Page 2 of Ravished By Her

Today, Mia and Lark greeted me with warm smiles and said they had a new drink on the menu they thought I should try, and they’d give it to me for free if I’d tell them what I thought.

“It’s market research,” Mia said with a wink.

“Is it now?” I asked as I pulled out my card.

“Yes,” Lark said as she walked by to grab something from a shelf behind Mia.

“I’ll give you my honest opinion then,” I said and ordered a wrap as well. My emergency fund was holding out, but I didn’t want to take any chances, so I’d been living as cheaply as I could.Staying in the van mostly for free was a huge help.

I picked up my drink at the window, along with my wrap and tipped the drink in the direction of Mia and Lark before setting everything at a table in front of one of the windows. It had a close outlet and a good view, even if it was of a parking lot. It was better than nothing.

Missing the city was a constant ache in my chest. I missed elevators and walking the crowded streets full of strangers and bodegas and being able to get pad Thai at two in the morning. The pace of life in Arrowbridge seemed to crawl and I just wanted to tell everyone to move faster and get their heads out of the clouds.

Even my nomadic sister had been seduced by Arrowbridge and seemed content to stay in one place. One boring place.

A boring place I couldn’t wait to get away from. I needed lights and excitement and buzz and anonymity. This place was like being under a microscope. I could feel eyes on me everywhere I went, could feel their questions about who I was and what I was doing here as if they were shouted at me.

No matter how much I tried to ignore people and mind my own business, they all seemed intent on minding it for me. You couldn’t go into any kind of place of business in this damn place without having to chat. I hated chatting. Hated it with a fiery passion. That didn’t seem to matter to these people. They’d just keep going and telling you about their lives as if you cared.

I didn’t know how Sterling could stand it, but then again, a lot of things about Sterling I couldn’t understand, even though we were identical twins.

Pushing those lovely thoughts aside, I went back to my list and my plan. There was no time for me to be unfocused. I had to get myself together and get the hell out of here.

* * *

When I arrived back home after tackling a few items on my list, I couldn’t stand the thought of having dinner in the van. The space was so tight, and it steamed up and everything was always in the way or falling down. Some of us just weren’t meant for vanlife. As much as I didn’t want to have Sterling and her girlfriend obsessed with each other right in my face, I loathed the idea of dinner in the van more, so I knocked on the door and heard my sister call that it was open.

“Hey, Gwen,” Kai said, looking up from the couch where she’d probably been reading a book. I would say this for Sterling and Kai, they were well-matched in that department.

“Hey,” I said, sliding off my shoes and heading toward the kitchen where Sterling was cooking.

“What are you making?” I asked as she darted around the stove.

“Buffalo shrimp wraps and then a beet and orange salad on the side,” she said, pointing to a platter with bright slices of navel and blood oranges and beets on it.

“Need any help?” I asked.

“I’ve got this,” she said, putting her hand on my shoulder and gently pushing me away.

I hated feeling beholden to anyone, even my sister, but if she didn’t want me to help, then there wasn’t much I could do about that. I went over to join Kai on the pink velvet couch that I was envious of. While pink was my favorite color, I’d never dream of having a pink couch. My apartment had been all about sleek metal and soft neutrals and clean whites. I liked to be the brightest thing in the room, and I dressed accordingly.

Kai closed her book and gave me her attention. When I’d first come up and met her, I could feel her staring at my face and trying to find the subtle differences between me and my sister. Everyone did that, so I knew the look. Thankfully, that look had gone away after the first week.

“How was work?” she asked.

“Productive,” I said, wishing we didn’t have to do this. I liked Kai, I really did, but talking about my work wasn’t what I wanted to do right now.

I expected her to ask me to elaborate, but she didn’t.

“Reading anything good?” she asked instead. Since I actually had more free time now, I’d gotten back into reading more, and Kai had been helpful with steering me toward what was good, especially when it came to romance. She worked part time at the local bookstore, and she had an impressive collection of books herself. Mainely Books was a treasure trove of romance, especially sapphic romance, and I wished that I could buy as many as I wanted, but budget and space didn’t allow. Kai was more than generous with her collection, as long as I promised not to damage any of them, which was a promise I could easily keep. I didn’t use receipts or forks as bookmarks, unlike some people.

“Oh, I finished the one about the chefs you told me about. You were right, it was perfect,” I said. Kai’s eyes lit up and she grinned at me.

“I know, right? I loved the stress of them having to work in the kitchen together.”

“I’ve never worked in a restaurant, but it felt authentic,” I said.

“It was,” Sterling called from the small kitchen. The house was small, so she could easily hear everything I said to Kai.

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