“So, how’s the app?” asked her dad. She knew he didn’t really know what she and Will did, other than that they were both software developers working on their respective apps, but he knew enough to ask the question.

“It was being a shit today, actually,” she replied. She wiped some grease from the side of her mouth with her thumb knuckle. “I’m going to have to do some work this weekend.”

“Not tomorrow, though, right?” asked Will. “We’re still going biking?”

“Biking is on.” She wouldn’t miss it. It was supposed to be eighty-two degrees tomorrow—perfect weather—and Boulder Canyon Trail was a favourite of hers. Besides, busting out the mountain bikes with her baby brother was just the panacea she needed after the week she’d had.

“Awesome. I can take a look at that code, too, if it’ll help?” Will offered.

“Maybe, but I don’t wanna think about that right now.” She popped the last of the crust into her mouth and washed it down with some beer before reaching for another slice of pizza.

“Anything else new with you, sweetheart?”

“Not really, Dad. I still hate everyone but you two.” Will barked a laugh at her retort and she joined in with a soft chuckle.

“Hey, we could watch a movie,” her dad suggested. He needn’t have said anything. It was what they always did—choose some movie that she and Will had seen, but somehow her dad hadn’t, then she and Will would talk through it, driving her dad crazy. “How about the new Star Wars movie? Rising Skywalker, or something?”

“Do you mean The Rise of Skywalker, the one that came out forever ago?” asked Will. He threw Jules an our-dad-is-so-adorable look.

“I think so, yeah.”

“Sure, Dad, sounds good.” Jules and Will had seen the movie opening weekend—and they’d already watched it again at his place—but it had been too long since the three of them had had a night in like this, too long since Jules had felt surrounded by love and the ease of “just being” that came along with it.

She vowed not to let so much time pass before the next time.

Chapter 3

Chloe

Melbourne

“It couldn’t have held off for five more minutes?” Chloe frowned out the window at the pelting rain as the Uber neared the drop-off point.

“We should have brought umbrellas,” said her bestie, flatmate, and colleague, Ash.

“If we did, it wouldn’t have rained.”

“Exactly. Hashtag Melbourne.”

Chloe shook her head at Ash. She wasn’t sure when Ash had picked up the habit of saying “hashtag” but maybe she was doing it ironically.

The car pulled up next to the rear entrance of their building. “Here you go, misses,” said the driver. Ash and Chloe shared a look across the back seat. “Ready?” asked Ash.

“Nope, but let’s go.” They opened their doors in sync and, heads down, stepped out into the deluge, the door slams barely making a dent in the soundscape of the mid-winter storm. Ash ran around the back of the car and met up with Chloe, who was fumbling with her electronic fob at the door.