Oranges & Roses

Hope Springs Eternal

Unedited. 

Chapter Twenty-One 

“You ready?”

While everyone else whirled around at the sound of Rey’s voice, I kept my eyes on the closing door Marco had just went through. I hated him and there were so many reasons for that but he still drew my curiosity. Something had changed in him since he retired. I always thought leaving this life to go live another would be best for anyone but clearly it hadn’t suited him well.

Before I could get into that, I swear I could feel all of all the girls melt around me. Even Fortune. I was sure Rey was used to the attention and I prepared myself for the appreciative look I would catch sometimes on his face. However, when I looked at him, he still had that calm expression. Like he was taking everything in stride.

When he caught my eyes, he raised his eyebrows, reiterating his question. However, before I could answer it, Ebony did for me.

“I’m ready, baby. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it. Whatever or whoever you want me to be…”

“Ok,” I said loudly cutting off her come hither speech. “I’m going to get my bag. Try to behave yourselves while I’m gone.”

“I don’t know if I can do that.” I shot her a look. “What? Are you dating him?” She looked from me to him, without getting my answer. Fortune was standing there with her hand over her face, unable to believe, like me, that Ebony was actually doing this. “Are you off the table?” Ebony asked him.

“Yes.”

“No.”

We both said it at the same time and his answer had my eyebrows meeting my hairline. Not to mention my heart did that sputtering thing and took off to run the mile without my body. That one word could have so many implications that I couldn’t help it as my brain clicked to all the good things. Fortune looked like she was about to burst at the seams with glee and the other girls looked so startled, they closely resembled deer standing in the middle of the road while a car went barreling at them.

“What?” It came out as a breathy “what” instead of a stern-I-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about “what”.

“Here’s the thing.” As if he was looking at nothing more than a collection of random objects, Rey glanced over all the girls. “All of you are lovely. However, I’m here to keep an eye on her. Not to do anything else. So, with that knowledge, yes. I am off the table.”

And my heart came to a screeching halt because it slammed into a brick wall and broke into a trillion pieces. Everyone around me was as silent as church mice, just like I was. Only I imagined there was a difference between my silence and theirs.

Mine was hope shattering and theirs was awkward.

Fortune squeezed my hand and I could feel myself literally balling back up, building up walls, and reaffirming that distance was needed. Lots of distance.

“And with that being said, I need to get my stuff. Excuse me.”

As quickly as my flip-flop clad feet could carry me, I disappeared into the dressing room, passing several of the girls who were just getting around to changing back into regular clothes, regrettably passing Marco who I assumed was talking to the other girls he wanted, and straight into the bathroom to throw up the salad Rey had bought me for dinner.

Disgustingly enough, water and stomach acid came up too.

There was a knock on the door like I knew there would be. Like I said before, people got nervous when the bathroom door was closed. But the voice on the other side was surprising.