by Russo, Jessa
On my way to the bar, I spotted the bathroom sign and decided on a quick detour. Geez, beer goes through you fast. Of course there was a line, so I took my place and leaned up against the wall which—eew—was apparently as sweaty as I was. Didn’t know walls could perspire, but there it was. Sweating. Gross.
I scanned the patrons waiting in front of me, people watching out of boredom, when the line of men parted like the Red Sea, catching my attention as they allowed the woman to pass by easily—without suffering any groping, which at this place was a shock in itself. She was just about hidden from my line of vision when I focused in on her long black hair, hanging down over a pale shoulder exposed by the nearly backless strapless dress she wore…
Someone stepped into my line of vision, blocking the darkly painted hallway just as the woman stepped out the back door and disappeared from my view. My stomach churned, and my need for the bathroom was momentarily forgotten.
It couldn’t be…
I pushed through the crowd, irritation and curiosity stirring inside of me. But mostly irritation. What the hell was Ariadne doing in Cabo?
I reached the back door and pushed it open, propelling myself outside. Either the door had been way lighter than it looked, or the alcohol made me clumsy, because I plummeted through the doorway and landed on my hands and knees in the dirt. I caught myself just before face-planting, and right in time to hear the door click closed behind me. I jumped up and pulled on the handle. Locked.
Of course it was locked.
Shit!
I turned around, looking in all directions for Ariadne—or whomever I’d just followed outside. I was beginning to wonder if I’d momentarily lost my mind. I was alone. In an alleyway behind a bar. In Mexico, of all places! What had I been thinking? I realized how foolish I’d been to think I’d seen Ariadne. I could have sworn it was her, but now that I was standing out here in the fresh air, I realized how crazy it was. Ariadne? In Mexico? At the same exact time as us? How likely was that?
Not very.
It must have been the alcohol. I’d need to go back to being anti-drinking because this was just stupid.
I pulled on the door again, hoping luck was on my side. Nothing. I knocked as hard as I could and waited. Nothing.
Damn. No one could hear me over the pulsating music coming from inside. Now I had to walk all the way around to the front of the bar. I placed a hand on the wall to steady myself, then began following the back of the building.
My skin prickled, and every hair on my body stood on end as a cold breeze skittered up my spine. I froze as my blood chilled and my pulse sped, the sensation of being touched by nonexistent, icy fingers disquieting. My breath swooshed in and out in loud, heavy gasps.
I gathered my nerve and whipped around to face the empty alleyway. Still alone. No icy fingers waited to tickle my back again.
What is wrong with me? I’d wandered away from Jessie and the safety of the group of people we kind of knew, and for what? I was going to die back here!
I wasn’t one for panic attacks, especially unprovoked. I was freaking out for no reason. I tried to take a deep breath, but my lungs were tight. I tried again. I inhaled a little more air this time. I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall of the building. I waited a few long seconds until my breathing was almost back to normal. I still had goose bumps all over, which was an odd sight against the glistening layer of sweat coating my skin. What’s wrong with me?
I straightened up, then took a few steps, but my ankle twisted slightly when I stepped in a small crevice in the hard dirt—just enough to throw me off balance. I reached out for the wall, but missed, and plummeted to the ground, catching myself with my palm out, and damn lucky I didn’t snap my wrist backward when I landed.
“Ooomph,” I exclaimed as I hit the ground, my legs a jumbled pretzel beneath me. Damn wedges. How does Jessie walk in these all the time?
My vision swam, and my head spun. It must be the alcohol. Yeah, that was it. I’d had at least four beers at the pool bar earlier, and a shot of something peach in color when we’d gotten to the bar, and…shoot. Another two beers after that? I think? Maybe more. Then there was the half a beer in the car from the airport, and…damn. I’d never had that much to drink before. I’d never even come close.
Okay, okay, see? You’re fine. Just walk back in and find Jess. It was time to go back to the hotel. I’d had too much to drink, Jessie was dancing on tables, and I’d gotten myself locked in an alleyway.
An alleyway in Mexico, you idiot! Who does that? I started to panic again and had to take a few more deep breaths.
