Chapter 6
GUS
Whoa. This was the first Saturday I’d woken up without a hangover or a real itinerary in…
weeks. After a mini Rafe sighting over coffee, where he’d reminded me for the fuckteenth time that his party started at four p.m., he disappeared to run errands.
Cagey little shit. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was up to something.
Whatever.
I went to the gym, ate brunch with the guys, then hung out at Ty and Brady’s place and watched a basketball game till it was time to deal with my roommate obligation.
I tried to get Brady to join me, but he passed…
and reminded me that a bunch of guys were meeting up at The Tavern to see a band that allegedly didn’t suck.
“Meet us there at nine.”
I’d given him a thumbs-up, wondering if I could get away with ordering a club soda while I was out with my friends.
I turned my truck down the country lane leading to the Bluffs, a divide between the residential area where most of Smithton lived and a whole lot of farmland. Our nearest neighbor were a quarter of a mile away…unless you counted the cows and sheep grazing in the nearby field.
The row of cars at the curb and parked under a canopy of trees were the only hint that something was happening. Not necessarily a party, though. There was no heavy bass raising the roof, no laughter, no buzz of that rip-roarin’ good time Rafe had promised.
Then again, he’d mentioned inviting someone’s grandma, so I supposed I should have been prepared for anything.
Even a dozen people in my living room with their asses in the air.
O-kay…
I pushed the door open and was met with a soundtrack I associated with feel-good massages, streaming from a portable speaker.
Something atmospheric and mellow, like birds chirping over the sound of wind and rain.
And the petite woman in yoga gear facing the small group on mats looked like a woodland fairy, offering words of encouragement, like, “Your breath is your power. Melt your heart to your thighs.”
What the fuck?
I dropped my workout bag in the foyer and circled the group as they collectively lowered their torsos to their mats.
I spied a girl with long, purple hair in the family room speaking in hushed tones to another group of yoga folks who were sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed…
meditating? Rafe’s best friend, Celine, and a silver-haired woman who might have been his seventy-five-year-old buddy were there, but Rafe was nowhere in sight.
I moved on to the kitchen, where a buff dude with a bandana around his forehead greeted me with an up nod.
“Namaste. Would you like a tofu nibble?” he whispered in a deep timbre.
“It’s softened tofu with soy sauce, rice vinegar, green onions, and garlic.
Great on a sesame cracker. I also made a creamy edamame dip, crispy tofu bites with chipotle sauce, and vegan crab cakes using chickpeas and hearts of palm. ”
I glanced at the neatly arranged appetizers, unsure if I was impressed or grossed out. There wasn’t a bag of Doritos or a can of onion dip in sight.
“I…um…”
“Try the baba ganoush.” He slid a bowl forward and handed me a slice of pita bread.
“Baba what?”
“Baba ganoush,” he explained in a barely audible voice. “It’s eggplant, olive oil, tahini…”
Eggplant? I wrinkled my nose like a petulant five-year-old, but it wasn’t bad.
“Tasty,” I conceded. “Uh…who are you?”
“Jackson.” His disarming grin showcased his pearly whites and dimples, making him ten times more attractive than I’d have thought otherwise.
“I’m a friend of Rafe’s. He asked me to make vegan appetizers.
He knows I’m committed to animal welfare and environmental sustainability… and I like good food.”
“Oh, okay. And why are we whispering?”
Jackson gestured to the purple-haired woman. “Harmony’s teaching a class on meditation. With that in mind, we’ve asked that everyone refrain from using the blender until she’s finished. After that, definitely try Rafe’s banana-kale smoothie. It’s amazing.”
Yeah, I’d seen the green sludge he made and called a meal. No, thanks.
I glanced at the menu board propped beside the blender Aunt Celeste had bought me last Christmas. Bananas, blueberries, strawberries, ginger, spinach.
“So, Jackson…” I craned my neck from the yoga class in the living area to the meditation party in the family room and back to the vegan spread. “Is this a hippie party?”
He smiled. “No, it’s more of a wellness retreat.”
“What the actual fuck is that?”
“An opportunity to align your body and mind using your inner strength and core energy.” The words tripped off Jackson’s tongue as if he were reciting poetry rather than spouting a load of crap. Note: he was still smiling.
All-righty then.
“Cool. Have you seen Rafe?”
He shook his head. “Not recently, but he might be in the backyard.”
“Thanks.”
“Peace,” Jackson replied, raising a tray filled with mini nutty carrot cakes. “Would you like to try a vegan cupcake?”
Nope, not even a little, but they looked harmless enough and I was hungry. I took two, thanked Jackson and made my way to the sliding glass door, pausing to lick frosting from my thumb as Harmony guided the group nearby through a meditation moment.
“…release attachment to your thoughts. Let go of whatever doesn’t serve you. Observe your feelings without labels. There is no good or bad, no right or wrong…”
I popped a cupcake into my mouth and opened the door to a more typical party setting.
A bunch of people gathered in small clusters, talking and laughing.
It had more of a garden party vibe than the raucous banger I’d been sold.
Everyone was fresh-faced and glowing, sipping sparkling waters and pink concoctions with floating cucumber slices.
I recognized a few faces from school. The cute blond gabbing with a redhead on the lawn was in my writing theory class, and I bumped into the guy wearing a plaid shirt and yoga pants at the gym on the regular.
Oh, and the girl with a high ponytail and her friend with bright-pink lips and cat-eye glasses had been at the house for more than one of my parties.
