Page 2 of Scorched

But so far, nobody had.

I’d expected as much; I wasn’t really a ‘close friends’ sort of person.

I mean, I could be friendly, sure. I could be fun and entertaining and likable.

I just didn’t always click with other people.

That’s why I was here alone.

I sighed and put my phone back down in favor of the Cosmo I’d made. I’d need another soon; I wanted to be too drunk to function tonight.

Numbing myself wasn’t the smartest choice, but it was exactly what I wanted.

For a few minutes, I lay on my back, looking up at the sky. It was clear, and the few little clouds ambling by were fluffy and white. Gulls flew overhead, cawing loudly.

Under any other circumstances, this would have been nice.

But I was just sad. And lonely.

And not drunk enough.

I rose from my chair and went back inside, carrying my empty martini glass. I made another Cosmo, heavy on the vodka.

I took a sip.

Good.

Real good.

I headed back toward the pool, stopping at the door. It was pretty private up here. There were trees on two sides of the pool; the only exposed side faced the ocean, and that was on an overhang.

Nobody could stand there and look at me.

I could tan while wearing as much—or as little—as I wanted.

I put my drink down on the table beside my chair and reached up, untying the halter neck of my swimsuit. I undid the clasp of the back strap next, and draped the polka-dot top over the back of my chair.

Topless, I settled back in the chair again. I grabbed my phone and headphones, plugging them in and turning on some music. Happy synth-pop started to play in my ears.

I closed my eyes and leaned back.

Everything else about this sucked, but at least I could tan without lines.

---