To Gemma, I’m not.
“Sí,” she says, putting on her Spanish accent. “And if Mateo were there I’m sure he could talk some sense into her. But, I’m just saying, try not to take it too personally. She likes you, that’s why you’re there. But she’s freaking out over what to do. If you want her, you have to prove that you’re a risk worth taking.”
“That’s kind of a dickish thing to do when her significant other is right there.”
But of course, that’s kind of what I’ve been doing anyway, whether I’m aware of it or not.
“True,” she says. “Look, I don’t know. Just keep having fun. You’re in fucking New Zealand, you should be frolicking with orcs and shit and doing stuff that gets your blood pumping.” Pause. “What about that Amber chick? Why not go for her instead?”
“She’s hot and sweet and very endearing, in this quietly kooky way,” I tell her. “But she’s not Gemma.”
“Then you’re shit out of luck, broseph,” she says with a sigh. “I’d say you need to protect yourself and your heart and all that bullshit, but you know what? I’ve never witnessed you behaving this way over a girl before. You’re falling hard. Maybe it’s about time you fell.”
“You’re sadistic.”
“I’m just trying to look on the bright side,” she says breezily.
“Yeah, for you.” I don’t want to fucking fall. I don’t want to hit the ground.
“I guess it comes down to whether the fall is worth it. You want Gemma to think you’re a risk worth taking. It has to go both ways. If you want her, you have to be willing to fall for her.”
“Stop being rational,” I tell her.
“Hey, you were the rational one for me and Mateo. If it weren’t for you egging me on and telling me to take a chance, I wouldn’t be living in Madrid with him. I wouldn’t be so fucking happy. I want you to be happy, too. Take the leap, Josh, or you’re going to regret it.”
I swallow hard, feeling uneasy. Man, is my sister striking fear straight into my heart.
After we hang up, I make my way to Mr. Orange, which is purring like a jackhammer. Gemma is driving today, Nick beside her, and I climb into the back, buckling up beside Amber.
“How is your sister?” Gemma asks, eyeing me in the mirror.
I shrug. “Good, as always.”
“Do you miss her?”
“Not when she’s being a pain in the ass,” I say, and then look out the window as we pull onto the highway and start making our way farther south toward Wanaka and Queenstown.
And especially not when she’s right.
Chapter Ten
JOSH
The movies were the last place I thought we’d end up, but when we rolled into Lake Wanaka late that morning, a storm was in the process of doing the same.
We parked Mr. Orange at a campervan park beside the lake. With the dark clouds that seemed to rush together above the lake and the churning gray-blue waves, it was a spectacular sight, the surrounding mountains shrouded and only hinting at their hidden size. Unfortunately the rain that started to pour down on us confined us to Mr. Orange and eventually gave us cabin fever. We were lucky that the weather held out for as long as it did on this trip.
After I examined a tucked-away cupboard and brought out a stack of vintage porn magazines from the late seventies—apparently Gemma’s uncle had left more than just Pink Floyd behind—Gemma remembered there was a really cool movie theater in the lakeside town. They only took reservations and there wasn’t much choice of what to see, but none of us really cared as long as it got us out of what would forever be known as the Shaggin’ Wagon. I mean, Pink Floyd and porn? Gemma’s uncle must’ve been a busy guy.
After a quick phone call to reserve seats for whatever movie was playing in the evening, we busied ourselves with a trip to the nearby Puzzling World, which consisted of a bunch of visual exhibits engineered to make you feel high as fuck. When we were appropriately disoriented, we headed to the cinema early to grab dinner there.
I’ve never seen a cinema quite like this. From the outside it looks like your average mountain chalet, other than the fact that there’s this weird sculpture on the roof. Inside there’s a brightly colored bar and café filled with movie posters. We order salads and burgers and split two bottles of wine between the four of us.
The wine is almost gone when the doors to the cinema open. The waiter tells us we can order more food or drinks and take them inside if we want. Amber asks if I’ll split another bottle with her, and because I’m feeling buzzed I can’t say no.