“Hello, welcome,” a man said eagerly as he walked up to me.
He looked a few years older than me, but his clothing appeared about forty years younger. He wore corduroys and a button-down checkered dress shirt. The combination made me want to take him shopping right that instant.
“Hello,” I said with a small smile.
Now that I had been welcomed, it wasn’t as if I could easily escape.
“We’re so glad you’re here.” A woman with long brown hair smiled dreamily as she came over to stand next to me. Her voice was so calm and soothing that it verged on eerie.
“Okay,” I replied nervously and adjusted the strap of my purse. “I think maybe I have the wrong place—” I began to say. I was forming an excuse in my mind to retreat.
“You’re exactly where you’re meant to be. I’m Lea,” the woman said, extending her hand.
Her voice drifted over my senses like a cloud of cotton candy. I couldn’t explain why, but I smiled at her.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m Samantha.”
I could have clobbered myself for using my real name. I was still trying to think of a way to get back out the door.
“She looks terrified,” a sharp voice said from beyond the card table.
Chapter 4
I looked up to see a man who might have been in his sixties. His dark hair was slicked back, further accentuating his receding hairline. A bushy mustache covered most of his upper lip. It twitched when he looked at me.
“I’m Pedro.”
“Pedro,” I said with a warm smile. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m not terrified—this just wasn’t what I was expecting.”
“That’s what everyone says when they come here,” the first man I’d met muttered. “Why does everyone say that?”
“Maybe because the flier doesn’t say a group of misfits with nothing better to do than drink stale coffee?” Pedro suggested. “Really, Miles, you need to be a little more honest on the flier.”
“I am honest,” Miles insisted. “It says refreshments provided.”
“I think he means more about the activities,” I said. “Forgive me, but this doesn’t seem like a very adventurous group,” I said as gently as I could. “I’m really looking to liven things up in my life. I just don’t think this basement is where that’s going to happen,” I added, hoping not to sound too harsh.
“Oh, you think you know us already?” Miles said defensively. Although he seemed to be puffing out his chest I could tell that his heart wasn’t in it.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” I said calmly. “I just meant—I need action in my life, something to shake things up. I have no interest in slowing down.”
“She’s right,” the soft-voiced woman said. “We want to do so much, but we usually just end up drinking old coffee and talking about what we should do.”
“Well, you seem to have it all figured out,” Miles pointed out. “What kinds of things are you looking to do?”
“I wrote a list,” I explained. “Some fun things, some challenging things—all things I thought I would never do.”
“Like what?” Pedro pressed with interest.
I hesitated. I didn’t think I wanted to tell them about pole dancing, running a marathon, or posing nude.
“I don’t know—just things,” I said quietly.
“Oh yes, that sounds very lively,” Pedro said with a snort. “I think you’re in the same boat with us—no offense. None of us are here to be bored, but it’s not so easy to suddenly become interesting, is it?”
“No, it’s not,” I agreed with a laugh. “I think the more I try, the more I lose sight of what I actually want to do.”
“See, you fit in just fine,” Lea said with a clap of her hands. “Okay, brainstorm! Idea!” she announced as if she was an alarm going off.
“Lea, please.” Pedro shook his head.
“There’s nothing wrong with being excited about a great idea,” Lea shot back with a frown. “Listen, why don’t we all follow her lead and write our own lists. We can all go home tonight, write them up, and we’ll meet back here tomorrow. What do you think, Samantha?” she asked with a warm smile. “You can be our adventure guru.”
I stared at her with disbelief. I’d never been made someone’s guru before. I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not, to be honest.
“Okay,” I said slowly. I knew that Max was going to ask about my evening. I didn’t want it to be a total bust. “Let’s try that,” I agreed.
That night I sat at my computer and tapped out a light-hearted blog about the group I had met with and the ideas we were trying to generate for our next adventure. I indicated we might just have our first adventure the next night. I waited a few minutes to see if Blue would post. When he didn’t I sighed and closed the computer.
With its glow gone, I was alone in my apartment again, surrounded by shadows. I started to feel sorry for myself, but I knew what road that would lead me down. I didn’t want my life becoming a series of lonely nights. So I sprawled out on my bed, closed my eyes, and imagined what it would be like to have someone to share my adventures with.
The next morning I awoke and checked my blog. I was pleased to find a comment from Blue.
I’m sure it will be fun if you are there. I hope you have a blast. Think of this poor guy missing out on your adventure.
I took a sharp breath as I realized what he had revealed. Now I knew for certain that Blue was male. How interesting, I thought to myself, but I didn’t have much time to think about it. My doorbell was ringing and I was still in my pajamas as I trudged to the door.
“Breakfast,” Max said in a demanding voice when I opened the door.
“Uh?” I asked sleepily.
“Nope, none of that,” he said firmly. “You are not getting out of it this time. Stephanie has a table waiting for us at the cafe, and I will wait for you while you get dressed. I know you’re off today.”
“Then you probably know I wanted to crawl back into bed for a few more hours.” I sighed.
“Oh?” he said in a smug voice. “Here I thought you were all about adventure.”
