Craft Beer & Roses

Chapter 7

Aviva found the other islanders already gathered on the lawn, backlit by bright lights. Centered between them was a sign that read 'Guilty Secrets' and a wooden judge's table. Eddie hopped up on the table, wearing a powdered judge's wig, and lightly smacked a wooden gavel against his palm.

"Alright! Let's see what you're all hiding, shall we?" Eddie pulled a card from the stack. "Which one of you lot has a camel tattoo on your toe?"

"Oh, that has to be Dana or Alfie!" Finn laughed from his side of the circle.

"Have you seen Dana's camel toe yet, Eddie?" Suresh chuckled.

Eddie shook his head, and Dana responded with a wide grin. "He hasn't gotten anywhere that close to me."

"Bet other people have..." Finn muttered under his breath, passing a sideways glance over at Suresh. Aviva frowned, lips thinning with displeasure. Suresh seemed oblivious to the comment, but Dana's cheeks took on a distinct crimson red. She snapped her gaze away when she caught Aviva's eye.

Oh, we're definitely having words later.

The game continued on. Turns out the tattoo belonged to Alfie. He'd gotten it on a dare, thinking it'd be funny but admitted to removing it as soon as he could. Finn shagged his best mate's sister. Kat shagged a boat captain. Eddie got caught naked on a rooftop.

As more secrets were revealed, Aviva was wracking her brains about what Suresh's could be. They'd spent every single day together throughout their relationship, and apart from the cheating, there wasn't really anything they'd kept from each other.

"No way, Aviva, was this you?" Aviva blinked a few times at the sound of Alfie's question.

"What was me?"

"Accidentally getting paid to strip?" Dana read the card again, looking up for confirmation.

"That was a glorious night, trust me." Suresh answered, biting his lower lip at the memory.

"Oh, that night!" Aviva said, covering her cheeks with her hands.

"Go on, give us the details." Eddie pleaded a little too enthusiastically. Dana glared so hard at the side of his head that Aviva was surprised she didn't set it ablaze.

"We'd gone to the club with some mates, and they were playing all my favorites. No one could pull me off the dancefloor."

Suresh's eyes wandered down the length of her body. "She's an incredible dancer..."

"Suresh went to get us some drinks. But when he came back..." As the happy memory entered her mind, she couldn't fight the fit of laughter that burst from her chest. That night was just a good night. She'd had an incredibly productive work week and was excited to take on some new clients. Suresh had gotten pulled into a major case that would be a game-changer for his career. They were thrilled for each other; they couldn't wait to celebrate. She remembered feeling so carefree, surrounded by the people she loved. She could still see the look on Suresh's face under the strobe lights, a mixture of jealousy, pride, and adoration.

Kind of how Finn was looking at her now from across the circle. Why was he looking at her like that? He watched her for a little longer, a smile catching on his lips until Kat nudged him out of his daze.

"I came back with the drinks, and somehow, she'd gotten up on one of the speakers. Everyone was cheering. She was wearing this tight little dress I'd bought her. She looked...unreal." Suresh continued on her behalf, a haze of desire clouding his eyes. Aviva barely noticed, still laughing at the absurdity of the memory. "Her friend threw some cash as a joke, but then the rest of the club joined in, and it started raining notes."