by Cat Mann
Chapter 21
Intense
I woke at dawn, blinking my eyes and yawning. I was stiff and could feel the hard rope material of the hammock pushing firmly into my skin. Ari was still deeply asleep. I noticed Rory, across the yard, on the deck behind his house. Julia was wrapped up in his arms and he was covering her in kisses while she smiled and giggled at his affection. I quickly looked away to give them privacy.
A minute later, they took off for a run. That’s when my own personal truth really dawned on me. Ari was right. I did need his help. I couldn’t keep my life teetering on the delicate point of balance I had created any longer. I was miserable in London without Ari. But I had to learn to keep the proper distance between him and my problem with the Kakos family, or what was left of it. I also had to work on keeping my mind clear and sharp when Ari was near me. When I was with him, he was my whole world. I am positive that Margaux had been right – if I hadn’t been so pre-occupied with Ari, the Kakos would never have gotten to Lauren in the first place.
I was running these thoughts through my mind when August walked out onto the deck, holding a cup of coffee and the paper in his hands. I spoke up so that he would be aware he wasn’t alone.
“Morning, August,” I said quietly – and he jumped about ten feet in the air anyway.
“Oh, merde, mon Dieu, Ava!! You scared me. I didn’t know you two were out here; I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said as he turned around to head back inside the house.
“No stop, you aren’t interrupting anything. First of all, Ari is asleep and secondly, what you are seeing here is not a compromising situation, it’s just what hammocks do to people.”
“Oh, really?” He gave me a smug little stare. “You could have fooled me. Look at yourself. You’re in a bikini at six in the morning, you’re covered in sand, and don’t even get me started on your hair.”
I took my hair and threw it in a messy bun at the nape of my neck.
“No reason to get nasty,” I snapped as I made my way off the hammock to join August at the wrap-around couch by the outside fireplace.
“Ok fine, so dish,” he said, “what did you do last night?”
“Nothing,” I shrugged, “we just went to the beach for a while and then came up here and fell asleep on the hammock. It was completely innocent.”
“Whatever, Ava,” August said as he rolled his eyes at me. “I thought we were friends; you don’t have to lie to me.”
“What is that supposed to mean? I’m not lying. Our relationship just isn’t like that yet.”
August let out a great big laugh and I had to turn around to make sure he hadn’t awakened Ari.
“What?!” August managed to choke out, “Let me get this straight. You have killed five people, your arms are covered in bullet-hole wounds and tattoos, you sleep in this guy’s room when you’re in town and you haven’t even gone to third base yet? What’s the hold-up?”
“I don’t know,” I said biting my lip.
“Ava, you can tell me, I promise I won’t tease you anymore,” August said, and wiped the little smirk from his face. He underlined his good intentions by straightening up in his chair and giving me his full attention.
I paused for a moment, playing with the fabric of my seat.
“Uh, ummm…I mean…I know Ari loves me. But he said he would wait and he is being really patient with me. It’s just … I don’t know…well actually there are lots of reasons. Things just seem to always get in the way.”
“Like?”
“Well, for starters, I don’t want my first time to be at his parent’s house; that’s just creepy. And I know this may sound dumb, but I am only seventeen. I have my whole life to make it perfect and I don’t want to rush our relationship. Plus, he has more experience than I do. I guess I’m worried I’ll do something embarrassing. . .and well, the truth is, I’m scared.”
“Ava,” August began, “I am not trying to sway you one way or the other, so please don’t take this the wrong way. You are the smartest and most mature person I have met. I totally get everything you are saying, but don’t stress about this. Sex is supposed to be a fun thing, and no matter where you are in life, as long as you truly love him, I think your first time will be special.”
He went on, “Clearly, what you and Ari have is more than just ‘a relationship.’ I mean, I knew when we were in London that you were nuts about the guy, but I had no idea your relationship was so intense. Your little embrace last night had all of the guests gaping at you in awe. Seriously, Ava, you could hear a pin drop; people just couldn’t take their eyes away from your show of love for each other. You have some strong chemistry or something. Your love… it’s just, it’s so powerful. The way you two look at each other. It’s almost as if there is no one else in your universe. I have never seen anything like it before; frankly, I’m jealous.”