I stared at him for a moment, then slouched my shoulders. “Alright, fine,” I said and trudged off to the bedroom.
Once I was dressed I returned to Max, who was still waiting by the door.
Chapter 5
As Max and I began walking toward the cafe, he glanced over at me.
“How did your meet-up group go?” he asked.
“It was great,” I said with great enthusiasm. “In fact I’m getting together with them again tonight.”
“Oh really?” He nodded. “Sounds like you must have had a good time.”
“I did,” I said with a smile. “I think that we’re going to share a lot of adventures.”
“Good.” He held open the door to the cafe for me. “Just remember that being adventurous doesn’t mean being dangerous.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I muttered. He shot me a look, but was distracted by Stephanie waving us over to the table.
“Samantha! It’s so good to see you,” she said as she gave me a quick hug.
“You too,” I said, managing an awkward hug.
I sat down at the table. Stephanie and Max leaned toward each other. Stephanie went in for a kiss on the lips, Max left a peck on her cheek. I had to look away to keep from grinning. The two were obviously as uncomfortable as I was.
“Did you order yet?” Max asked.
“No, I figured we’d wait and see what Sammy wanted,” Stephanie said.
Max and I both stared at her.
“What?” she asked nervously.
“You called her Sammy,” Max said. “Only I call her Sammy.”
“Oh,” Stephanie said as she looked between us. “Sorry…” She frowned.
“You can call me Sammy if you want,” I said laughing.
“Is that okay with you, Max?” Stephanie asked with a hint of suspicion in her voice.
Max grimaced, but nodded
. “Sure, you know—it’s just an old habit.”
“What can I get for you?” the waitress asked when she walked over.
“I’ll have a coffee black with a bagel—toasted, with cream cheese. She’ll have a coffee—two creams, one sugar—and an apple fritter.” He paused a moment and looked over at Stephanie. “What would you like, hon?”
Stephanie was gawking at him with disbelief. I lowered my eyes as I realized breakfast was about to get a lot more awkward.
“I’ll have a coffee to go,” Stephanie said with narrowed eyes.
“What?” Max asked.
“Why don’t I just come back?” the waitress said, obviously sensing the weird dynamic.
“What’s the problem?” Max asked Stephanie.
“Max, it’s not really polite to order for me, when Stephanie is here,” I attempted to explain.
“Or that he seems to have a pet name for you and knows every detail of what you eat and drink,” Stephanie added. She shook her head. “I knew this was too good to be true. If there was something between you, you should have told me before I got in the middle of it.”
“Wait, Stephanie—you’ve got it all wrong,” I said. “Max and I have been best friends for fourteen years—we’ve just become a big part of each others’ lives.”
“Or like an old married couple,” Stephanie said and crossed her arms. “Look, Samantha, I love having you as a friend, but I don’t want this to get messy.”
“It won’t,” Max insisted. “You’re taking all of this too seriously. Sammy is always going to be part of my life, and I didn’t realize that I was offending you by ordering for her. It’s just a habit.”
“Okay, but all of these habits add up to something, don’t you think?” she asked as she met Max’s eyes. “Isn’t there some part of you that thinks there might be a reason for all of this intimacy?”
I held my breath as Stephanie and I both waited for Max to answer. I wasn’t even sure what I wanted Max to say. He looked over at me, almost as if he was waiting for me to speak. Once more I felt the glimmer of hope within me. Was he going to choose me, finally? His lips began to part and suddenly I knew that I had to speak first.
“Stephanie, don’t be silly,” I said with a laugh. “Max is like a brother to me. I’ve smelled his dirty socks and seen his hideous music collection. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about.” I smiled sweetly as I looked up at Max. “I think if in over ten years of being so important to each other we have never shown interest in crossing that line, that’s proof enough that there is nothing more than friendship between us.”
Max stared back at me, as if he might argue the point. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to or not. But he turned to look at Stephanie and applied his charming smile.
“See?” he said. “Nothing to be concerned about.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I overreacted,” Stephanie said as she stared at the table shamefully.
“Don’t be sorry, Stephanie, it’s okay,” I assured her.
I realized that I was telling the truth. It really was okay. In that moment when I thought Max was finally going to ask me for more than friendship, I understood that it was too late. I was already on my new path. I was already allowing myself to blossom. Max was the old Samantha’s way of hiding from real relationships. Now, it was time to truly let him go.
When the waitress returned, Stephanie placed her order. I found myself relaxing as we shared breakfast and chatted. I noticed Max looking in my direction more than once, but I did not obsess over what it meant. When it was time to settle up, Max pulled out his wallet.
“Let me get this,” he said.
“Thanks,” I smiled.
“That’s what brothers are for, right?” he asked and locked eyes with me.
I could tell he wanted me to say something in particular, but I was not interested in saying anything more.
“Have a good day,” I called out to both of them as I left the cafe.
“Enjoy your adventure,” Max called back to me.
Chapter 6
I actually couldn’t wait to get to the meet-up group. I was excited to see what lists they had come up with. I felt like my presence there had inspired them to be a little more daring.
