Be My Companion

Alexis

I thought being back in my hometown, surrounded by family and friends and a familiar setting, would cheer me up from making the hardest decision of my life. But after a week of staying at my parents house while I tried to figure out my next move, I was still as miserable as I was the morning I ran out on Julian while he was fast asleep on our bed. His bed.

My stepfather Randy knocked on my door before walking in with a cup of tea. I didn't bother telling my parents the real reason I was home - that I was blackmailed and had to leave the only man that's ever truly made me happy - but they could both sense that I wasn't in the best state of mind, so they would do little things like bringing me tea to try and cheer me up.

"Dad, you didn't have to," I insisted.

He placed the tea on the same bedside table I had when I was 12 and gently rubbed my shoulder.

"Morning son. English Breakfast, black, with one sugar, just like you like it."

"Thanks Dad." I attempted a smile, but all of my Oscar-award winning efforts had been used on Julian, so I knew it wasn't convincing in the slightest.

I expected Randy to smile and leave like he had done the past few days, but instead he opted to sit at the bottom of my bed. He pretended to scroll through his phone for a bit before he pocketed it and turned his attention to me.

"How are you, Lexi?" he asked me casually.

"I'm good."

"Now, how are you really?"

Randy was the only father I had ever known in my life after my birth father ran out on us before I had even turned one. Mum met Randy when I was five years old and he had always treated me like his own child, and even though my birth father had made it difficult for Randy to legally adopt me as his child, I had always considered Randy as my Dad.

It was because Randy was my father that he knew when I was putting on a fake front for the world, and judging by the fact that he had sat down and didn't look like he was going to move any time soon, I knew he was going to eventually pull it out of me.

"I'm not okay," I whispered.

Randy shuffled closer to me. "What's going on Lexi?"

"There's too much to explain."

"I've got time for you, Lexi."

I felt so many feelings and emotions rush to the forefront of my mind. Even if I wanted to tell Randy everything that had happened in my time with Julian, I didn't know how I was even going to put it into words.

"Did someone hurt you?" Randy asked.

I shook my head, and felt a warm trickle fall down my cheek. "No, but I hurt him."

Randy sighed and draped his arm around my back. Before he could even ask me to elaborate, the flood gates opened and I began telling my father about everything that happened between Julian and I, from the forbidden affair we tried to hide, to the moment we first told each other we loved each other.

"And so this publicist blackmailed you into leaving him? What did she have over you?"

Besides Charlie, no one in my life knew about that traumatic night. And I was going to be sure to keep it that way.

"She had enough dirt on me to make me leave him," I said in a tone that told Randy that I was not going to elaborate on it.

"You really loved this man, didn't you?

I nodded once.

Randy rubbed my shoulder soothingly. I knew physical touch wasn't his highest love language, so it made me appreciate his efforts even more.

"I get that you were backed into a corner, Lexi, but this guy sounds like he was worth it." Randy frowned at me. "I've never seen you like this before, son."

Tears flew out of my eyes, and Randy caught them in his chest as he pulled me in for the tightest hug I had ever exchanged with him.

I thought being back in my hometown, surrounded by family and friends and a familiar setting, would cheer me up from making the hardest decision of my life. But my heart was still breaking, and nothing, not even a cup of tea, was going to mend this pain I was feeling from leaving the best thing to ever happen to me back in California.

---

Julian

Sweat dripped down my brow as I did some bent-over rows in my home gym. I let out a grunt with each rep, using the animalistic sounds to spur me to continue, to push harder, and to make every rep count.

My bare skin was glistening from all of the perspiration my body had produced, and the muscles in my arms and shoulders were bulging as I did my workout.

Grunt. Rep. Grunt. Rep. Grunt. Rep.

My body was feeling the ache of going too hard and too long, but I didn't want to stop. I couldn't stop. Pushing myself during my workouts and my morning and evening runs, was the only thing that could distract me from the pain, the frustration, the sadness and the anger I felt from being abandoned by Alexis.

I didn't care that he didn't want me reaching out to him. I demanded and deserved an explanation as to why the only man I've ever loved left me in the middle of the night and fled to the other side of the world. Every attempt to contact him was futile, and every message I tried to send to him was rebuffed or blocked.

