‘I was home one night watching movies with Mom. We were talking, laughing, then all of a sudden, she went quiet. I looked at her; she was staring straight ahead, not blinking. The coroner said she died of an aneurysm. She was there and then she was gone.’ She shuddered at the memory, and Wren pulled his arms tighter around her.

‘Babe, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that happened to you or I wouldn’t have asked.’

‘No, it’s OK. It feels good to talk about it.’ Olivia spoke about her mom for a while longer, what she was like, how she loved to do crosswords, what books her mom used to read to her and how much she loved her dad. ‘I miss her so much.’ She felt the tears well up but pushed them down; it was way too early to be crying in front of her new boyfriend. She was glad that they’d shared parts of themselves with each other: it made them stronger.

Olivia snuggled back into Wren, wanting to feel the closeness of him. She was grateful that he hadn’t pressured her for sex the way Johnathon had. Wren was truly a good guy. He started stroking her hair.

They had been together just over six weeks when Wren first said, ‘I love you’. They were back down at Wren’s favorite spot at the river. Olivia had driven them as Wren didn’t have a car yet. She didn’t mind though, she liked looking over and seeing Wren in the passenger’s seat. It was like he belonged there. They swam with and against the current. Olivia was delighted when she discovered the warm spots that wrapped around her. The river was a bit cool, but it was a perfect relief to the hot day. They came out of the water, Wren like some kind of god, water dripping from his toned body. He shook his head, droplets flying from his hair and skin in all directions. They lay on their towels, holding hands. He rolled over and looked deep into her eyes. ‘Olivia, I love you.’ He said it so quietly that the breeze almost stole his words.

She gently cupped his face. ‘I love you too.’ It was a magical moment. She began to laugh.

‘What are you laughing about?’ he asked, putting his hand on her hip.

‘It’s just… this feels like it’s straight out of a movie. It’s so romantic.’

‘I guess you’re right. It’s perfect. We’re perfect.’

17

The party was in full swing by the time the three best friends arrived. Wren, Justin and Wade had driven in Justin’s V8 car, painted midnight black. Justin was the unofficial leader of the trio, ordering the other two around sometimes, especially when it came to girls. Justin had the first pick of any girl and he usually got them too. There was no real competition: Justin always won.