Read Ask Me to Stay for Free Online

which way. It was a sight he missed, living in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. The dramatic cliff faces and peaks obscured the horizon in places, unlike here, where there was little the sun could not touch. He’d tried living in the city but the chaos, the noise and the constant press of strangers upon his space had been tiresome. He’d settled in another country town some eight hours from here, and he liked it well enough. Hinterdown was in his blood in a way that Lithgow was not, but he got on fine. He had a good job there, a few friends, and Dave, who had taken him in and become a kind of father figure. There was enough about his new life to like, but Lithgow would never be home the way Hinterdown was.
    Damn this house; Ethan had no affinity for it, nor for the old garage in town. But the people and that big, perfect sky kept pulling him back time and again.
    He resolved to enjoy the country night when this gorgeous blue faded to black.
    Sammy looked about half done when he stepped onto the freshly mown grass. He was moving towards her, hoping to intercept the mower and exchange a few words, when he saw two long legs swinging under one of the high-backed chairs he had been admiring yesterday. Young Rowan, lost in his thoughts or hiding from the world.
    Ethan changed course.
    Rowan looked up when Ethan neared, and Ethan appreciated that the kid seemed to have taken to him in some way. Rowan had been a pre-schooler when Ethan had been here last, and Ethan hadn’t really had to work at it. But everything was different nowadays. His mother dies and Ethan shows up . . . it would have been easy for the kid to distrust the association.
    ‘I remember the last thing you said to me,’ Ethan said, by way of a greeting. ‘You told me your mum was famous.’ He settled into the other chair and gazed out at the magnificent countryside. ‘She’d just opened her shop and everyone had come to see.’
    He looked over at Rowan, who was nodding, remembering. The boy looked a sight. His hair was matted in places, greasy and lank. His skin was dirty and Ethan could smell him even from this distance. The kid was protesting against showers.
    Or afraid of them.
    Ethan sat back and considered this. He was quiet for such a long time that Rowan began to fidget.
    Then Ethan got up, an idea giving him momentum. Without looking back at the boy, he strode towards the creek, talking as if Rowan walked alongside him. Rowan got the hint quick enough and scrambled to match his stride.
    ‘Your dad and I used to fish in this creek. Fish and fight. Wrestle,’ he clarified quickly, noting the boy’s alarm. ‘For fun.’
    He reached the bank and pointed to the sandy riverbed. ‘The water runs clear. It’s not still, see. Still water gets stagnant. You can see right to the bottom. See how there’s nothing in there that can hurt you?’
    Rowan nodded.
    Ethan threw him in.
    Rowan screamed then gurgled as water rushed over him. The water was waist high at most, but he thrashed all the same. Spitting and gasping, he stumbled to his feet. Water tumbled from his chin and elbows and ran down the length of his skinny body. His shirt clung to his skin like wet paper and curls fell over his wild, panicking eyes.
    Ethan waited until Rowan looked up at him, mouth agape. He grinned. Then joined him. With an almighty whoop, Ethan hurtled himself – fully clothed – into the deepest section of the creek. The splash was an impressive one, and Ethan surfaced to the sound of laughter. Rowan clutched his sides, shrieking and rocking, and Ethan doubted he’d heard a more rewarding sound in his twenty-nine years.
    Rowan opened his hands and pushed them over the surface. A small wave crashed into Ethan’s face.
    ‘Oi!’ Ethan cried.
    Rowan gave as good as he got. They wrestled and splashed for about ten minutes before, breathless, chests heaving, they sat in the middle of the moving water and caught their breaths.
    ‘I reckon you won’t smell half bad