I thought I knew Alexis Mendes, inside and out. I thought I knew the caring, gentle and sweet man I had the pleasure of sleeping next to for the past few weeks. But the man that I loved wasn't capable of such a heartless move, of leaving me at a time where I needed him the most, of tearing my fucking heart and stomping on it before boarding a flight to Australia.

I dropped my weights on the padded floor and let out a cry of frustration.

Not only was I going to come out to the world just to be with him, but I was going to propose to this man, adopt some cute fucking children with him, and meet him at the altar when I officially fucking married him.

It didn't fucking make sense to me. I didn't understand how he could ask me to hold him in bed after I gave him such a sacred part of myself, just for him to get up and leave in the middle of the night. I was adding 2+2 and getting 27.

My phone began ringing and I saw that it was Vanessa but I chose to ignore it. I had received several missed calls and text messages from her asking me to call her back, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her to cancel the plan because Alexis left me.

If what I was feeling was heartbreak, then I swore I was never going to love ever again. I had received several injuries during my life in my endeavour to become a professional football player, and none of these compared to the pain I was feeling now. This ache was tearing at me from the inside, and the temporary strain of pushing myself during my workouts was not enough relief from this hurt.

I looked down at my phone just as I received a notification that Vanessa left me a voicemail.

Nope. Fuck this.

Ignoring all the red bubbles notifying me of all the texts, calls, and emails I hadn't acknowledged, I scrolled through my contacts list and tapped on the screen. I placed my phone to my ear and waited for a response.

"It's about time you got back to me, Jules."

"Stel, what are you doing this week?"

"I have college assignments due soon so I'm working on them. What's up?"

"I'm going to Australia and I want you to come with me. Is your passport valid?"

"Of course it is." Estelle paused momentarily. "Jules, what's going on?"

"I'll explain when I see you. Just know that you're my favourite sister and I appreciate you so much."

"I'm your only sister." Estelle sighed. "Alright, fine. When are we going?"

"Is tomorrow too soon?"

---

Alexis

I walked out of a job interview I had for an executive assistant position feeling very confident that I wouldn't get the job or even a callback. I was sure the brief stint I had in the spotlight as Julian's sober companion wouldn't follow me out of that country, but as soon as I had walked into the office and met with HR, the look of recognition on his face was all too apparent. At first, I wasn't sure what preconceived ideas he had of me, but as the interview went on, I realised that he believed every lie that the media spat about me.

Even though I was content with shutting the door on my journalistic career, there was a big part of me that wasn't ready to give up on being a sober companion, or simply helping those with addictions. But I didn't know if I could re-enter that field without thinking about Julian Ambrose, and any thoughts or reminders of him were too painful for me to deal with right now. So, I was willing to jump into any job for now while I tried to sort my life out after it came crashing down for the second time in a matter of years.

I walked past a sporting memorabilia store and sighed when I saw the colours of the OC Sharks through the window. Ignorantly, I believed American sports didn't have a big impact on a country on the other side of the planet, but now that my eyes had been opened to American football, I realised that it, along with other American sports, had surprisingly wide coverage across Australia.

My steps slowed down until I came to a complete stop. The pull was too strong, and before I realised it, I entered the store and my eyes darted around the room.

The shop assistant greeted me, and I was glad I didn't see that glint of recognition in his eye as I smiled at him. I just wanted to browse his shop as a normal customer, and not the disgraced associate of the Sharks top defensive player.

I walked over to the NFL section and began scanning through the Sharks apparel they had. Considering he was such a popular player, it didn't take me long to find the Ambrose jerseys in different sizes.

"Are you a big Sharks fan?" the sales associate said, appearing next to me suddenly.

"Yeah I guess so."

"I'm more of a Dolphins man myself, but the Sharks had a good last season. Can I help you with sizes or anything?"

I had the medium size in my hand already and was prepared to take it to the counter for purchase. But the memories of when I'd wake up wearing Julian's sweatshirts that were two or three sizes too big for me flooded my head, and the feeling of being so comforted and protected in his clothes filled me with a sense of warmth I hadn't felt since before Vanessa blackmailed me out of the US.

I swapped the medium for an XXL and handed it to the shop assistant for purchase. As I walked out of the shop with a very unnecessary purchase, I made a mental note to not wear this around Randy as the only person who knew about my failed attempt at love with my former client.

