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Chapter 60: He said we
Horror movies often take place in a large empty house. Dusk is setting over the horizon as the clock ticks later. Suspense builds in the uncertainty and the victims question their loyalties.
"She's going to kill us," I whispered.
"There's a crazy look in her eyes," Cearra whispered back.
We edged further into the entryway and the front door slammed shut behind us. I jumped, and kept my eyes trained on Bianca.
"Do you two want to direct this scene or can I take my shower?" Luke asked us, not participating in our melodrama.
While we were weary after a long morning out, Bianca had spent all this time preparing. She had a motive and she stood eerily still in a sundress.
The blackmailer. Right?
"Welcome back," she greeted us, "I think it's time we all had a little chat."
"Ooh noo thank you," I tried to exit out the front door we just walked in.
Luke rested his hand on my elbow, "I'll walk you to your room."
"My hero," I said sarcastically.
"Why are you standing in darkness?" Oma asked, flicking on the light switch.
"I didn't know where the switch was," she answered.
As part of our 'punishment' for ruining dinner last night, Chad's dad had told none of the staff to come to work today. Which meant that we had to do things ourselves like... turn on the lights.
"Let's regroup in the living room in twenty," Austin suggested, seeing that Luke and I were already halfway out the hallway.
**
~20mins later~
The TV was on in the living room and a bottle of wine had been popped open. We waited for the others to join before heading to the couch.
"Whatever it is, I got your back," Cearra told me and pointed at the staircase, "And he does too."
We watched Luke jog down the stairs in gray sweatpants and a zip up hoodie. He never zipped the hoodie up fully, which means that part of his chest was on display. And his gray sweatpants-
Cearra's phone starting ringing. She sighed when she saw it was her mom again, "Hi mom."
"Hi Cece, I didn't realize you'd be out so early this morning," her mom's voice said through the phone, "Are you having fun? Have you learnt anything?"
I smiled, remembering how Austin had promised 'educational' experiences while he was pretending to be Chad's dad with no moustache.
"Have I learnt anything?" Cearra repeated loudly, walking towards Bianca on her way outside, "Yeah. I learnt that sleeping with a guy's friend just to make the guy you like jealous doesn't work."
She lowered her phone and gave Bianca a dark glare.
Then she slid the glass door open and continued her conversation with her mom in the pool area outside. I felt Luke's arm over my shoulder and his body behind me. He kissed me on the cheek, and I leaned back, letting my body press against his.
"Are you worried about this?" I asked.
"Not at all," Luke replied without skipping a beat.
I could hear he was genuine. But what if things that are not a big deal to him are a big deal to me – like casually hooking up with an ex while you're talking to the next?
We sat on the couches as we got ready to hear Bianca's 'news'. The lady in question stood up with a glass of wine in her hand. She was in a pretty sundress with brown sandals and a nervous smile.
The pool door slid open and Cearra rejoined us.
"Yesterday, I was villainized, and I didn't get the chance to speak my truth," Bianca said, watching Cearra take a seat, "Now that everyone's emotions have calmed down, I'd like to speak up."
Luke's arm around me kept me feeling secure. I know he was doing this intentionally. I glanced over at Cearra who raised her eyebrows at me.
Bianca started to talk about that day at the mall. "My brother and I came into the store Millie worked at. He didn't know that Millie and I don't get along. But a few minutes into our interaction with her, he didn't have a positive impression. And a few minutes after that, she abandoned the store and left us hanging."
Bianca's eyes landed on me. I think she expected me to jump up and argue, but I wasn't going to do that. I wasn't going to let her rile me up like that. She can have time to say her truth.
"So, while you all pointed fingers at me for getting Millie fired, it actually had nothing to do with me. Until yesterday, I didn't even know my brother had complained," she said, "But you see, customer service is an important skill set. I didn't need to get Millie fired. A legitimate customer complained. No one forced you to leave the store unattended like that."
OK, that mistake was mine to own.
It's true. I let my personal drama and relationships completely take over my responsibilities. I shouldn't have abandoned work.
Actions have consequences and if I needed that job, I should've acted like it.
"One more thing," Bianca said, "Putting me on blast like that last night, was not cool. Millie, if you wanted to keep drama out of this vacation, you should've come to me one on one."
That's also true. I lost it last night. I hadn't exactly been in a calm mood.
Bianca raised her glass and sipped it, "And that's all I had to say."
Then she went to share the armchair with Chad. We were all left staring at the fireplace that she had been standing in front of.
"Millie?" Oma asked, sitting next to Austin on the couch, "Maybe you'd like a chance to respond?"
I know Oma means well, but she doesn't know that public speaking isn't my forte. I'd rather sink in silence.
"Go on, Minnie," Luke whispered, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear, "Set the record straight."
Does he know how terrifying this is?
Luke raised his arm from around my shoulder and I slowly stood up. I felt like a caterpillar leaving a protective cocoon. My body was moving in the right direction and I hoped my mind would follow.
I mumbled, "I'm not used to speaking in front of many people about something so personal..."
But these last few months have made me grow up hella quick.
I still get shaken by what other people say. I've been taunted and teased so many times and it's so hard to ignore.
"Should I start with a joke?" I nervously volunteered. "OK, tough crowd. I'll start by saying thank you."
"She's going rogue," Cearra muttered to Luke, filling the empty space on the couch I had left next to him.
