Lisa
The Bhuwakuls, it turns out, go all out with their bonfires.
By time the sun starts to set, they already have a pile of logs set up behind the house. Bambam does the honours of getting the fire going, and it's not long before the flames catch.
I watch the fire as it burns, incinerating the smaller sticks first and then eating through the bigger logs. Irene sits on the flat log beside me, while sipping her beer. Tzuyu and Momo share a beer beside Eunwoo as they huddle away from the smoke. Jennie, Lena, and Roxanne flank my right.
Irene and I haven't looked at each other. Not once. She's got her hawk-eyed vision locked on Bambam, and I'm watching my sister. Mina's raven hair gets lost in the inky black of the sky when she tosses her head back and laughs at another one of Bambam's mediocre stories. Mina and Bambam's knees brush, and every now and then, he kisses her cheek or her neck. When she rests her head on his shoulder, I can't stop myself from speaking up.
"So you ride horses, is that right?" I ask Irene loudly enough to stop any other conversation.
Irene's smile looks shy in the firelight. "Sure... me and everyone else here."
"Something of a pre-requisite to living in the country-side?"
She chuckles. "My pops owns a stable not far from here... it's how Bambam and I became friends, actually. We used to ride together."
"Riding horses." I say. "How romantic."
My eyes lock with Mina's. A frown tightens the corner of her mouth.
Suddenly, Mina lifts her head from Bambam's shoulder and looks around the circle. "I just want to take a second to thank everyone for being here... it means the world to me to get to know Bambam's friends and family. I know you haven't known me for very long at all, and it must be overwhelming for some of you to have this stranger suddenly entrenched in your life... but you've welcomed me with nothing but open arms. I'm so grateful for it."
"Oh, dear, you're an angel to say that. Come here." Bambam's mother hooks an arm around Mina's shoulders and pulls my sister into a hug. "You've been a delight. You and Lisa both. And we can't wait to meet your parents."
My heart tightens in my chest.
"Oh..." I watch as Mina gently peels herself out of Mrs. Bhuwakul's arms. "My father isn't with us anymore. He passed away."
"I'm so sorry to hear that." I feel sympathetic eyes on me, and immediately my skin turns to stone.
"It was a long time ago." I say, while brushing their pitying looks off.
"What about your mother?" Roxanne pries.
"She's sick." I interrupted. I tell a little white lie so Mina doesn't have to. "She won't be attending unfortunately."
Roxanne's mouth opens and then shuts as she processes the oh-so-tragic information. Apparently, her country charm hasn't armoured her enough for this level of darkness. When she tries again, she says, "Well, darling, if you need someone to walk you down the aisle..."
"Lisa will do that." Mina smiles graciously. She's far more talented at handling sympathy than I am. "She's always picked up the parental slack, so to speak..."
This conversation is hitting too close to home, and I stand abruptly. "Does anyone need a refill?"
Eunwoo shakes his bottle. "I'm empty."
"Me too." Lena chimes in.
I snag the empties and head to the house. Conversation continues in a muted murmur the further I get. The temperature drops rapidly once I step away from the open fire, but I welcome the fall chill. I've broken a sweat on the back of my neck. The porch lights are on, and I follow them inside.
I dump the empty bottles in the recycling bin and pluck two fresh bottles from the refrigerator. As I hunt around for a bottle opener, I hear the sliding porch doors hiss open and shut. Bare feet pad into the kitchen, followed by the familiar smell of lavender perfume. Out of the corner of my eye, Jennie's form melds with the kitchen counter.
"Rough crowd." she says. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be better when I get these bottles opened... how do they find anything in this house?" The countertop is littered with recipes cut out from magazines and cookbooks, and the drawer organization only makes a modicum of sense.
As I rummage through what I assume is the third junk drawer, I feel Jennie's hands on my back. She's kneading her fingers into my shoulders like a cat. "You're tense." she says. "Relax. I can help you work out some kinks... or work them in..."
Finally, I shut the drawer, face her head-on, and cross my arms. "Are you drunk?"
