8. “Smoke Signals” #3
Shanti kept talking, “And we all got an email this morning from Bill and Zach that we’re having an Oasis-wide meeting in the courtyard tonight at seven thirty to discuss ‘this Angels business.’”
“What’s to discuss?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m supposed to craft a cocktail for it,” Jessie said.
“Raye’s been ordered to bring her pudding.
There’s a Google form to sign up to bring other nibbles.
And Bill and Zach laid down the law that you can’t have a cocktail unless you fork over five bucks, and you can’t partake in the snacks unless you bring something. ”
“So, in other words, Bill and Zach are humoring Martha’s demands, but mostly, they’re using this as an excuse to organize an Oasis party,” Shanti summed it up.
I was totally okay with that. The parties at the Oasis were fab.
“I wonder what I should bring,” I mumbled, vacillating between my brie-and-cranberry bites that were always a crowd pleaser or my butter-brushed-and-sea-salt-dusted pigs in a blanket, which not once garnered leftovers.
“Are you done?” Javi asked Jessie and Shanti, but now his tone said, Get out or I’m throwing you out .
Shanti smiled at him again.
Jessie scrunched her nose at him and looked to me. “We’re done once I get a hug.”
I started to move toward her, but Javi’s hold strengthened.
I looked up at him. “I’m good, Javi.”
His gaze moved over my face, another grunt came, this one said, Okay, but I’m watching , and he let me go.
I was dealing with how nice it felt, regardless of the fact Javi’s brand of protective clearly veered deeply into the over protective zone, when it came to me that Jessie was not a hugger.
So, obviously, she felt really bad about jumping my stuff last night.
I knew this was true when she didn’t let me go after the initial squeeze.
“I don’t have any excuses,” she said in my ear. “I couldn’t sleep, it upset me so much me and Raye acted like your mom.”
I clenched my teeth but held her close, because now I was upset that she was upset by that.
She knew all about my mom. And my dad. And my brother. She also knew all of them.
She could put up with the former two, barely, but she struggled so much with my brother, Easton, I did my best to make sure she didn’t have to spend too much time with him.
I’d done so well with this, she only had to suffer his company on my birthday. But I knew even that couple hours a year were two hours too many.
“I don’t know what came over me,” she continued.
I still didn’t let her go even as I shifted to catch her eyes. “You have something really special. Maybe you wanted that for me.”
“And maybe you should bust my chops for acting like your bitchy, judgy big sister when I’m not. I’m your edgy, loyal best friend,” she retorted.
“I guess the fact it was based on both you and Raye wanting something special for me makes it hard for me to expend any effort on busting anyone’s chops.”
Her pretty blue eyes shone with all the love she had for me, which was a lot.
And all was forgiven.
She let me go.
I hugged Shanti.
With Javi dogging my steps, I walked them to the door.
He closed it on them and locked it.
He then turned to me and stated, “They missed the part about telling you they brought some of your stuff.”
He jerked his chin toward the couch.
I looked that way and saw my big suitcase resting on its rollers, along with my roller carryon, which didn’t say “some” of my stuff, but quite a bit of it.
Even if that was slightly alarming (I had an apartment to put to rights—I was okay with staying with Javi after the initial shock of it all, however, that was not going to continue), I had no doubt they packed my cleanser and moisturizer, which I desperately needed.
I’d slept in my makeup, now two nights in a row, which was a massive no-no for me.
“You forgive easy.”
At Javi’s words, I turned back to him.
“Well—” I began.
“You’re here, in my tee, after giving me the best first kiss I’ve ever had.”
Oh my God!
I loved that it was the best first kiss he ever had, because it was the same for me.
Sadly, I didn’t have time to revel in that love. Javi continued talking.
“Instead of saying what you should have said to me yesterday. To go fuck myself. Yeah, you forgive easy, mi Lolita.”
Ulk.
This was embarrassing.
Why was this embarrassing?
I felt the heat in my cheeks even if I didn’t understand it.
Therefore, I strove to change the subject.
“You said something about breakfast?”
His beautiful lips split into a smile. “I got bagels and cream cheese, or bagels and cream cheese. Which one you want?”
A giggle escaped me, which upon hearing it, put an adoring expression on Javi’s face that I instantly cherished, and I said, “I think I’ll have a bagel and cream cheese.”
He slung an arm around my shoulders and started guiding me to the kitchen, saying, “Then that’s what you’ll get.”
We separated in the kitchen so he could man the toaster, and I could make coffee.
Something I learned about Javi.
He toasted an exceptional bagel.
And he had the perfect touch with cream cheese.