I had a fuzzy memory of doing a tequila shot with the ponytail girl and half of it going up my nose when her friend had slipped a hand into Brady’s basketball shorts and bragged about her coke connection.
They were a bit more subdued now.
I was about to say hello but stopped at the sight of Rafe holding hands—no, holding pinkies—with a tall guy with wavy brown hair on the opposite end of the deck. Rafe’s smile was kind of dreamy and his eyes twinkled and—
Huh.
Rafe had a boyfriend? Why didn’t I know that? Why hadn’t he said anything?
Roommates knew shit like that about each other.
Of course, I hadn’t known that he wore glasses or that he was into yoga or meditation either.
I hadn’t been paying attention. And I’d been too fucked up and self-absorbed to ask the guy I lived with if he was dating anyone.
Fuck, I thought I’d congratulated him on the trophy he’d brought home, but I wasn’t sure I’d asked how his season had gone. If I had, I hadn’t listened.
And suddenly, I felt pretty damn awkward…and small.
I shoved the other cupcake into my mouth, squared my shoulders, and strode across the deck toward him.
I was still chewing as the ponytail girl stepped in front of me, hand outstretched.
“Kelsi with an i, in case you forgot.”
“How could I forget?” I lied, squeezing her fingers.
She held on tightly. “Tsk tsk. Where’s your yoga gear?”
“I was just about to change.” Another lie.
“Need any help?”
“I’m good. Thanks, though.” I wriggled out of her grip with a laugh and turned to where Rafe had been seconds ago. “Just looking for my roomie.”
Kelsi spun in an exaggerated circle. “He was with Eli, but—oh, Eli! Come meet Smithton’s very own party animal. Oh, my God. The last time I was at this house, I couldn’t handle loud noises or sunlight the next day. And the day after that.”
I winced at what was no doubt an accurate description as I scanned the yard.
“Sorry I missed it. I’m Eli, by the way, and I think we’ve met.”
I abandoned my search for Rafe and gave the newcomer my full attention.
Eli.
The guy from the cheese section at the market.
For the first time in a week, my smile didn’t feel forced. “Hey, you’re the bacon hater.”
“That’s not entirely true. Moderation is key,” he replied in a honeyed tone.
“I don’t think that rule applies to bacon.”
His lips quirked on one side. “Oh, really?”
“No, more is always better. I know what I’m talking about. No other food is as versatile.” Wow, this was good. My synapses were firing at full capacity as I continued, “Can you put potato chips in vanilla ice cream? No. Bacon…yes.”
Kelsi agreed but must have sensed that this was a one-on-one discussion. She mumbled something about refilling her cucumber berry spritz, leaving me with the hottie who—
Screech.
Wait up. Kelsi said Rafe was with Eli, and Eli was tall with wavy hair, and he’d been holding pinkies with Rafe and—
Shit.
This guy had flirted with me last week. I hadn’t imagined it. And when I’d asked him if he knew Rafe, there’d been no boyfriend shoutout. If anything, he’d given the impression that they were acquainted but not close. Maybe it was brand-new.
If so, why was he giving me a hungry stare with a side of “I’d like to climb you like a tree”?
What was happening here?
“Have you ever been to a yoga retreat?” Eli asked.
“Uh…no. I’ve never done yoga at all.”
“I bet you’d like it.”
Did he just purr? I was pretty sure that was a fucking purr.
“Maybe.”
“I’m relatively new to it also. I took my first class three years ago, thinking it would be so easy. I was wrong. It was very humbling.” Eli’s self-deprecating tone was oddly reassuring. Okay, I’d probably imagined the purr.
“Right.”
“The key is to breathe. Deep inhales, deep exhales…” Eli hiked a thumb toward the house and stepped into my space. “Want to try it now?”
Definitely a purr.
“Uh…”
“You’re here.” Rafe appeared out of nowhere, holding two glasses of sparkling water. He handed one to Eli and fixed me with a curious look.
“I am. My first ever yoga party,” I replied.
Eli tipped his chin playfully. “I think he likes it. Hey, I’m going to grab something to eat. Want anything?”
“No, thanks.”
Eli inclined his chin with a smile, squeezed Rafe’s pinky finger and my elbow before making an exit. “Don’t go anywhere.”
Rafe hummed in response, his brow knit as he watched Eli walk away. “You know him.”
It was a statement. Not a question.
“Eli? No. I met him last weekend at the market, though. I didn’t know you were together…like boyfriends.”
“We’re not.”
“Ah, well, that’s good.”
Rafe narrowed his eyes. “Why is that good?”
“ ’Cause he was totally flirting with me.”
“Oh?”
“For the sake of transparence, I flirted too.”
“Did you?” Damn it, he looked pissed.
“Yeah, but it was innocent and I have zero interest in butting into your action or—”
“Stop,” Rafe hissed. He held a palm in front of my face. “Just…stop. Has anyone ever told you that you’re a real turd? A super shit, a monumental dump of epic portions…like a rhinoceros-sized poop floating in a pristine pool. You might have everyone else fooled, but I see who you really are.”
My face heated on cue. I’d been beating the crap out of myself for a week, and I fully agreed with almost every word that came out of his mouth.
Except…
“I don’t think rhinoceros shit would float, man. It would sink for sure.”
Rafe gritted his teeth, his nostrils flaring angrily. “Go…stick your head in a toilet.”