So I was alone in an alleyway in Mexico. It wasn’t like I didn’t know how to get back to the bar. I just had to follow the structure around and I’d get to the front of the building. I looked up, noticing for the first time the purple wall I leaned against. How pretty, I thought absently—
My stomach rolled over, flooding my mouth with fluid. Oh shit.
I bent over just in time to miss vomiting all over myself. Though Jessie’s black platforms weren’t quite as lucky. When I was done expelling every.single.thing. I’d ingested today, I leaned back against the wall a few feet from the puke and slid down to sit on the dirt. I pulled my knees up to my chest and was relieved that I was wearing my new black capris so I wouldn’t be flashing my undies at any people. People? Look around you! You’re completely alone in an abandoned alleyway, genius! In Mexico! Get up!
Tilting my head back, I searched the wall above me for something to pull myself up with, but the wall was flat…and then everything tilted sideways. I slammed my hands to the ground on either side of me, flattening my palms to the ground and bracing myself. Make it stop. I focused on the wall on the other side of the alley, but looking that far away made my eyes cross, churning my stomach over once more. I lay down on my side, curling into a ball, and pressing my cheek into the cold dirt. I just needed to feel the coolness of the earth on my skin. I closed my eyes, but that sent me spinning once more.
I rolled over, facing the wall of the building and curling up again, tucking my purse into the curve of my stomach. I focused on a tiny speck on the wall. I just needed a few minutes to rest. If I could lay here for just a few minutes, the alcohol would move through my system. It had to, right? That makes sense. I pressed my cheek more firmly into the ground, letting the coolness ease the heat in my face.
I just need a few minutes…
I woke up in someone’s arms. I began to panic, but immediately heard Jessie yelling nearby and knew I was not alone. If I’d been kidnapped in Mexico, at least my best friend would be with me.
Cocooned in strong arms, my face was pressed tightly to a chest that smelled of vaguely familiar cologne. The rocking motion of being carried would have probably kept me comfortably lulled forever, if not for Jessie’s shrill voice waking me. She was pissed. I tried to open my eyes, but everything was hazy, and my stomach churned when I strained to focus on anything too hard. I closed my eyes tightly and waited for the nausea to pass. I wondered who carried me. Hopefully not the bartender from our hotel. I had a feeling he’d carry me right to his bed, not mine.
“You still haven’t explained to me what the hell you’re doing here!”
I heard a rumbling laugh in the chest of the person carrying me and recognized it even before he spoke. My heart leapt in my chest.
“Seriously, Jess? I practically rescued you from being mauled on the dance floor in there, and now I’m carrying your best friend all the way back to your hotel. I think a thank you would be in order.”
“Ha! A thank you? You’re freaking kidding me, right, Greg? Ugh. Forget it. Just set her down and I’ll call a cab.”
“Mmnnohhhhppuh.”
I tried to argue with Jessie, but I’m not sure what actually came out of my mouth. I didn’t know why Greg was in Mexico, or how they’d found me, but I didn’t want him to set me down until I was safely back at the hotel. Preferably in my bed.
“I think Ev’s disagreeing wit
h you, Jess. You’re outnumbered. And anyway, there’s no way I’d leave the two of you out here alone at three-thirty in the morning, even if she wasn’t completely comatose. I’ll make sure you guys get back to the hotel, and then I’ll leave…if that’s what you want.”
Three-thirty? Holy shit.
“If? There’s no if about it, Greg. I don’t know why you’re here, or why you think you rescued me, but yeah, after we get her into bed, you’ll be leaving.”
Her heels clicked loudly ahead of us as she stormed off, followed by another low chuckle deep in Greg’s chest. I was going to open my eyes again and ask him what he was doing in Cabo, but the motion of his arms did nothing to keep me from passing out again. I was remarkably comfortable. Or maybe I was just still drunk, and I would have been comfy anywhere. God only knows how long I’d slept behind the bar if it was already three-thirty in the morning.
“So she still hates me, huh?”
He whispered it, more to himself than me, I imagine, since I was pretty close to comatose.
