The teak hanging-egg chair positioned in the corner of her balcony had quickly become Aurelia's favourite part of the apartment. Curling into the thick, olive green cushion, a book in one had and a mug of tea in the other, she let her bare leg hang lazily in the air, chasing as much tan as somebody with Fitzpatrick Type I skin possible could.
That was genuinely how InStyle Australia had described her. Fitzpatrick Type I. In an article titled "Celebrities most likely to get skin cancer whilst living in Australia."
Nice.
She wasn't needed at the studio until later that afternoon, so she had endeavoured to use her rare morning off well - by doing absolutely nothing. She'd enjoyed a slow hour of yoga, her muscles humming pleasantly as her body loosened from the mayhem of the last couple of days, and now she was half reading In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, and half trying not to doze.
I could get used to this.
The past forty-eight hours had been a whirlwind, to say the least. Several photos and shaky videos of her and Teo had exploded across Australian socials, followed by the rest of the world shortly after. His wild leap over the barrier, the kiss- which looked so much worse on a grainy video – even the near-scandal against the barrier before Priya and Reuben interceded; all of it had been captured and shared for the world to see. She'd managed to dodge the paparazzi, although they weren't quite as in-your-face in Australia as they were in the UK, but in the age of technology there was no escape from social media. Some of the comments had been brutal;
"Nothing like a viral moment to boost publicity for her new show."
"Famous girls don't date history nerds for long. She's using him."
"Was this consensual?"
"Never thought the Queen of the Nerds was the sort of girl to fly to the other side of the world for a man she met on a TV show."
"She always looks intense-red-flag energy. Talented but messy, like it's all a lie."
She never usually paid much attention to comments, but the last one had caused fear to rise up into her stomach, and she'd almost been sick. Eventually, in the wake of the chaos, she and Teo had agreed to lay low for a couple of days, waiting for the fever of public interest to subside before they met again.
Her phone buzzed on the little garden table beside her, a message from Lucy, who had been furious to find out about the kiss from Twitter, rather than Aurelia herself. Furious for about two minutes, at least, until Aurelia had placated her with all but the most intimate of details.
Did you see Teo's new video yet?
If not, watch it now!
It's already trending
Protective king!
She clicked on the link Lucy had provided, taking her directly to Teo's YouTube channel; TeoTalksAboutDeadPeople, and stiffened immediately, colour rushing to her face. The latest video was titled "The Most Public Kisses in History."
Her stomach dropped with the familiar, sick feeling she had experienced when Alyssia had betrayed their friendship. Instinctively, she swiped her fingers across the phone to message him, to ask him what the hell he was playing at, but then the final line of Lucy's message made her pause and backtrack to the video.
"No one sets out to create a historical moment," He wasn't dressed in a ridiculous costume this time, although his shirt was printed with the image of Rene Magritte's "The Lovers", "They just do something human… and someone takes a photograph."
An image appeared behind him on the screen, the V-J Day kiss between the sailor and the nurse in Time Square. He didn't romanticise it,
"For decades, this was framed as spontaneous joy. The sailor grabs the nurse; victory, relief, romance." He paused for a beat, "The nurse later said she didn't see him coming, and that it wasn't her choice to be kissed."
Aurelia found herself holding her breath. Where was he going with this?
Teo continued. He didn't look accusatory, and he didn't seem flippant when he spoke. If anything, he seemed… careful. The image changed again, this time to a trio of royal wedding kisses on the balcony of Buckingham Palace,
"There are all rehearsed," He said, "Timed. Staged. They're designed to reassure the public that everything is stable," He raised one eyebrow starkly, "They are not about love. They're about perception. About optics."
The tone shifted, and he leant forwards in his chair, expression thoughtful, intense,
"Here's the problem. When a private moment becomes public, the narrative outruns the truth. The public doesn't see the before, or the after. They see a frame. A second. A gesture."
Heat began to climb Aurelia's neck. He was good at capturing his audience.
A montage was playing on the video now – political kisses, celebratory embraces, moments that became legendary at the click of a camera. Teo talked about each one, explaining the context, things the audience might not have known. Some were wholesome, but they gradually grew darker, more frightening as the montage went on to the point where it was almost uncomfortable to look.
"We assign meaning to images because we need stories," Teo said, "We fill in gaps with our own projection."
The word landed hard. Projection. He didn't smirk; there was no meaningful glance sideways, nothing to suggest subtext, but it was there, nonetheless.
"Strangers decide what it means. What it signifies; whether it was fate, or impulse, or recklessness. That doesn't mean the moment wasn't real, it just means it becomes… shared."
The montage faded behind him, until it was just him on the screen, sitting at his desk, speaking contemplatively into the middle distance,
"History remembers the image. It rarely remembers the moment of complexity behind it," He paused, and his eyes suddenly snapped upwards, so that it was like he was staring straight at the person watching the video, "And that's where the truth usually lives."
The video ended. Aurelia shifted in the chair slightly, her tea forgotten in her lap as she scrolled to read the comments.