I blushed.
“You should have seen Ari when he got home and found out you were here. Ava, he nearly killed me.”
“What? No way. . .what happened?”
August rubbed what remained of his fat lip.
“He came home from class and I was in the kitchen with Lauren, Rory and Julia. You wouldn’t wake up and Aggie and Andy went to check on you for the hundredth time. They really wanted you to wake up and surprise him. Ari was just staring at me and no one wanted to talk because we were all so afraid we would ruin the surprise. Ari demanded to know who I was so finally Rory introduced us.”
“Oh, boy.”
“Yeah, I didn’t realize how badly Rory could botch up an introduction. ‘Uh, hey Ari,’ August said, impersonating Rory, ‘This is August, Ava’s boyfriend. . . um, I mean, roommate.’”
“Ari put his fists up and his eyes I swear turned red. Rory tried to hurry up and correct himself, but it was pointless: ‘I meant flatmate. . .and now Ava’s unconscious and we can’t get her to wake up.’ Then he told Ari how everyone saw you in your underwear. I swear Ava, Rory can be a complete fool. Ari yelled and ran at him, then punched him and gave him that black eye.
“It was like out of a movie. Aggie and Andy came running back into the kitchen and Julia started screaming. I tried to stop Ari from punching Rory again, so he turned and hit me instead – hence the fat lip. Aggie told me later that Rory and Ari hadn’t spoken to each other since Ari found out that Rory and Julia visited you in London. Ari is super mad at the both of them for visiting you without telling him.
“Anyway, Aggie calmed Ari down and explained the situation to him. As soon as she finished, he left the kitchen to find you and refused to leave your side until you woke up. He wasn’t lying when he said that he was crazy about you. He is beyond crazy, Ava. You are his soul mate.”
August stopped to catch his breath, then added, “Nevertheless, you’d better figure this whole sex thing out because I don’t want to spend another six months with you, listening to how you wish you had.”
“Oh, uh … that reminds me. Ari is coming with us this time, so if you have something else in your life that you would rather be doing than babysitting, this will be your big chance.”
“Oh, my gosh, Ava, are you firing me as a friend?”
“What? No way … it’s just, you must be pretty sick of me by now.”
“Ha! Hardly! There’s never a dull moment around you, what with fire and poison and killing and such. So what is the plan, anyway?”
“I don’t know exactly. I think maybe we’re going to try to hide out for a while. I could use a break. If we can get a glimpse of what No. 6 is planning, we might be able to stay ahead of him. Honestly, it’s all I can think of to do right now. I could really use a murder-free summer.”
Rory and Julia, back from their run, came up the steps to the deck.
“What are you two going on about?” Rory puffed, breathless. I recapped the conversation Ari and I had had the night before and, surprisingly, they both agreed that Ari and I should remain together. More than that, they both wanted to come along. Since Julia and Rory’s college semeste
r didn’t start until mid-August, their summer was wide open. I tried with little success to imagine the five of us in one flat.
“You guys can be the ones to talk to Ari about it; I’ve got to get into the shower; this sand is killing me.” Normally, I would have gone running to get my thoughts in order about leaving with Ari, but I had decided to put running on the shelf for a few weeks, at least until I was able to put some of my weight back on. Besides, I was exhausted; all those months of sleepless nights in London were finally catching up with me.
The shower, turned on as hot as I could stand, took all the sand and grime from my skin. The strong spray was so revitalizing that I had to force myself to climb out and dry off. I used Ari’s robe to get down the hall to his room.
I dressed then tucked my feet underneath me in the chair in Ari’s room, and opened up my MacBook. I had to figure out exactly where we needed to go. I knew right away that Europe was out of the question. I had spent too much time there already, and after my romp in the sand the night before, I wasn’t going anywhere near the gulf. There was no way I could handle a road trip, especially if Rory and Julia got their way and tagged along with us. I sat and tapped my fingers on my lips, thinking of somewhere I could go that would be hidden away, somewhere private and unassuming. I found myself wishing I still had my place in Chicago; it would be the perfect place for all of us to stay together, and a place where I could easily blend in with the masses. Margaux, of course, had sold my home three days after my mother passed away to a colleague of hers who worked for the Chicago baio office.
