Page 36 of One of Them

“You know where to find me,” he shot back before the door clicked shut.

The couch was bigger than I expected, and despite my earlier worries, I sank into it. Not even a second passed before Alisa was pulling on my arm.

“Oh my god. Taya, please tell me this is the house.” She tugged at me like a kid begging for attention.

I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. Is this where… you know?” She gestured around, clearly expecting me to understand. “My friend went once. She won’t shut up about it.” A grin tugged at her lips, no doubt recalling the conversation.

I stared ahead, emotionless. “Maybe. How would I know?” Oh, I knew, all right.

Unconvinced, she shot me a look. “How come he didn’t need to show you around?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but Alisa poked me, landing a hit straight between the ribs.

“Gotcha,” she grinned, clearly victorious. “You’ve been here before.”

“Fine, once.” I held up a finger.

“You better spill all the details.”

I rolled my eyes. “I swear you Galkins are a family of gossipers.”

“Of course we are. How else do you stay entertained?”

A laugh escaped me. “Let’s just say I was young and careless. Received an invitation from one of my contacts. I never found out who sent it.”

“But you went,” Alisa fished for confirmation.

“I was too curious to turn down the opportunity. Mind you, I was nineteen and had just recently started having sex.”

“How experienced are we talking?” Alisa wiggled her eyebrows.

A puff of air escaped me, but before we got into the details, I knew the moment would be easier with something to wash away the taste. “I think this calls for a drink… maybe some snacks too. Be right back.”

I patted her on the knee before heading underground, to where I knew the goods were stored.

Pressing the button hidden behind Dante’s Inferno on the bookshelf, like I’d seen Enzo do before, a door opened in the wall, revealing a familiar staircase.

At first glance, you wouldn’t be able to tell the building had a basement area stretching out beyond the base of the house. Enzo had it expanded shortly after purchasing. I struggled to navigate the space without the neon lights pointing the way. It was a maze of doors in different colors, and I had to open one or two before the right one revealed the cellar.

Bingo.

Alisa was still in the same position I’d left her when I returned.

Holding up the bottles, I presented the choices to my companion.

“Courtesy of Enzo’s secret stash. Some overpriced Italian wine I won’t attempt to pronounce. The rule is, the longer the name, the fancier.”

I set them down on the kitchen island, reaching for the wine glasses. “It’s like a maze down there. I almost got lost.”

Alisa shook her head. “I’m good. You go ahead. I need to fit into the dress, so I’m on a low carb. I’ll just grab water from the fridge later.”

“Suit yourself.” I wasn’t one to pressure her, so I poured myself a generous glass and made my way across on bare feet, settling back onto the couch.

We sat in silence, the waves crashing against the shore in rhythmic sound, accompanying our thoughts. A sense of calm overtook me. The scenery was breathtaking, the endless ocean surrounding us. I wondered if anyone ever tried to find the end of it, like with a rainbow, no one knew where it began or ended. What was the middle?

Similar to the life I led, the ocean too survived in crashes, unaware of its upcoming end.

---