Unfortunately, they seemed to have missed the point.
historygirle92 – THIS is what happens when two people are meant to find each other
romcomdefender – You cannot convince me this wasn't fate. She literally crossed the world for him
coffeeandchaos – The way he looks at her? That man has been in LOVE for years
softboyarchives – He waited. She came back. Cinema is alive again 3
itsjustchemistry – You can tell they already know everything about each other
She let the phone fall against her chest, the glow of the screen fading as it locked itself. Wherever she went, whatever she did, thousands of strangers always decided that he understood her, and now they were doing it to both of them. They stitched meaning into a moment they'd witnessed through shaky phone footage and twelve-second clips. Fate, romance, destiny – their certainty would have made her smile if it didn't make her terrified.
Near the very beginning of her fame, she'd learned quickly that people built versions of her in their heads and loved those versions fiercely, confidently, without ever meeting the person underneath. This time, it felt stranger, and it wasn't because they were now doing the same to Teo as well.
It was because they were doing it to each other.
Their three days in London had been late-night conversations and charged glances and a goodbye that felt like something out of a film; Sydney had been a kiss born from shock and longing and unfinished history. Real moments, yes, but still fragments. Neither of them knew who the other was on an ordinary Tuesday morning, or when they were tired, or irritated or afraid. The internet was writing a love story neither of them had actually lived yet, and for the first time since their reunion, Aurelia wondered if she and Teo were guilty of believing it too.
xxx
A few miles away, in the middle of a field in Erskineville, Teo missed an easy pass for the third time in ten minutes, the ball skidding uselessly across the grass. Leo threw both hands into the air in theatrical despair,
"Mate, are you auditioning for Swan Lake, or just allergic to the ball today?"
"We've lost him," Frankie announced solemnly, jogging past to retrieve the offending item, making sure to deliver a quick slap on the back of Teo's head as he passed, "He's gone. Hollywood claimed another one."
Teo swore under his breath and darted back into position, determined to focus. A few seconds later, he mistimed a tackle and nearly collided with one of his own teammates instead. The whistle blew, ending the torture, and the laughter came directly afterwards.
Every pause in play had become another interrogation – how many times had he texted Aurelia, did he have a British accent yet, did he plan on ditching rugby league entirely in for red carpets and emotional interviews?
"Hey, guys!" Leo leap-frogged one of the other players in a crude re-enactment of Teo's vault over the barrier, "Guess who this is!" He grabbed Frankie's face in both hands and mimed something that could only be described as revolting, causing raucous laughter as Frankie fought to get out of his grasp.
Freddo, the prop, was digging his phone out of his pocket,
"You're up another million views, mate!"
Teo put his head in his hands. It had been relentless since that fucking video went viral. Frankie slung his arm around his neck and rubbed his knuckles into the top of his head,
"Leave him alone, guys. Didn't you know his Mum already gave him a lecture about this?"
It was true. Sidonie Marinos had been furious with him when she found out.
"Explain to me why I am learning about my son's romantic life from a gossip column!" She'd screamed at him down the phone before he could say a word, "I raised you with dignity. With culture. With respect. I did NOT raise you to climb fences to perform… acts with women! You're a grown man, not a character in a teenage film!"
"You're all cunts." He said bluntly, and without another word he stalked to his position again, jaw tight, telling himself to concentrate on the next play, on the rhythm of running, passing and breathing.
His thoughts refused to co-operate. The last few days kept replaying in flashes; the shock of seeing her, which still gave him palpitations, the weight of her in his arms, the way everything had felt inevitable and completely unreal at the same time -
The ball smacked him square in the face, sending him sprawling backwards. He wasn't entirely sure it hadn't been on purpose.
"Are you cracking on with her in your head?" Leo's face appeared above him, closely followed by Frankie and the rest of the team.
Teo groaned, staring up at the bright Sydney sky, half-dazed, half embarrassed at being caught out yet again. He hadn't been fully present since the moment in the botanic gardens. Beneath the embarrassment and the relentless teasing, there was a quieter truth that he didn't dare say out loud; that he wasn't distracted by the attention, the headlines, or even the kiss itself. He was distracted because, for the first time since London, something felt possible again, and he had absolutely no idea what to do with it.
Not long after, training had begun to wind down, the team dissolving into post-game banter, passing water bottles around and throwing sweaty jerseys into the baskets provided. Whilst Leo and Frankie talked to the rest of the team, Teo rummaged in his bag for a towel. The sound of his phone vibrating made him grab it slightly too quickly.
It was a message. From her.
Are you free later? It would be good to talk.
Somewhere neutral, and no dramatic entrances this time
For a moment, he just stared at it, his heart kicking harder than anything he'd been able to manage in ninety minutes of rugby training. Like flies drawn to a bad smell, Leo and Frankie were peering over his shoulder in a flash.
"What did she send you?"
"Do you smile like that when we message you?"
"Mate, you're way too embarrassing to hang out with us."
He swatted them both away, trying and failing to hide the message he typed back;
I'd like that
No dramatic entrance, I promise. I think.