That’s when I remembered my mother’s note about our home in Montréal. After she died, I went to her bank and found that she had left all of her assets to me. I needed to get all my affairs in order before my move to California. I was left with several trust funds from both my mother’s and father’s estates, some to pay to me at eighteen and then some at twenty-one. My mom had also already set me up with a college fund that would pay for any private university of my choosing. I remember sitting in the cold bank office off State Street wishing I could give every last cent away for one more moment with my mom.
I also inherited my mother’s jewelry and the home that she and I had lived in back in Montréal. She left me a note and the keys and directed me to keep my owning the home private and not to share the information with Margaux. Not only did I not share the information, I nearly forgot about the home myself.
I rummaged around, found my safety deposit box keys and tossed them into my purse. My earliest instinct upon reaching Dana Point months ago had been to put fast cash, the house keys and the jewelry left to me by my mother in a place where Margaux could not touch them.
In my suitcase, I found the papers my mother had left for me. They had spent a very long time literally untouched in the bottom of my luggage bag. Now I shuffled through them until I found the sheet with the Montréal house information on it, typed up an email to the caretaker explaining that I would be staying for the summer, and asked that the home please be ready for my arrival. I got a very quick response from him saying that the home would be ready in a week and if I had any special request to let him know. I sent him another email requesting a fully stocked kitchen for five and to have the piano tuned. Then I began to check possible flights.
Lauren crept in while I was checking out prices and snuggled up next to me on the chair.
“Hey, Ava, what are you doing?”
“I’m just checking out flight information,” I answered honestly, knowing that telling her our plans would be easier now than it would be later.
“Don’t leave again,” she sighed.
“I have to, Lauren; I’m really sorry. But it will be different this time. You’ll be able to call me whenever you want and I promise I will always answer.”
“Ok,” she said in a depressed little voice. I realized suddenly how little time I had spent hanging out with her since I had been back. Peeling myself away from Ari had just been so difficult.
“So what are you doing today?”
“Nothing,” she sighed again and ran her fingers through my hair.
“Good, so you won’t mind going with me? I have to go to town to pick something up. We can go shopping afterwards. . .”
Lauren let out a great big squeal and threw her arms around me.
She went to find her shoes while I tracked down Ari. He was still on the hammock, but he was awake at least, talking with August. I let him know I was taking Lauren shopping and he kissed me on the cheek. I invited them to join us, knowing that Lauren would not care, but they passed on that idea. Ari said that they had something going on and would meet us in town for dinner. I gave him a perplexed look. Just the other day, he and August had seemed to hate each other and now they are making plans to hang out together. I shrugged and turned to leave. I realized I had no clue where my car was, or my keys for that matter.
“Uhh, Ari, where are my keys?” I asked, turning back around to look at him.
He sat up straighter in the hammock and rubbed at the stubble on his face.
“Sorry, Baby, but umm, Margaux came here a few days ago pissed as all get out. She said you had set her London property on fire and she was pretty furious about it. She had one of her henchmen collect your Mercedes.”
I stared at him in disbelief and he laughed at me.
“I’m sure she’ll get over it. You can take my car – keys are in the little glass bowl on the counter.”
“K, thanks Ari.”
“Sure, Baby. I love you. Please be safe.”
I blushed and Lauren and August both groaned in annoyance.
Lauren and I went to the bank first and she came in with me. I dug the keys to the safety deposit box from the depths of my purse and, with Lauren in tow, followed the receptionist back into the vault. Lauren’s eyes got big when she saw the spare cash and the pile of jewelry. I grabbed the house keys and shoved them in my bag. She strummed her fingers through the shiny pieces that once belonged to my mom.
She picked up a bracelet that haunts my sleep at night, the one my mom had worn on the day she died. I remembered hearing the wailing sirens of the ambulances, fire trucks and police cars, I ran out of my home and down to the street corner where I knew the accident had occurred. The paramedics allowed me to ride in the back with my mother, knowing that we would not have much more time left together.