The sun, hanging high in the sky, shone through the window when I opened my eyes, which proved I’d slept right past morning and into the early afternoon. My head didn’t feel like it wanted to crawl away from my neck, but I took the two Advil that someone left on the nightstand anyway.
Strangely enough, I didn’t dream last night. Maybe alcohol was good for something after all. Keeping Toby’s dream-walking to a minimum was definitely not a bad thing. Unless I just wasn’t remembering those dreams…
Oh shit! I’d also not remembered to call and check in with Mom or Frankie. Fail.
A note from Jessie was underneath the bottle of water on the nightstand. I propped myself up to read it, happily noticing once more that my head didn’t hurt nearly as much as I’d expected.
E–
I don’t know if you remember anything, but Greg is here. In Cabo! WTF, right!? I went to breakfast with him. Trying to figure out what’s going on.
Back soon.
xo
Greg. I had forgotten. What was he doing here? Stalking us? Well, I guess it wouldn’t be us he stalked. He was here for Jessie. My heart swelled a little at the thought of it, and the hopeless romantic in me hoped he’d flown down here to win her back and profess his love.
Wow, what a perfect b-movie love story.
The cynic in me thought Greg was still a liar and an asshole like his buddy Toby. But Jessie would make her own decision on that. And the fact of the matter was that Greg had carried me all the way back to the hotel last night, on top of finding me in a dark alleyway. Maybe doing so had even saved my life. I mean, we were in a foreign country after all, and I had fallen asleep. Passed out.
Potato, patato.
The door to our suite opened as I was getting up off the bed. Looking down, I noticed I was dressed in a pink nightie of Jessie’s. She must not have been able to find my jammies. Oh well, at least it was covering me in case Greg was with her. Barely, I thought as I glanced at the tiny triangles of fabric scarcely stretched across my boobs. I quickly threw my bikini on, covering it with a gray crochet cover-up. I needed a shower but figured a quick morning swim would be more fun, and we were on vacation after all. That crisp turquoise water called to me.
I walked out to the sitting area, startling Greg and Jessie, who had already stopped to make out against the side of the refrigerator. Well then. That hadn’t taken much time.
“Hey, guys.”
“Ever! You scared me!” She jumped out of Greg’s arms as if I were an angry parent about to scold her. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Seriously, Jess? I’ve seen you guys kiss before.”
“Hey, you. Glad to see you’re alive and functioning this morning.” Greg came toward me and scooped me up into one of his old, familiar bear hugs.
I hugged him back, deciding I was no longer angry with him for his involvement with Toby’s lies. Well, slightly less angry, at least. I’d always liked Greg a lot, and the happiness was obvious on Jessie’s face, so if she was happy, who was I to be unhappy?
Jessie must have read my thoughts in my expression, and her eyes lit up even more. “You’re okay with this?” she asked me, her teeth gnawing on her bottom lip.
Greg moved to stand beside her, and I noticed a little uncertainty in him, as well.
“You guys, seriously. Of course I’m okay with this. You know I support you, Jess.”
“Great! Because I told Greg he could stay with us!”
“Oh”—I paused, considering—“whatever. It’s cool.” One ticket to third wheel town, coming right up!
“Are you sure, Ev?” Jessie wrung her hands.
“Yes, yes, it’s fine. Seriously. And maybe having Greg around will keep the locals from trying to get us wasted.”
“Oh my gosh, Ever, what happened to you last night? One minute you’re headed for the bar, and the next minute I can’t find you anywhere!”
“Yeah, well, I think I had a little bit too much to drink. I was waiting for the bathroom when I started”—seeing things—“spinning. I needed fresh air. I made it to the back door, thinking there was a patio out there or something, and got locked out. No patio.”
“And that’s when you puked?” Jessie’s lips curved up into a smile. Jerk.
“Oh. Yeah. So you noticed?”
“Oh God, how could I not? I’m pretty sure you ruined my Michael Kors.”
“Aw man, I’m so sorry, Jess. I tried to miss them.”
“Please. Don’t let her fool you, Ever. She cleaned them last night. They’re fine. Just a little splattering is all.”
Eeeew.