When I arrived at the group I found my three new friends sitting aimlessly in their folding chairs.
“Hi, guys,” I said. I was still riding my high of being officially free of Max’s hold over me.
“Hi,” Miles said glumly.
“Good to see you.” Lea sighed.
Pedro didn’t even bother to look up from his coffee.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, feeling slightly concerned.
“We didn’t do so great on our lists,” Pedro admitted.
“Nonsense, I’m sure you came up with something wonderful.” I sat down in the circle with them. “Let’s see the lists!”
“All I wrote down was mini-golf.” Miles frowned. “Well actually, glow-in-the-dark mini-golf. With all those monsters and black lights—it’s pretty unusual.”
“For an eight-year-old,” Pedro scoffed.
“Well, we can’t exactly do yours,” Miles shot back.
“I don’t think mine are that bad,” Pedro said. He handed me the list.
I opened it up and read off a few of the items.
“Steal a car,” I smiled a little. “Well, that’s bold. Let’s see—rob a store, huh?” I looked up at Pedro and raised an eyebrow. “I’m seeing a theme here.”
Pedro shrugged innocently.
“It gets worse,” Lea said with a sigh.
“How could it?” I asked and then read the next item on the list. “Steal a cop car,.” I laughed a little. “Okay, Pedro, you should just call this list how to get arrested or shot.”
“It would be an adventure, wouldn’t it?” He grinned. I shook my head and handed him back the list.
“Really, getting arrested only looks cool on reality shows and in action movies. In real life, you get strip searched and people watch you while you pee.”
“Oh no, I can’t perform with an audience.” Lea shook her head quickly. “Once I was in this bathroom with about thirty other people and I couldn’t go because everyone was talking—”
“Okay,” I said quickly. “Well, good thing we’re not doing anything on Pedro’s list then.” I laughed.
“But we have to do something,” Miles said.
“Sure we do,” I said. “But it should be something fun—maybe a little dangerous, but not something we’re going to regret for the rest of our lives.”
“What we need to do is something daring,” Lea said as she brushed back her hair. “We need to shake up this group a little bit.”
“Maybe we should do what Samantha is planning to do,” Pedro said as he looked over at me.
I stared back at him with shock. I hadn’t told anyone what I had actually planned to do, but I had made such a big deal about it that of course they were going to be curious.
“Uh, no, I don’t think that would be a good idea,” I said quickly. “It’s more of a private thing.”
“What is it?” Lea pressed. “You have to share with us, Samantha—don’t hold back.”
“I don’t know.” I hesitated again and looked between them. “It’s not something that I think you would be interested in.”
“That’s even better!” Lea insisted. “That’s what we need—something to shake us up!”
“Just tell us what it is,” Pedro said. “We’ll figure out if we’re up for it or not.”
I frowned as I stared at all of their eager faces. I was certain that they wouldn’t go for it, so what harm could there be in saying what it was?
“Alright.” I sighed and took a slight step back from the group. “But it’s really embarrassing.”
“Just tell us.” Pedro rolled his eyes impatiently.
“Okay, okay,” I finally said. “I have a list of things that I want to do. I’ve done some of them. But the next thing on this list is skinny-dipping,
” I kept my eyes trained toward the floor as I could feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment.
“Oh—uh—” Miles stammered.
“Alright!” Pedro offered a sly grin.
“That certainly is daring,” Lea muttered. She looked a little puzzled. “So that’s completely nude then?” she asked.
“Yes, Lea.” Pedro wiggled his eyebrows. “In the buff!”
“See, I told you, it’s not really your cup of tea. I mean, it isn’t even my cup of tea. But it’s on the list.” I grimaced. “How do you guys feel about playing some pool?”
“I think it’s perfect,” Lea announced.
“I think it’s worth a shot,” Pedro said.
“We should do it tonight,” Miles piped up.
“What?” I asked as I felt things snowballing out of my control. “It wasn’t really meant to be a group activity. I was just going to jump in and jump out.”
“But it’s perfect!” Lea said with excitement. “It can symbolize a brand new start for our group. Just think about the kind of people we will attract if we can be this bold—this much fun!”
“I don’t know that it will really be fun,” I hesitated. “I mean, I don’t even know where we could do it without getting caught. It is illegal, after all.”
“We won’t get caught,” Pedro said with a wave of his hand. “Cops have more important things to do than catch a group of nobodies jumping into a pool.”
“Hey, watch that negative talk, Pedro,” Lea said sternly. “We’re not nobodies. We are everybodies.”
“If you say so.” He shrugged. “The point is, the cops aren’t going to care.”
“Oh, and I know the perfect place!” Miles said with enthusiasm. “There’s an old motel right behind my apartment complex. No one ever goes there. It would be perfect! We could swim all we want,” he said with a laugh.
“Are you serious?” I asked, my anxiety growing. “I didn’t mean that we should do this I just—”
“Please, just relax,” Pedro said in a soothing voice. “You’re around friends here, Samantha. Why not take a leap into the unknown with a few decent people instead of alone?”
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