My phone began ringing and I instinctively flinched. Every call or text I received in the days after I fled from the USA frightened me; I knew Julian well enough to know that he wasn't going to take this blatant slap in the face lying down. And I was right. I had received a few texts from Julian on a different number asking me to talk to him, and had even received a couple of emails from him requesting the same, but I stuck to my guns and deleted and blocked these attempts.

After reassuring myself that he had finally ceased, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and answered it after seeing my mother's face on the screen.

"Hi Mum, what's up?"

"How was your job interview?" she asked me casually.

While I trusted Randy to keep my bombshell to himself, it also wouldn't have surprised me if he told my mother. That was his wife, after all.

"It was fine, but I don't feel like I'll get a callback."

"Keep your head up, Lexi. You know you're welcome to stay with us as long as you need, and we'll take care of you."

"I know, Mum. I appreciate it."

"Listen, I have a big ask for you. I'm staying back at work tonight and can't pick your brother up from the airport tonight. Could you possibly do me the biggest favour and go collect him for me?"

It's not like I had anything else to do with my time.

"Sure. Is he flying into Tullamarine?"

"Yes. His flight lands at 8:05pm. You're the best ever, Lexi, I can't thank you enough."

"That's okay, Mum. I'll see you when you get home."

With my Julian Ambrose jersey in hand, I sat down in Randy's car and closed the door. Realising it would be pointless to drive home, just to turn around half an hour later and go to the airport, I tapped the airport into my navigation, selected a random cafe nearby, and sped off.

---

Julian

I made a mental note to treat my family more to the luxuries that I could afford after noticing Estelle's reaction to being in first class. I rarely splurged when it came to luxury travel - unless it was to impress a certain sober companion that I was now trying to track down - but after almost forcing Estelle to accompany me across the world, I figured it was the least I could do to thank her.

We began our descent into Australia, and Estelle almost looked annoyed that her time in first class was coming to an end.

"You have the flight home to look forward to, Stel," I said.

"Next time I come to see you in California, I expect you to fly me out first class."

I chuckled. "We'll see."

Estelle looked over at me and a warm smile touched her face. "We'll find him, Jules. This isn't the end of your story, I promise."

I wasn't even concerned if others in first class heard Estelle's comment and put two and two together. I didn't care about being outed or forced out of the closet from prying ears. All I cared about was finding Alexis and asking for the explanation that I deserved.

"You look so jacked in that black shirt, Jules," Estelle said.

I gave her a quick double bicep flex and laughed.

"You're so cringe, oh my god." A soft smile returned to my sister's face. "Have you ever been to Australia before?"

I shook my head. "I've always wanted to though. I'd be more excited if the circumstances were different."

"We can still enjoy ourselves while we're here."

Our plane landed and came to a halt. Estelle looked around excitedly while I felt almost the complete opposite. I wasn't ignorant; I knew that Melbourne was a big city, and trying to find Alexis here would require a miracle, but if I had to turn this city upside down to find him, then I would.

Estelle and I grabbed our bags and I followed my sister into the airport and towards immigration. She looked around the airport in awe, no doubt in shock that a very impulsive decision to support her brother had led her to a different country 36 hours later.

A few people eyed me with recognition as I walked past them and joined the line to get through immigration. Some exchanged discreet whispers with each other, while others were more upfront with their recognition, and a couple even politely asked me for an autograph and a photo, which I was more than happy to oblige.

The immigration officer began their formalities and casually asked why I was in Australia.

"Just here for a quick holiday and to see some friends," I replied coolly.

Shortly after, Estelle walked beside me as we made our way to baggage collection. I stepped onto the long escalator and folded my arms, anxious about what the coming days would present me.

The man in front of me on the escalator wearing a red sweatshirt shuffled around so he was standing side on to me, and something about his facial features struck me as familiar. The dip of his nose, the colours of his eyes; something was warmly familiar about it.

We got to the bottom of the escalator before I had the chance to think more about why this man looked so familiar, and we headed towards the baggage carousel. Estelle wrapped her arm around mine comfortingly as we stood to the side, waiting patiently. I noticed the man in the red sweatshirt was waiting at the carousel next to ours, obviously having come from a different flight. I looked up at the screen and noticed it was a flight from London.