“Well, thanks guys. For finding me and everything.”
“Sure! But you should thank Greg. When I couldn’t find you, I figured you’d gone out front with our mid-western friends or something, so I went back to dancing. Who knows how long it would have been before it occurred to me to go out the back of the bar? I was trashed, too, it seems.”
“No,” Greg teased.
“Nice. Maybe we should ease up on the drinking a bit, huh, Jess?”
“What? Speak for yourself! I’m on vacation! In Meh-hee-co!”
Greg and I looked at each other, both of us with eyebrows raised, and I knew he and I thought the same thing. But Jessie was Jessie, and there’d be no stopping her. At least Greg was here now to help me keep an eye on her.
“Aren’t you hung over?”
“Nah, the two Bloody Marys I had with breakfast fixed that right up.”
Two? My stomach rolled over at the mention of cocktails, indicating I may have a touch more of a hangover than I’d thought originally. I couldn’t believe she’d already had a cocktail, let alone two. After all the drinks last night, I wondered if I’d ever have one again. As I considered my own drinking habits, or lack thereof, I realized Jess and Greg had become quiet again. I looked up from my bottle of water to realize they were both staring at the floor. Uh-oh. I cleared my throat.
Jessie looked up at me, then glanced at Greg. Something was definitely going on, and as usual, I was the last to know.
“Okay, guys, spill it.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Right, Jess. I don’t think playing coy is going to work. Like there’s not something you’re both feeling funny about telling me? I can practically see the guilt oozing off you two. So, spill it.”
“It’s not guilt.”
“Okay…?”
“Well,” Greg started hesitantly, “it’s not guilt, Ev, it’s—”
“Greg’s here because he followed Ariadne!” Jess shot the words out as if they were poison and she had to get rid of them as fast as possible. Then she heaved a big sigh of relief, and slammed her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide.
“Wait. What did you just say?” The memory of following a black-haired person out the back door of the bar floated through my foggy brain. Ariadne. She was here? Really? I wasn’t crazy?
Greg sighed as if someone had just taken the wind out
of his sails, deflating him. “Look, Ev. Ariadne is in big trouble. What she’s done—with you, with Frankie—she’s totally screwed. She’s desperate. We have to get you home.”
“Wait. What?” I felt like a broken record. “What do you mean she’s screwed? Desperate? I’m lost here, you guys.”
Jessie stood, then walked to the coffee pot and I was relieved that she knew what I needed. My brain, still muddled from a slight hangover, needed a boost of caffeine stat.
“Okay, well, how much did Toby tell you about us? About what we do?”
At the mention of his name, I felt the usual mixture of conflicting feelings. Some part of my heart still skipped a beat at the thought of him, but mostly I felt trepidation, and I figured my heart’s stupid reaction was only due to the sexy-time dreams I continued having on a regular basis. I’d moved past my feelings for him, but somewhere deep down, I was still intrigued by the thought of him—who he is, what he does, the mystery surrounding him, etc—but I’d had to push that aside to focus on Frankie and moving on. Hearing Greg mention Toby brought feelings to the surface that I didn’t want to acknowledge.
No. That wasn’t entirely true. Seeing Greg here in front of me had brought back those feelings long before he’d said the name of their source aloud.
“Ev?” Jess was standing in the kitchen waiting for the coffee to percolate and watched me now with eyebrows raised. I must have been lost inside my head for a minute there.
“Yeah, sorry. Um…” I thought back to what Toby had told me, though I didn’t have to think hard. His explanation remained fresh in my mind. “Well, I guess he told me what you guys are, and a bit about what you do. But not much more than that. Then everything happened so fast, and you guys were gone. I guess I never learned much more about it.”
“What about Ariadne? Did he tell you anything about what kind of consequences she could face after what she’s done?”
“No. Nothing like that.”
Greg’s face tightened. I saw a little bit of that disdain in his eyes—that mutual dislike I’d seen early on between them. The barely-stifled anger they both harbored just beneath the surface whenever they were together. I’d never gotten to the bottom of it, but had assumed it was something to do with the fact that they’d both hooked up with Ariadne.
