Page 7 of Avelina

“I don’t mean to be rude,” she said quickly, before I could leave. “We eat very little spice where I’m from.”

“Oh? Where is that?”

“Neesee,” she said, her crooked smile returning.

I looked at the ceiling, trying to rack my brain. “Is that in Canada?”

She paused, furrowing her brow, then said, “No, much farther away than that, but I have a feeling you will like it there.”

“Would,” I corrected. “Would like it there.”

Her smirk returned and she said, “Maybe I should go back to my room. I’ll need my rest tonight.” With that, she rose and walked out, shutting the door softly behind her. I didn’t hear the click of a bolt. Her food sat on the table, untouched except for that one bite.

“What a psycho,” I said out loud.

“Lina!” my mother hissed. I did a slow-motion turn to find my mother giving me a stern expression. “Be nice to my guests.”

“Sorry,” I said, chagrined. Mom nodded, then she went back into the house, taking the platters with her.

I headed over to where I had been sitting earlier and plopped back down next to Drew.

“What is it?” Drew asked, her eyes narrowed.

“I just talked to our guest, and she is super weird.”

“Weird how?” Drew asked. That’s what I always liked about Drew. She was always on my side. Ya know, until she wasn’t.

“I don’t know,” I mumbled, glancing down at my feet. “Oh, I forgot to get my beer.”

“Here,” Drew said, holding up a small glass. “I got you this port.”

I wrinkled my nose. “It’s kind of an elderly person’s drink, don’t you think?”

Drew rolled her eyes. “Just take it, judgy.”

I took the glass but didn’t drink, then glanced over at our friends, who had all drifted into smaller units. Milo seemed like he was about to pass out and just wanted to hump something before that happened. He whispered to Marti, who giggled unexpectedly. They got up, stumbled into the closest guest room without saying good night and closed the door. I heard the bolt turn, then I heard Milo’s boisterous laugh, then nothing.

Spirit and I gave each other a look and we both smirked. The twins were still in competition for her attention, and she appeared weary of the game. I stood, preparing to rescue her, but Drew took my hand, holding me back. I looked down at her and she stared back at me very directly. I could almost read her mind. She wanted me alone and she was done waiting. I sat back down, resigned, then glanced up at Spirit.

Spirit glanced from me to Drew and seemed to come to a decision. She took the hand of the long-haired twin, giving him the come hither, and walked toward the last guest room. He jumped up, triumphant. The other twin sagged into his chair and groaned. When Spirit got to the doorway, she turned around and said, “Hey, Bobby, aren’t you coming?” Bobby stared blankly at her for a second, then jumped up and practically skipped after her. Spirit and I made eye contact before she shut the door, and I felt suddenly flushed.

Drew seemed perturbed. “I don’t even want one,” she whispered, “let alone two. And brothers? That’s more than a bit ick, for me.” I stared after the trio, thinking how very, very wrong she was.

If Drew weren’t here, you could be skipping over there yourself, Evilina thought. I had a lot of pent-up energy after more than a year of celibacy, and I wanted to expend it over there in that other room, not over here with Drew.

I was being presented with a chance to get back together with Drew, and all I could think about was knocking on Spirit’s door. It wouldn’t be the first time, let’s be honest, though never with so many participants at once. It turned me on just thinking about following those three into the room. I mean, who wouldn’t love a foursome? Nobody, that’s what.

Actually, maybe Drew.

I looked over at her, trying very hard to keep my face relaxed so she couldn’t see how annoyed I was by her presence. I’d missed her, but I’d gotten used to missing her. I’d made peace with it and had moved on to bigger and better things. Or at least a wider variety of things. It would be a sacrifice to go there with her again. I’d have to leave behind a side of myself that I had come to love.

I set the glass of port down on the coffee table, stood, and said, “Bobby, huh? I never would have guessed that name in a million years.” Drew laughed her nice, soft laugh and gripped my hand firmly.

A lead weight lay in the pit of my stomach. How do you reject someone who might love you when you yourself know exactly how much that sucks? You just do it, I guess.

“Lina,” she said. “I just want you to know that I never stopped loving you. I know I said we needed a clean break, but—”

“Drew,” I interrupted, but as I glanced out past the porch screen again, searching for the words, I saw it. At the end of our gravel driveway, maybe twenty yards away from the porch, was a sign that read “Silverstone Stables.” Even though it wasn’t very far away, I could hardly see it through the fog. A light hung over the sign, illuminating it at night and creating a spotlight on the ground.

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