Time After Time

Sometime after Ben went back to join his friends on the sea, they started to push each other into the water and they all ended up wet with sands all over their body. Rose laughed as she watched them came to her and ask her to help them taking their luggage out of the van since they were all soaking wet. She was happy to see them happy and she couldn't tell whether she felt like their mother—Si said the correct thing when he said Rose was like “mix of tour manager who will take care of stuff and a mother with five weird annoying son”—or their little diligent caring sister.

If Gustav is twenty eight, maybe they're all in their late twenties, she thought, while she watched them walking to nearest beach shower.

After they cleaned up themselves, they got hungry again so they went for second lunch on a little fish and chips parlour on the same beach. Rose took the farthest seat so Gustav could chat with Fraser while Si and Ben was having fun with a bottle of Heinz tomato ketchup on their table. Rose sat next to John, who didn't seem to have willingness to do anything but eat his fish and chips.

Si was leaning the tomato ketchup bottle down into his chips and mumbling, making weird sound as he shoved the bottle forward, “Uh... I'm sorry... can we try again...?” Then he made vomit sound as the tomato ketchup dripped down from the bottle.¹

Ben was laughing so hard Rose thought he was going to cry.

Rose was giggling as well and that was the time when she found that John was looking at her. She felt an instant uncomfortable guilt. It was like it was supposed to be only five of them, but Rose was there as well, sitting as an outsider, an unwanted stranger.

But John snickered when Rose put up a I'm-sorry smile.

“They're always like this,” he said and Rose smiled at him.

“All the time?” she asked before sipping her ice tea.

John smirked, “All the time.”

After they finished with their second lunch, they went back to the van where everyone went to silent and eventually fell asleep. There was still around an hour journey home and Rose was the only one who stayed awake because she was driving. She was sitting behind the wheel with her sunglasses and earphone on and mumbling, singing the chorus of Bon Jovi's “Have A Nice Day”.

She was driving alone, happily, before she realised someone was moving to sit next to her in the front seat. It was Fraser.

Rose pulled the earphones from her ears and grin to Fraser, “Have you finished with your nap?” She lowered her voice so she didn't disturb Si, Gustav, Ben and John who were sleeping behind Fraser and her.

Fraser yawned, “I slept a little on the plane. I don't feel like sleeping somewhere moving again, so I'll just stay awake until we arrive.”

“We'll be arrived in less than an hour, so... hang on,” she was speeding up a little as she watched for another vehicle on the road. It was quiet, beautiful day. Rose watched the sea next to the road as she drove before she realised that Fraser was still sitting next to her. He was also staring at her, the way that John stared at her before.

Rose chuckled.

“What is it? Is there any ketchup left on my cheek or something?”

Fraser shook his head.

“I just... I don't know. I think we owe you quite a lot on this,” he mumbled.

Rose raised her eyebrows.

They really are the same, outside and inside, she thought. Fraser said the same thing—it's actually almost the same sentence—with Ben after he looked at me the same way his brother looked at me. Maybe they were together for a very long time and I just don't have the ability to imagine the gravity of their history and their relationship.

She giggled, “It's nothing, really. Do you know that I'm having a lot of fun as well? When I was still in university, almost all my best friends are male and I'm being reminded to that... well, happy time in the past. They're everywhere now... States, somewhere in Europe, Melbourne, Perth... we're still good friend, but, you know... then they got busy. I don't progress much because I like it here.”

“And thank God you like it here, because if you were somewhere else, you won't met Gus,” said Fraser.

Rose nodded.

“I think, in the end, everything will falls to its places. But that's just me, Fraser—can I call you Fraser?”

“Yeah. Sure,” he chuckled.

“Is it weird that you are on the same band with your brother?” asked Rose.

“Well, I don't think it feels weird—not anymore. You see, in the end he simply become one of my best friends, just like the other guys...”

Fraser and Rose continued to chat while everyone else was having their nap. Slowly, the sea turned into road full of modern shops on old building, a remain of mining town that once was there, along the East Coast. They finally said goodbye to the sea when Rose turned the van toward the hill area where she lived.

They finally arrived.

Rose parked the van on Gilbert's house and she smirked when she saw Fraser dropped his jaw when he looked at Gilbert's house.

“That is one cool house,” he said.

Rose nodded, “My neighbour, Gilbert, is a cook in a local Italian resturant. He's in New Zealand eating sea urchin now. So... let's put the luggage inside first and then we can wake them up.”

When Fraser and Rose finished dragging one third luggage to Gilbert's house, John, Si, Ben and Gustav finally woke up and Rose chuckled. “How was the nap, Sleepyheads? We're finally here. Just get in and you can continue your nap... I know that you guys must be tired after the flight.”

Everyone was nodded, except Gustav, so they walked inside the house where the guys threw themselves straight way into the beds (Gilbert had three bedrooms and Rose never understood why). After she checked that everything was okay, Rose sighed and then went to sit on sofa on the guest room. Gustav was there, yawning before he smiled when looked at Rose.

“You must be tired,” was the first thing he said.

Rose nodded as she sat next to Gustav.

“I'm completely amused, though.”

Gustav looked at her. He made that please-tell-me-you-want-to-see-the-kangaroo-too look again when he asked her, “Do you like them?”

Rose nodded wholeheartedly, “Very much.”

“That's a relief to hear,” Gustav chuckled and they both sighed.

“So—what's the plan?” she asked after a while.

He shook his head.

“I have no idea. They said they wanted to tell me something, right? Maybe they'll tell me tonight. If you're tired, just go take a nap as well, Rose, you looked a little too pale on this lovely weather.”

Rose chuckled, “Maybe I use too much oxygen when I'm excited.”

Gustav smirked, “You sure are.”

Rose yawned, “Alright, so... everything's pretty much there. There's some snacks and sandwich and fruit and salad on the fridge if anyone want to eat something, I put my mobile number on the fridge's door—and I think I'll take my right to take a nap now.”

He nodded.

“I'll see you this evening, Rose.”

“Later,” she yawned again as she walked out of that house. She picked up her mobile phone and called Gabriella sleepily.

“Gab? You're there? I think I want you to deliver Lestat back to me tonight... yeah, I'll tell you the exact time later. You'd be happy to see some guests we have in here.”