hag?
She slipped and screamed before she hit the water.
Everyone rose but I had already launched myself toward the pool, arcing toward the water before the others cleared their seats. In the dim light of the sunset I found her under water, drifting almost peacefully, fighting in slow motion. I pulled her up, spluttering and coughing, and handed her to Simon, who pulled her out and handed her off to Jack and Cole. He pulled me up by one arm as easily as if I was an errant pool toy that finally drifted close to the edge.
Jessica coughed and threw herself forward to kneel in the grass, retching. We all gathered around until she waved us away. Cole wrapped her in a towel, but she tried to wave him away before she threw up on the lawn.
“Oh, God,” she said. “Please just, just go.”
“I’m not leaving your side,” Cole said, patting her back.
The rest of us didn’t have such reservations and we drifted back to the hot tub, where Sandra poured another round of champagne.
“Remember the last time someone got drunk and fell in the pool?” She asked me, laughing.
“Yeah, didn’t they have to get their stomach pumped after that?”
“And stitches!” Sandra kept laughing. “I had to have the pool drained so we could actually get all the glass out.”
Jack looked at her, concerned.
“Oh he wasn’t ever allowed here after that.”
Jack shook his head. Simon laughed.
“I think I’m going to take her home, guys,” Cole called. “Sorry about the… grass.”
“Don’t worry about it!” Sandra waved the mess away with her drink. “It’s biodegradable.”
“Sorry,” Jessica mumbled. Her hair was a disheveled red mess, and the pink towel was wrapped tight around her body. “I’ll get your bathing suit back to you, sometime.”
“Don’t even worry about it,” I said. “Just get some coffee or something. Feel better.”
Jack and Sandra were already on the way to her bedroom before Cole and Jessica were through the door.
"I should go, too," Simon said. "Thank you for inviting me. I had a great time."
He started for the walkway but I grabbed his wrist before he got past the threshold.
"No," I said quietly. "Stay."
chapter 8
Simon looked down at my hand clamped around his wrist, then up to my face.
"We shouldn't do this again," he said. "I think your friend knows it was us in that video."
I pulled his wrist down so he had to lean toward me and I kissed him.
I closed the door.
"It doesn't matter," I said. "Come on, let's go back outside."
The sun hadn’t quite made its way to the other side of the world, and the world was glowing orange and red when we got back into the steaming water. It was still so early. I picked up my forgotten glass and Simon lifted his.
"Here's to-."
"Your recklessness?" he interrupted.
"I was going to say new friends."
We clinked glasses and sipped.
"So we're friends now?" he asked. "Or were you talking about Jessica?"
I gave a short snort of amusement. "She's not so bad," I admitted. "But I was talking about you. Or do you go around getting in cars with just any old stranger?"
He gave a returning snort of laughter and we leaned back in our concrete seats, looking up at the darkening sky.
"I can't stay long," he said.
I nodded. "You have to go bay at the moon?"
"Mm. Something like that."
I nodded. "I want you to look at something first."
"Sure, what is it?"
"It's in my room."
I got out of the hot tub, at once cool and heavy and elated and nervous. I took Simon’s hand and led him dripping, into the room of the house that was mine. The sounds of Sandra and Jack romping in her room drifted into mine. I picked up the little white gift box and pulled out the macaron .
"Eat me," Simon read. His breath tickled my cheek. We hadn’t even bothered to put towels on. I was clearly drunk. I would never subject Sandra’s frilly bedding and her tiny shag rug to hot chlorine water otherwise. I kicked the rug out of the
She slipped and screamed before she hit the water.
Everyone rose but I had already launched myself toward the pool, arcing toward the water before the others cleared their seats. In the dim light of the sunset I found her under water, drifting almost peacefully, fighting in slow motion. I pulled her up, spluttering and coughing, and handed her to Simon, who pulled her out and handed her off to Jack and Cole. He pulled me up by one arm as easily as if I was an errant pool toy that finally drifted close to the edge.
Jessica coughed and threw herself forward to kneel in the grass, retching. We all gathered around until she waved us away. Cole wrapped her in a towel, but she tried to wave him away before she threw up on the lawn.
“Oh, God,” she said. “Please just, just go.”
“I’m not leaving your side,” Cole said, patting her back.
The rest of us didn’t have such reservations and we drifted back to the hot tub, where Sandra poured another round of champagne.
“Remember the last time someone got drunk and fell in the pool?” She asked me, laughing.
“Yeah, didn’t they have to get their stomach pumped after that?”
“And stitches!” Sandra kept laughing. “I had to have the pool drained so we could actually get all the glass out.”
Jack looked at her, concerned.
“Oh he wasn’t ever allowed here after that.”
Jack shook his head. Simon laughed.
“I think I’m going to take her home, guys,” Cole called. “Sorry about the… grass.”
“Don’t worry about it!” Sandra waved the mess away with her drink. “It’s biodegradable.”
“Sorry,” Jessica mumbled. Her hair was a disheveled red mess, and the pink towel was wrapped tight around her body. “I’ll get your bathing suit back to you, sometime.”
“Don’t even worry about it,” I said. “Just get some coffee or something. Feel better.”
Jack and Sandra were already on the way to her bedroom before Cole and Jessica were through the door.
"I should go, too," Simon said. "Thank you for inviting me. I had a great time."
He started for the walkway but I grabbed his wrist before he got past the threshold.
"No," I said quietly. "Stay."
chapter 8
Simon looked down at my hand clamped around his wrist, then up to my face.
"We shouldn't do this again," he said. "I think your friend knows it was us in that video."
I pulled his wrist down so he had to lean toward me and I kissed him.
I closed the door.
"It doesn't matter," I said. "Come on, let's go back outside."
The sun hadn’t quite made its way to the other side of the world, and the world was glowing orange and red when we got back into the steaming water. It was still so early. I picked up my forgotten glass and Simon lifted his.
"Here's to-."
"Your recklessness?" he interrupted.
"I was going to say new friends."
We clinked glasses and sipped.
"So we're friends now?" he asked. "Or were you talking about Jessica?"
I gave a short snort of amusement. "She's not so bad," I admitted. "But I was talking about you. Or do you go around getting in cars with just any old stranger?"
He gave a returning snort of laughter and we leaned back in our concrete seats, looking up at the darkening sky.
"I can't stay long," he said.
I nodded. "You have to go bay at the moon?"
"Mm. Something like that."
I nodded. "I want you to look at something first."
"Sure, what is it?"
"It's in my room."
I got out of the hot tub, at once cool and heavy and elated and nervous. I took Simon’s hand and led him dripping, into the room of the house that was mine. The sounds of Sandra and Jack romping in her room drifted into mine. I picked up the little white gift box and pulled out the macaron .
"Eat me," Simon read. His breath tickled my cheek. We hadn’t even bothered to put towels on. I was clearly drunk. I would never subject Sandra’s frilly bedding and her tiny shag rug to hot chlorine water otherwise. I kicked the rug out of the
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