad. A landing pad with a helicopter sitting in the middle.

  ‘My turn to take you sightseeing,’ Nik said.

  ‘In a helicopter?’ Georgia asked, still not sure if she had it right.

  ‘You have your own helicopter? And a pilot, what, on standby?’

  ‘You’re looking at the pilot,’ Nik announced. ‘I’m flying the helicopter. And you’re the passenger.’

  Georgia’s dumbfounded expression was plastered all over her face. Nik was a pilot? He was taking her for a ride in a helicopter? She had taken Nik to a modest waterfall in the middle of the bush. He was about to take her for an aerial joyride. It pretty much summed up the relationship.

  ‘Awesome,’ was all Georgia could say.

  Nik helped her into the helicopter and went through an elaborate safety briefing. Georgia quizzed him on every detail. In the event of a crash on land she had fire to worry about. If they went down in the ocean she had to worry about drowning. She was wearing a life jacket, which gave her a small amount of protection, but Georgia was well aware that the chances of survival were pretty slim whether she followed the instructions or not.

  At least she wouldn’t have to worry about neurosurgeons picking splinters out of her brain. Georgia pretended that somehow compensated for the fact that she was about to go flying with a twenty-year-old. At least she wasn’t breaking any family rules – her dad had never banned her from helicopters.

  ‘All good?’ Nik asked as the rotor blades whirred noisily overhead. They sat side by side in the cockpit, communicating via headsets.

  Georgia gave Nik the thumbs up. He took one control lever in his left hand and another in his right, and placed his feet on the pedals on the floor. Casually using every limb in a sequence that seemed ridiculously complex to her, Nik lifted the helicopter off the ground. The tail took off first and then the bubble-shaped body followed, forcing her forward in the seat and giving her a bird’s-eye view of the treetops.

  Through the front window she watched the bushland disappear and the sea come into view. The beach was a great long cream ribbon, bordered by a turquoise sea that grew into an expanse of deep blue ocean.

  They flew north along the coastline, across the narrow stretch of water to Fraser Island. The blue teardrop lakes on the island stood out from the green bushland. Nik skimmed over the coastline to inspect a school of hammerhead sharks. There were other sharks too, menacingly patrolling the beach, their dark shapes apparent in the shallow water. Nik swore he’d invest in a shark repellent.

  Almost an hour later, as the light began to fade, the aerial sightseeing expedition came to an end. Nik landed the helicopter in his backyard and helped Georgia from the cockpit, kissing her passionately as he did.

  ‘I better get you back,’ Nik said, taking Georgia’s hand and leading her to the garage.

  ‘I guess,’ Georgia sighed. She clung to Nik, her legs a little wobbly from the flight and her mind still dazed from an unbelievable afternoon.

  By the time Nik dropped her home, Georgia’s head was still somewhere between Fraser Island and a secret cavern behind a waterfall. She looked at Nik as the engine idled, waiting to see where things would go next.

  ‘So, I’ll see you … soon,’ he said, shuffling in the driver’s seat.

  Georgia choked. There it was again – Nik’s unreliable streak. Georgia felt like he could have driven over her heart and it would have been kinder. She couldn’t believe after everything they’d done that day that Nik was trying to push her away again. She didn’t understand, and this time she decided she didn’t want to be understanding. She wasn’t going to face another week of torture waiting for Nik to swan back into her life. They’d just had sex in the seat she was sitting in, for goodness sake! Surely that qualified her for a regular place in his calendar. And a little more honesty.

  ‘When?’ she asked steadily.

  ‘Georgia …’ he began.

  ‘Look, it’s very easy, Nik,’ she interrupted in a patronising tone. ‘All you have to say is, Georgia, I’ll see you tomorrow. Have you never had a girlfriend?’

  Nik looked away. Georgia cursed herself for saying something so stupid. Of course he’d had a girlfriend – he was super hot and super rich. He’d probably had hundreds of girlfriends. And here she was, with nothing to offer but a reasonable pair of running legs, an embarrassingly honest face and a strange obsession with medical-emergency scenarios. She already regretted
going all the way with him. Why hadn’t she just left it at a kiss behind the waterfall? What had she been thinking – getting her gear off in the Ferrari? She’d been under the impression that it meant something. It had – to her. But apparently it hadn’t meant anything to him.