"I've put us up in a nice hotel for the week," I said, turning my attention back to my sister.

"So we have a week to find your true love then?"

I simply nodded my head.

Estelle noticed my mood and rubbed my arm. "Don't worry. We'll find him."

The man in the red sweatshirt glanced up at me and a look of recognition swept across his face. I braced myself for a polite conversation, an autograph and a photo perhaps, but as soon as that look appeared on his face, it disappeared, and he returned to tapping on his phone.

The luggage from our flight started to arrive, and several people eagerly rushed to gather their things before exiting the airport.

"You'd think ours would be first because we're first class," Estelle whispered jokingly.

Curiously, I glanced over towards the man in the red sweatshirt. He had retrieved his suitcases and began walking in my direction on his way out of the airport. With his spare hand, he held his phone next to his ear as he walked past me.

"Hi Lexi," I heard him say.

This man talking to his Lexi made me think about my Lex, and it reminded me why I was here in the first place.

Feeling more determined than ever to find my love, I grabbed mine and Estelle's luggage and wheeled it behind me while Estelle led us towards the taxi rank.

---

Alexis

"Hi Lexi," my brother answered my call.

"Hi Shane. I was going to come in and meet you there but I can't find a bloody park anywhere. Can you come out and meet me in parking lot 1? I'll probably still be trying to find a park by the time you get here."

"No worries, Lexi."

I came to a halt as I waited behind someone who was indicating that they were going to swoop in and take a spot as soon as the other car left. My plan to sit at a nearby cafe to kill time before heading over to pick up Shane now seemed like a stupid idea. Maybe I should've just come here straight away, endured the ridiculous costs of parking at the airport for an hour, and waited for Shane that way.

"What are you wearing so I know when I see you?" I asked him.

"It hasn't been that long since you've seen me, Lexi," he replied with a laugh. "I'm in a bright red hoodie. You can't miss me."

My younger half-brother could only be defined as a free spirit. He worked odd jobs in retail and hospitality here and there, and once he had saved enough money, he would disappear on his travels around the world until his money ran out, and then rinse and repeat. I had often tried to tempt him to visit me in California, but he never ended up accepting my offer.

The car in front of me finally reversed into the space that had become free, so I was able to move around them and continue my slow journey of trying to find a car park.

"I'm about to have a breakdown in this damn parking lot," I said, feeling frustrated.

Shane laughed. "I'm almost there. What level are you on?"

"3, I think."

I kept my brother on the phone to keep me sane as I continued my efforts of stopping and starting around this carpark. Eventually, his bright red hoodie appeared out of an elevator, and I let out a giant sigh of relief as he came towards me with his luggage behind him.

"Hi Lexi!" he greeted me as I popped the boot open for him.

He placed his suitcase in the back and shut it before jogging over to the front passenger side. He sat down next to me and awkwardly placed his arm around me in his attempt at a hug.

"It's good to see you, Lexi," he said. "What brings you back to Melbourne?"

"Needed a change," I replied, opting to keep the conversation light.

I began my slow journey back out of the parking lot while blaring lights and honking horns distracted my senses. Shane told me about his travels across Europe, how much fun he had in Amsterdam, and how he can't wait to get back to Northern Ireland for the scenery.

Finally, after paying a ridiculous fee to exit the parking lot that I didn't even end up parking in, I drove out and turned to go home.

"You meet so many cool people at these hostels. I don't know why you're so against staying at hostels," Shane said.

"I saw the horror movie, and I prefer to have my own bathroom."

Shane laughed as I drove past the waiting terminals where it seemed like more people than usual were waiting around for taxis, Ubers, or their loved ones to pick them up.

"Hey," Shane said suddenly, "does that guy look familiar to you?"

"What guy?"

"That jacked guy in the black t-shirt back there," he said, pointing over his shoulder.

I looked in my rear view mirror to see whom he was referring to, but by the time my eyes had found the person in question, we were too far away to make out any distinguishing features of the man.

"I can't really see him," I replied, turning my attention back to the road.

Shane shrugged his shoulders next to me. "Maybe he's a footy player here. I don't know; he just looked very familiar."

I laughed once. "Considering we both don't care about sport, I guess we'll never know."