Drew Morgan put the finishing coat of paint on the lounge room wall and stepped back to admire his work. He grinned as he said, "Yeah, you got this."

The gum-leaf grey green coloured paint was perfect. He tossed the wet roller onto the tray, put his hands on his hips and beamed at the tongue and groove walls. Drew loved what he was doing. Michael Jarvis paid for the materials and Drew did the work. He'd replaced the skirting boards that'd been damaged in one of Jarod Bridgestone's many psychotic moments and had the broken glass in the windows repaired.

Trin was coming over to have a look at his progress. Drew didn't think the paint would be dry enough to set out the second-hand furniture he'd bought from Facebook Market Place, before she arrived. He'd got some good deals; an L-shaped charcoal grey lounge suite, a polished timber slab coffee table with the bark still in place, a low TV table, for his old television, and a rectangle jute rug, all for six hundred dollars from the same seller who was relocating.

The room just needed a set of curtains and maybe a floor standing lamp to finish it. Drew couldn't wait to see the completed result. He cleaned up his paint brush and roller, and then got onto sweeping and mopping the polished timber floor, another of his projects, which had taken three weekends to have it looking like no idiot had ever ripped up some of the boards. He finished up and headed for a shower.

*****

As Drew turned off the taps and stepped out onto the bath mat, a knock sounded on the door. He cocked his head to listen. Maybe it wasn't a knock but the doorknob tapping the wall in the breeze because he hadn't hooked it back.

"Hello..."

Shit. She was early. He'd left his clothes in the bedroom so he wrapped his towel around his hips, opened the bathroom door and peered down the hall toward the entrance.

"Hey. It's me." Trin beamed as she struggled through the front doorway with a huge pot plant in her arms. "I've bought you a house warming gift. It's a plant."

"I can see that." Drew laughed, tucked the ends of his towel tighter around his hips and took the plant from her. "I was in the shower."

"I can see that," Trin said with a twinkle in her eyes. "I'm early. Sorry. I expected to take longer choosing a plant but I loved the first one I saw and thought it'd be perfect."

Drew craned head around the leaves and grinned as he said, "For where?"

"In your house." Trin flapped her hand from one door to another. "It's a house plant, dummy. They go in your house." She strode past him into the lounge room, and then pointed. "There. It'll look great beside the window and get plenty of sunlight. All you have to do is remember to water it." She looked over her shoulder to see Drew slightly bent at the knees trying to get the plant through the access without snapping off the top of the foliage. It made her realise how tall he'd gotten because she hadn't had a problem with the height of the plant as she came through the front door.

Sweeping her eyes over him, she liked what she saw. Taut muscles straining to carry the pot, water trickling from his wet hair over his strained face and down to what she could see of his tanned chest to disappear behind the pot and into the towel he was wrapped in. She grinned and thought her timing couldn't have been better.

"I'm glad you think this is funny," Drew said catching the look on her face. He put the plant to one side of the window. He could move it later if it got in the way of the furniture when he set it out. "There." He straightened up, put his hands on his hips and turned to face her. "Thanks. You didn't have to buy anything."

"I know but, I wanted to. Guys never think to put plants in their houses. It's a girl thing and look how homey the place looks already with it there." Trin laughed as she gave the furniture stacked in the middle of the room a quizzical look, adding, "Your furniture lay out is interesting but I can't see it working out for you that way." She dumped her bag at her feet and mimicked Drew's stance by putting her hands on her hips. "You need some female help, buster. How about you go get some clothes on so a girl can concentrate, and then we'll set this room up with the help of my designer eye."

"Shit!" Drew roared with laughter. He'd always liked Trin's sarcasm but now he thought he loved it. "I've just finished painting the walls, girly. They won't be dry enough. That's why it's like it is and I have no clothes on because you turned up early."

"Lucky me." Trin tweaked her eyebrows and lifted the corner of her mouth.

They stood, hands on hips, smirking at each other across the room. Drew dragged in a breath and dropped his head saying, "Okay. You win. I'll go get dressed, and then we'll go and grab some takeaway because I'm starving. When we've eaten we'll put the furniture in its place using your expert eye but, not pushing it up against my skillfully painted walls."