  Nik ran his fingers through his hair, stalling. ‘I’ve liked you since the first time I saw you,’ he said.

  Georgia looked carefully at Nik, trying to work out what he was getting at.

  He shook his head slowly. ‘Georgia, you have no idea who I am. You don’t know anything about me.’

  She huffed. ‘Of course I don’t. You won’t let me get to know you.’ Now she was getting annoyed.

  Nik looked out the window and opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

  ‘How bad can it be?’ Georgia asked impatiently.

  Nik drew a deep breath and looked her straight in the eyes. ‘My name is Nikolai Morozov. My father is one of the richest men in Russia. He started with oil and gas interests in Siberia. We have businesses all over the world now – football teams, hotels, yachts, houses, apartments and I think we own a couple of third-world dictators.’ Nik smiled, but she wasn’t sure he was joking.

  It was Georgia’s turn to go mute.

  ‘I came to Australia to get away from … everything in Europe,’ Nik continued. ‘Or, well, my father actually ordered me to get out of London or get out of the family. Things were getting … kind of out of control. I made up a new name as part of my fresh start.’

  Georgia still couldn’t speak.

  ‘I’m sorry, Georgia. I’ve been trying to tell you for days. Once I started lying, it was easier to just keep going.’

  ‘But … I don’t understand.’ Georgia’s voice wavered; she was only just holding everything together. ‘I fell for a guy named Nik Ledbury. Are you telling me he doesn’t exist?’

  Nik looked at his hands.

  ‘What the hell is going on, Nik?’ Georgia asked. ‘What are you running away from? Am I just someone to massage your ego while you’re escaping from your problems? I’m just a bit part in your life, aren’t I?’

  Nik shook his head.

  Georgia pulled her mobile out of her bag and waved it at him. ‘I am! You won’t even give me your number. Now I know why – so you can just disappear whenever you want!’

  Nik reached for her phone and quickly added his number to her contacts. ‘I’m not trying to push you away,’ he said gently.

  ‘It’s too late,’ she said, snatching back her phone.

  Nik reached for Georgia’s hand, but she pulled it away and grabbed the doorhandle. She needed to get out of the car – away from his damned green eyes. Away from this car.

  ‘Wait,’ he said.

  ‘For what? More lies?’

  ‘Georgia, I really didn’t want to get involved with anyone here. I’ve just got out of a really toxic relationship,’ Nik pleaded. ‘I didn’t count on meeting someone … like you. I didn’t know things would work out like this.’

  Georgia glared at him. ‘How do you figure they’re working out, Nik?’

  ‘I thought we were having fun,’ he said, almost apologetically.

  ‘I’m not. Not at all.’

  Nik looked at the dashboard, apparently unsure where to go from there.

  ‘Is there anything else you need to surprise me with before I go?’ Georgia snapped. ‘Your father’s about to mine the Antarctic? You sponsor an army of child soldiers in the Horn of Africa?’

  Nik looked shocked. ‘You heard that rumour? I swear, it’s not true.’

  ‘Argh!’ Georgia screamed, grabbing her bag, getting out of the car and slamming the door behind her.

  ‘Georgia,’ Nik called urgently. ‘Please! Let me explain.’

  Georgia turned away. She didn’t want to know any more. ‘I was wrong. I’m not going to respect you in the morning. Get out of my life, Nik. Just leave me alone!’ she shouted.

  She didn’t look back as she ran to the apartment, crying all the way.

  Georgia woke at six the next morning. The sun was streaming into her room, promising a beautiful day, but she could barely see it – her eyes were so puffy from crying. She was facing the worst day of her life. Not because Nik had deceived her, but because she had overreacted when he’d told the truth.

  She was the one who had asked him to be honest. Then when he was, she threw it back in his face. What did she know about being the son of a Russian tycoon, anyway? Who knew what kind of toxic relationship might drive someone to Australia? She didn’t know anything. Besides, Nik hadn’t chosen his family; he wasn’t responsible for his father’s business decisions. And maybe he had made some unfortunate mistakes of his own – but who hadn’t?

  Georgia certainly had. She’d made some stupid mistakes in exams, she’d taken wrong turns on cross-country courses. She’d let down friends. She’d even failed her sister once or twice – refusing to help her with assignments, just to be spiteful. It didn’t happen often, but it had happened and it had always been a big mistake. Yes, she’d made plenty of screw-ups herself. Her biggest was walking away from Nik before he had a chance to explain things.