Luke was watching me, waiting for me to continue. He replied, not looking worried at all, "She'll bring it full circle."
I swallowed. This was harder to do than I thought. I closed out my insecure thoughts. I wished I could be on the couch, judging instead of being judged.
"Thank you for solving a mystery, Bianca." I said, "There have been so many mysteries lately that I am glad to know the answer to this one."
OK, I think I can handle this.
I increased the pace of my mini speech, "I was wrong to blame you, but let's pause for a second to wonder why. You and your brother came into the store acting very rude. You've continually undermined me and my relationship. You've humiliated and threatened me for months. You may be innocent of this, but you're guilty of a whole lot more."
And that's all I have to say.
I liked how no one said anything. People started to move around. There was an awkwardness in the air, naturally, but no one wanted to be arbitrator. No one wanted to cast their judgement and I appreciated that.
"What's your brother's number?" Luke asked Bianca, "I want to speak with him."
I should've seen that coming.
**
The boys continued to hang out downstairs, but the rest of us started to get ready for New Year's Eve. It was early evening and we wanted to spend extra time preparing for tonight.
I knew exactly which dress I was going to wear; one that Nicole had lent me.
"What color's your dress?" Cearra's asked me, swinging the door to her bedroom open, "We can match your make up to the whole look."
"Thank you! I-" I paused when I saw Luke turn the corner of the hallway.
He looked like a handsome statue sometimes, I swear. I mouthed at him, All ok?
He nodded, but I could tell he wanted to talk.
I told Cearra I would be back in a second and walked towards him. He was still in his gray sweatpants and I wondered what he would be wearing in a few hours.
"I spoke to Bianca's brother," Luke said, his blue eyes gazing into mine, "He didn't know you were my girlfriend. He's going to call the store and retract his complaint."
"Thank you, but I think the damage is done," I said, rubbing his arm so he could see that I was genuinely grateful. "It's hard to rehire someone after you fire them."
"Hey," Luke said, brushing his finger against my chin, "Whatever she's done, we can undo. I haven't forgotten about the bloody jersey. We're going to solve that one too. Whatever comes at us, we'll take it on."
I smiled and tried to avoid my smile from turning into a goofy grin. He said we.
Does he know how long I've waited for anyone to say those words to me? Does he know how crazy it is that they're coming from him? When we first met, I had wrongly judged him to be self-oriented and self-obsessed. He's shown me more compassion than my own sibling.
"But tonight is new year's," Luke said, "And I don't know what you usually do, but I like to forget who I am and where I'm staying."
"I'll write the address on your hand," I joked, pulling the zipper of his hoodie up and down. I liked being this close to his torso while I played with the zipper.
**
Cearra's room was flooded with clothes. It was like her suitcase had exploded and I tried not to step on the carnage. The hangers and shelves in the wardrobe were empty.
She was sitting on her bed with her laptop in front of her.
"This trip has been incredible so far," she said, showing me the photos she'd taken.
I hadn't realized, but Cearra's been setting up photoshoots all over Chad's villa. Some posed, others candid.
"I like that one," I pointed to one of her and Austin in the pool.
She showed me that same photo in three different filters.
"I keep asking myself why he's so fun?" she sighed, "Usually, guys like him are the brooding types, but he makes laughter a medicine."
"You know what I've always wondered?" I confessed, "It's embarrassing to say..."
"Go ahead," Cearra urged me, flicking through some of the other photos while I spoke.
"Luke works out everyday because he's trying to become a professional athlete," I said, "But Austin looks like that, just because."
"Yeah. It's hot," Cearra said, looking away from her laptop, "I think tonight could be the night I tell him."
"You're going to make the move?" I asked, getting super excited.
"I'm not going to wait twenty years for this guy to kiss me," she answered, getting up, "I may need you to be my wing-woman. Oh, before I forget, you asked me to bring you something for Luke, remember? It's there."
She pointed at the plastic bag resting near a standing lamp. She had already mentioned it to me already at the airport. Before I forgot again, I picked it up and thanked her.
I'd wanted to surprise Luke with something tonight.
"Your boyfriend has got it going on," Cearra replied, waving a blush brush at me, "I know you don't like me saying this, but you must be nervous about tonight. I bet he's wild in bed, and we know you've made him wait."
I get so awkward when she talks about him like that.
Luke's so well known at school, people talk about him like he's public property – they're always describing him in such a physical way. How can everyone else know intimate details?
"Is it what you expected?" she asked me, "Dating Luke? I bet he's a lot to handle."
I repeated her question in my mind, wondering what the answer was.
"Maybe I fantasized it a bit," I said, "Before we started dating, I had a crush on him. I imagined us mostly making out, a little bit of drama, a lot of partying. And that's nothing like how we are."
I'm just being honest. In my fantasies, I imagined a picture-perfect relationship with Luke. And that picture didn't even include a real me.
Or a real him.
"But," I said, "I think reality can be better than a fantasy. You can appreciate the highs when you've experienced the lows."
Out of nowhere, Cearra said, "People fight and break up, but it's that volatility which makes for really good s*x. If you're not doing it, then you're not taking advantage of his reputation."
"That just sounds unstable to me," I said, "Isn't really good s*x when you love someone? This idea of falling in and out of love-"
"So you love him?"
"That's not what I was saying."
"But you're not denying it."
Sh*t. I love him, don't I?
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