Page 6 of Into the Light

“Dani Jenkins, Marie Castellano, that girl Andrea who works at the pool in the summers…” Sara rattled off names and my cheeks heated.

“Guys. What the hell, I’m right here.”

“Wait, I thought Dani was a lesbian?” Theo asked.

Sara barked out a laugh. “Why, because she turned you down?”

Theo had the decency to look chagrined by this discovery. But when I chanced a look at Ellie, she was still standing off to the side, seemingly uninterested in the conversation.

I was about to get another beer as an excuse to talk to Ellie again, but by the time there was a lull in the conversation, she had moved over to another table and was laughing with some of the other townies who’d shown up tonight.

The guys were now back to bickering about baseball, so I got up to get a new beer anyway. People still crowded around in groups, the body heat and drunken energy radiating through the place. I carefully shoved my way through the drunk tourists until I reached the bar. I held up my bottle when the bartender looked at me, and he nodded in recognition. I set the empty down on the polished wood and tapped my hands while I waited.

“Rafael?” a feminine voice from my left called my name. I turned and did a double take.

“Annie?”

“Hi! Oh my god. It’s been forever.”

She moved to hug me and I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, embracing my old friend.

“What are you doing here?” I asked her.

“Wait, do you live here now?”

“Yeah. For like nine years now.”

“Oh lord, we areold.”

I laughed at that, because man, did it feel true.

“I’m on a work trip. We’re doing a tour of bed and breakfasts to try to get our products in some of the places up here. It’s a beautiful town.”

“Yeah, it’s not bad. It’s been good to me.”

“I can’t believe I ran into you.” She slurred her words and swayed a little bit, the result of the empty glass in her hand. “I’d love to catch up before I leave. Let me give you my number.”

“Yeah, me too.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it to her to tap her number into.

“Text me tomorrow. But after nine. I’m gonna be so hungover.” She laughed, handing the phone back to me. I pocketed it again, laughing too.

“It was really nice to see you, Annie.”

“You too, Raf.” She hugged me again, this time lingering a little longer than before. When she pulled away, she rested her hand on my cheek for a moment and just looked at me. All the thoughts I had about the past—the ones I usually kept locked away—came swirling back into my head. We shared a moment, and then just as quickly as it started, it was over. She dropped her hand and backed away, returning to her group on the side of the bar.

The bartender had come back with my beer, so I grabbed it, threw a ten dollar bill down to cover it, and then turned to go back to the table. But I came face to face with Ellie, who was just standing a few yards away, staring at me.

Had she been there the whole time?

There was an expression on her face I couldn’t decipher. Or maybe, it was a mix of expressions. But I knew for sure, it wasn’t a happy one, despite the smile she suddenly forced onto her lips. I knew every single one of Ellie’s smiles and that one wasn’t one of them. It was stilted, strained. Her eyes were glassy and she wouldn’t look at my face.

I stepped up to her. “Hey, El,” I said over the loud beats coming through the speakers at the DJ station. She raised her hands up and held out a small gift bag I didn’t notice she was holding.

“This is for you.”

“Aw, Ellie, you didn’t have to—”

“It’s your birthday, Raf. Yes I did.” She held it out closer to me, and I took it out of her hands. We stood there, in the middle of the bar, with people dancing on one side, people drinking all around us, the music blasting, intoxication taking over. But all I could think about was how beautiful she was. How much I wanted her.

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