Chapter 30 #2
But before I could answer, she wiggled in my arms like a damn puppy, all loose limbs and long hair and elbows slamming in my soft tissue. "Jude. Listen, listen, listen. Something has happened. Gravity has stopped and I'm floating."
"That's—that's not how gravity works, baby." I knew this wasn't the moment to explain physics but I couldn't help myself. "If there was even a momentary loss of gravity, the planet would no longer be intact."
"But—no! I'm drifting off into space. I can't feel the ground anymore."
"No, baby, look. I'm just holding you."
At last, she opened her eyes and blinked up at me like a slightly possessed attic doll. "Why are you holding me?"
"Because the floor is hard and you were a little wobbly when you came back from lunch."
"It's nice," she said, smashing her face into my neck again. "It's fun to be small and precious sometimes."
I ran my lips over her hair and let myself breathe her in while I could. "You should be precious all the time."
She scoffed at that and went on burrowing into me. "No one wants me enough to care like that."
"I find that hard to—"
"I need to feel gravity again," she said with a violent jolt. I didn't want to draw comparisons between High Audrey and Overtired Percy but the parallels existed. "It isn't real until I feel it."
I set her on her feet but kept my arms around her. For safety reasons. Obviously. "Better? Or would you like to argue with me about the fundamentals of physics some more?"
She went up on her toes and then bent into a plié, sweeping an arm out at her side. I held her waist, feeling the pull and shift of her muscles. "I feel it again," she said, dropping deep into another plié.
My fingers flexed. "It never went away. I promise."
"How do you know?"
"Because things like that never change."
The door opened behind us and Mom rushed in. "We cleared out Gary's drink fridge." She motioned to him and the party-sized ice chest he rolled behind him. He swung the ice chest around and popped the top like he was selling bootleg iPhones. "He stocks all different flavors."
"I have raspberry tangerine," he said, holding up a can.
"Yeah, that's fantastic," I said to them as Audrey extended backward into a dramatic dip. "I'm taking her back to the hotel to sleep this off."
"Blood orange limeade," Gary went on.
"Oh, no, you can't go," Mom said. "Gary was going to cook for us tonight and we were going to show you some of the wedding plans."
"That's not fucking happening," I said.
Gary held up another can. "Mango blackberry."
"I need to tell you a secret," Audrey loud-whispered into my ear. "Your mom is sus-shushishisus-sushisus-suspicious." She held up her ring finger and closed an eye at the same time like the two were on a pulley system. "About the—"
I sealed my lips to hers. I didn't know what the rest of that sentence was and I didn't want to find out. I could've let the kiss linger but she'd resent the fuck out of me for it when she sobered up. I'd resent me too. Probably. "Shh, princess. That's for us to know."
"Ginger mule," Gary said.
Audrey slow-blinked, her lips parted and damp. "Okay." And then she brought both hands to my face, pressed her mouth to mine, and picked up where we left off.
She was messy and a bit wild. Her nails bit into my jaw, my cheeks, and feeling that raw hunger coming through her destabilized something in me. I knew I couldn't touch her like this, no more than I already had, but goddamn that didn't stop my mind from wandering to rich, indulgent places.
I needed her to remember this tomorrow. I just didn't know if I'd survive if she did.
"Orange vanilla."
I broke away but held her tight to me, her head on my shoulder and my hand in her hair. "I'm going to take you back to the hotel. I think we could use a nap."
Audrey murmured in agreement—and then snaked a hand between us and palmed my dick.
I yanked her wrist away before anyone noticed and trapped it against the small of her back. "Behave yourself."
"Will you stay with me?" she asked.
I ran a thumb over her lips. "Of course."
"I swear, if you two are already married," Mom started, "I'm going to start whooping bottoms. I don't care how old you are."
"Pineapple pomelo," Gary said.
"Pomeloooooo," Audrey sang, kicking out a leg and nearly knocking the seltzer from Gary's grip.
Rita appeared in the door, took one look at Audrey and tossed up her hands. "Dammit, Janet. You really have to organize your goodies better."
"It was an accident," Mom said.
"Which one was it this time?" Rita asked, her hands fisted on her hips. "The X, the shrooms, or the choose your own adventure gummies?"
"Lime," Gary said.
"The X," Mom replied, but then she held up a finger and squinted at the ceiling. "I think. I'd forgotten about the gummies."
"We're leaving," I said, motioning for Mom to grab Audrey's bag off the floor. "I can't believe I have to tell you this but get your psychedelics in order. No more accidental dosing. Not cool, Mom."
"I'll straighten it all out. I promise," she said, trailing behind me as I led Audrey to the door.
It was more of a shuffle-and-slide while she licked my neck, which wasn't making this any easier.
"She'll have a pleasantly woozy evening and then sleep like a baby.
Everything will be back to normal tomorrow. "
"Guava," Gary said.
"Guaaaaaava," Audrey drawled.
"Is she going to remember any of this?"
Mom slung Audrey's bag over my shoulder and squeezed my arm. "I always do," she said with a shrug. "But I never take two at the same time."
Audrey peered at us like she knew we were talking about her, nodded, and then let out a raw, bloody scream, jumping a solid foot off the ground and almost taking me down in the process.
"It found us," she cried, pointing to the house. "It followed us all the way here."
It took a beat but then I saw the huge mosaic lizard tiled into the side of the garage. I didn't know how we'd missed it before. Must've been the subtle desert colors and the fact it spanned the entire wall.
"That's one of my ongoing projects," Rita said. "I call him Mr. Darcy. He's not done yet. Big fellow. Pain in the ass but I'm hoping he's worth it in the end."
"Black cherry," Gary called through the open door.
Audrey clung to me, whispering, "Get me out of here."