  Is it really a crime to use a different name? Georgia thought. She had spent long enough with him to know he was a clever, generous, thoughtful person – a bit unreliable at times, but she knew a lot of guys were. He was also a hell of a kisser. Surely she could have been a little more forgiving when he was … flexible with the truth? She should have at least heard him out.

  Georgia knew that, in spite of everything, she was still in love with Nik. And she could see that he needed her – to rescue him from his past and save him from whatever emotional turmoil he was lost in. They needed each other.

  Georgia pulled out her phone to send Nik a text. She outlined her feelings in a long message, saying what a good person Nik was, despite his family’s dubious connections and his dodgy past. She emphasised that she was the best person to show him the way out of his emotional maelstrom (desperate times called for big words). Then she added another line about how opposites attract and how destiny and a frangipani hair-tie had brought them together. She re-read the message, and then deleted the opposites-attract part and the hair-tie bit. Then out went the bit about what a good person Nik was, and the emotional maelstrom, and that didn’t leave anything but the salutation. She tried again, deleted it again and started over.

  Finally Georgia settled on a message.

  Hi Nik. Let’s talk. Gxx.

  She pressed send, and then stared at her phone and waited. And then waited some more. Georgia filled in the minutes as she waited for Nik to respond by replaying their previous day together in her mind. Why had she ruined everything by storming off? Georgia looked at her phone again. Still no response from Nik, so she sent a follow-up message.

  Call me.

  Then she decided that was too pushy. That was bound to drive him away. So she sent another message.

  If you want to.

  That sounded too pathetic, so she sent another one.

  I’d like you to.

  Perhaps she needed to add a bit of urgency or she’d be waiting all day for a reply. She sent another message.

  Now’s a good time.

  Then

  Please.

  And

  Love G.

  When he still hadn’t responded, she started to get annoyed and sent him random salutations in different languages – Bonjour!, Hola!, Jo san!, Ciao!, Sabaidee! Before Georgia knew it, she had sent him sixteen texts in a row, and even she knew that was crazy-lady territory. She looked at her watch. It was only 6.09 a.m. and she was already a text pest. She felt her heart sink and her chance with Nik slip away.

  But there was some hope – with any luck, Nik would still be asleep. She could run to his house, get in somehow, find his phone and delete the messages. After that, she would kiss him gently on the cheek. He would slowly open his eyes and smile at her. What are you doing here? he might say. You told me last night to leave you alone.
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  Georgia would just smile right back at him. You must have been dreaming. I wouldn’t say that.

  Then he’d pull her towards him and they’d make love all day.

  The plan seemed doable. She just had to get to Nik’s house. She was thinking twice about the running idea – it was a long way and all uphill. Maybe she could ride her dad’s bike. Georgia pulled on her running gear and looked for her shoes, which had found their way to Alice’s side of the bedroom, so it took a while to locate them under the mountains of clothes.

  That’s when she noticed the Siamese fighting fish in a tank on the dressing table. She had bought it as a Christmas present for her dad, but now she thought it would make a nice peace gift for Nik.

  Georgia found a plastic bag and poured the fish and water out of the tank, then tied the bag to the handlebars of her dad’s bike.

  It was a hard, long slog up to Nik’s place, and as the road got steeper and the sun stronger, the gap between Georgia’s carefully crafted vision of events and what was actually happening widened. She’d planned to arrive looking sort of dreamy – all soft-focus with her hair tumbling loosely down her back. In fact, she’d arrive with an acute case of helmet hair. She was also going to be dressed from head to toe in sweaty Lycra. Her top was already drenched and she hadn’t even hit Nik’s steep driveway. And then there was the fish. Georgia suspected she might have overestimated the survival capacity of a fish swinging from a bike’s handlebars for half an hour.

  By the time she actually made it to Nik’s house, she was feeling like a dirty, smelly dishrag. She untied the plastic bag from the handlebars and dropped the bike on the driveway. She tossed her helmet and tried to run her fingers through her sticky, matted mess of hair.

  Georgia peeked at the fish, which, sure enough, had succumbed to death on the ride. She couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid, but there was nothing to be done. She emptied it into a nearby fountain then splashed a bit of fountain water over her face and under her arms to freshen up. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than nothing. Then she turned her attention to the house.