A paramedic pronounced her death and I screamed at him, my eyes were blurry with unrelenting tears. I called him a liar. I screamed until my throat was raw. They had to pull me out of the ambulance once we arrived at the hospital. I was allowed to see my mother one last time before her funeral. I walked in to a quiet room by the morgue. She was still wearing a diamond-studded bracelet that she had bought for the evening of the fundraiser. I had gone with her the day before and helped her pick out the jewelry myself. I took the bracelet from her wrist and held it in my palm for days after her death.
I wanted nothing to do with it.
“You take this, Lauren.”
“No way, Ava. I could never take that.”
“Of course you can. It’s mine and I want you to have it. I will never wear it, Lauren. You will get far more use out of it than I would.”
“Are you sure?” she asked hesitating.
“It’s either that, or I’ll just end up giving it to Julia.”
“I’ll take it!” Lauren said quickly, and I grabbed some of the money to take with us shopping.
While I was away in London, Margaux had gone to court on my behalf to lodge a suit in the matter of my mother’s death. She had sued both the City of Chicago and Dr. Spruce’s insurance company. Had I been home, I would have protested. I didn’t need any more reminders of that horrible day.
Successful in the suit, Margaux had opened another trust in my name and put the money in there. She said it was an undisclosed settlement but that I would be set for life. She sounded proud of herself, but in my heart, I knew I would give every dime of that money away for one more d
ay, one more hour or even one more minute with my mom.
Lauren and I spent most of the afternoon in dressing rooms. I bought her three swimsuits and enough flip-flops to choke a horse. I got myself a few bikinis, too, even though I wasn’t planning on getting in the water. They came in handy for lying out in the sun when the guys were surfing or playing around in the pool.
After we went to all of our favorite stores, we decided to get pedicures, and then, properly primped and dressed, we met Ari and August at The Yacht Club for dinner. Ari pulled up in his mom’s white Audi convertible and had August, with his green-streaked hank of hair, sitting shotgun next to him. They made a very odd-looking pair and watching them as we all walked in together made me laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Ari asked with a puzzled looked on his face as he kissed me on the cheek.
“Was I laughing? I guess I’m just happy to see you. . . did you have a fun day with August?”
“Yeah, sure,” he shrugged and we found our table.
We all sat down to dinner together at a quiet table in the back.
“So, what did you two do today?” Ari asked Lauren.
She shrugged her shoulders, “Nothing, we just went shopping.” Lauren reached her hand across the table for her water glass and Ari grabbed onto her wrist.
“Tell me you did not let Ava buy that, Lauren.”
“Ouch, Ari, stop! She didn’t buy it for me exactly.”
Ari turned his glare towards me waiting for a better explanation.
“It was mine; I gave it to her earlier today.”
“You don’t just give fifteen-year-old girls diamond bracelets, Ava.”
“Sure you do, Ari. And I don’t want it.”
“Give it back to her, Lauren,” he spoke in a fatherly tone.
Lauren put on a pout face and started to unclasp the bracelet.
“Ari, stop,” I said, “don’t make her do that. I want her to have it. I honestly don’t want it anymore.”
“Fine. But Lauren, Aggie is going to kill you for accepting a gift like that.”
“At least I’ll die in style,” she said, laughing. Ari shook his head at me and let the conversation drop.
We ate a meal, I think – but truly, I don’t remember a bit of it. I was exhausted; I had worn myself to near extinction in London and after sleeping on a hammock the night before and shopping all day, I felt as though I might fall asleep at the table. After we finished, August and Lauren announced that they wanted to stay at the harbor for a summer festival. Ari could tell I didn’t have the energy to go and he offered to stay with them, leaving me free to go home.
I happily drove Aggie’s car back fast. I stopped to talk to Aggie and Andy for a bit, then excused myself and crawled into Ari’s bed.
Oh, sheets and blankets and pillows, how I’ve missed you.
I turned on Ari’s TV and found the Cubs game, but didn’t even last through the first inning.
I woke up when Ari walked into the room. The game was in the bottom of the ninth, Cubs down by seven. I groaned and turned the TV off and, in a moment of crabbiness, tossed the remote across the room.
“What was that for?” Ari said while he peeled his shirt off and dodged the remote simultaneously.
“Stupid Cubs game,” I grumbled as I made room for him to join me on my pillow.
He curled his body around mine and petted my hair while I fell back asleep.