"Sounds like a plan," Trin said with a grin.

*****

Sitting crossed legged with a slice of pizza in her hand Trin waved it around saying, "It looks great. I love the colour you chose."

"Thanks." Drew, laying on his side and resting on his elbow, took a bite of garlic bread and looked over at her. "I've fixed up the bathroom, the floor in this room and painted the walls here." He added, "I think I'll paint the bedroom I'm sleeping in next. It's not as rough as the other two."

"Which one are you using?" Trin asked just before taking a mouthful of food.

"Beside the front door. It looks out onto the street." Drew pointed in the direction with a slice of Meat Lovers. "I think it was the room Becky and Linc shared."

"They shared a room!" Trin's jaw dropped. "I didn't know that." She looked over at Drew with a frown on her face. "To be honest I never came here in all the years Becky and I were at school together. She always made me meet her at the park. What about you? Did you ever come here?"

"Nope." Drew shook his head and reached for another slice of pizza. He wondered how much of Becky's life Trin knew about and hoped she wouldn't ask him because that would lead him into having to disclose some of his own story. Something he wasn't too keen to go into great detail about just yet. He looked up at her and smiled. "Becky was always very private and I guess I can understand having a father like she had." He looked over his shoulder at the now door-less kitchen cupboards. "Apparently he ripped all the panels off in one of his moments."

"It must have been so scary for them." Trin took in a large lungful of air. "I'm so grateful to have wonderful parents because so many kids don't."

"Yeah," Drew murmured, and then smiled at her. He could see she was embarrassed by what she'd unthinkingly said because she knew he was one of those kids. He changed the subject. "So, I'm going to do the bedroom I'm using first, and then the hall before I tackle the other two bedrooms." He nudged his head toward the kitchen and with a chuckle said, "That needs a complete overhaul. I'm not sure Michael will have enough money for what I'm planning."

"What are you planning?" Trin gave him a grin, grateful he'd changed the subject. One day she'd get his story out of him and no matter what, she knew she'd be there for him if he wanted her to be. It amazed her how fate worked in mysterious ways. She'd always thought him cute but not her type and now here she was hoping that by the end of the night they'd have kissed.

"Well." Drew sat up, crossed his legs and using his hands to explain said, "I think an L shape with a rectangle island bench so it's almost a U shape but with two openings. I'd put..." He went on to tell her what his ideas for the kitchen would be.

Trin couldn't believe the animated expressions on his face as he told her of his plans. His voice was filled with passion as he spoke about a wallpapered splash back that he'd seen in one of the houses he'd been working on.

"It's then covered with a clear sheet of glass and sealed," he said looking from the kitchen to her. "When the colours or pattern go out of fashion you remove the glass and repaper it with a more modern version. If you keep the doors and bench tops neutral it'd never become old fashioned and by changing the colour of the wall paper you change the accessories and it'd give the room a whole new look with minimal cost."

"Wow," Trin said shaking her head. "You've really given this some thought." He shrugged, hung his head and reached for more pizza. Trin felt she'd embarrassed him so she added, "You really have a great eye for this, Drew. I think you've picked the perfect trade and I can see you'll take it further by offering people interior design advice too."

"Thanks," he said with a grin. "I can see it in my head, you know, like looking at a picture in a magazine." Drew tweaked his lips and said, "I draw what my brain concocts so I don't forget it."

"Will you show me?" Trin gushed with eyes wide.

"Maybe." Drew reached over and poked her in the ribs. "First you gotta help me set out this lounge so you can make sure that bloody plant is where you want it."

Trin squealed and jerked sideways. "If you don't want it I'll take it back."

"I want it," Drew said as he got on his hands and knees and crawled toward her. She scurried backwards; he laughed and said, "Why are you backing up? I hope you don't expect me to clean up this mess by myself."

"You're going to tickle me. That's why I'm backing up," she said with a grin.

"No I'm not." Drew grabbed her by the ankle and dragged her toward him.

"What are you doing?" Trin giggled and squirmed to get out of his hold but he flipped her on her back, and then leaned over her.

"Kissing you," he said just before his lips touched hers.

I think something is developing between Trin and Drew. ♥♥♥

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