Chapter 6 #2
“Oh god,” Simone called. “Is it gonna rain? Should we go back?”
“No, this is what we wanted!” the guide said. “Don’t worry, it’s not a lightning storm.”
But there was considerable chatter among the group, as the guide hadn’t inspired a great deal of confidence so far.
“What do you think?” Gabe asked Anya. “Should we risk death?”
“I’m game if you are.” She felt lightheaded—she wasn’t sure if it was all the wine with dinner, or the relief of finally getting everything out in the open with Gabe, but suddenly everything felt silly and easy.
And then she felt the first raindrop.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Here it is! Oh! Oh.”
As the sky got darker, the surface of the water began to glow. And every time a raindrop hit the surface, it sparkled like a little diamond.
“Gabe,” Anya breathed.
“I know!” he exclaimed, looking like a kid again—a happy one this time.
The sky opened up, and the rain started to pour heavily all over them, soaking Anya to the skin, but she didn’t care, because the bay was exploding with a thousand sparks of light.
It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” Anya said, and Gabe nodded. “Would it be weird if I said a prayer right now?”
Gabe looked at her with a sort of wonder. “I didn’t know you were religious.”
“I’m not, really.” She spoke loudly to be heard over the rain. “It’s this thing my mom taught me, this Hebrew prayer we always say when we do something new, or we’re feeling grateful. It’s called the shehechyanu.”
“Is that what you sang before?” Gabe asked.
“When?” Anya scrunched up her nose, trying to remember.
“The other day.” Gabe leaned forward. His hair was soaked, strands of it stuck to his forehead. She fought an urge to reach out and push them back. “You were swimming in the pool, and then you stopped and sang something?”
She suddenly felt self-conscious. “I didn’t know you could hear me.”
“Yeah.” He gazed at her, and her whole body tingled. “You should definitely sing it. It was beautiful.”
Anya’s heart was thumping, and her voice was low and shaky as she sang the words she knew so well, acutely aware that Gabe’s eyes were on her the whole time.
“What does it mean?” he asked when she was finished.
“It’s thanking God for this moment,” she explained, her heart full as the rain kept falling all around them. “The word shehechyanu literally means ‘that we are alive.’ ”
“That we are alive,” Gabe repeated, nodding slowly. “That we are alive.”
—
There were sandy beach towels in the back of one of the Jeeps, so the group shook them out and dried off as best they could before they headed to a nearby beach bar.
The night had a giddy quality—the last night of vacation, the miraculous thing they’d just seen, the whole island smelling fresh and green after the quickly passing rainstorm.
The bar was mostly outdoors and dimly lit with cheery golden string lights.
Anya, Simone, Gabe, and Kira were drinking mezcal with pineapple juice at a little table by the bar, everyone feeling buzzy from the liquor and the fact that all four of them could finally sit together.
“You know what we need?” Gabe asked the group.
“Big cups of water and some ibuprofen?” Anya ventured.
“My boring, responsible angel.” Simone wrapped her arms around Anya’s shoulders and pulled her close; Anya leaned her head against Simone’s ample bosom.
“You smell sooooo good,” Anya giggled.
“Doesn’t she?!” Kira agreed. “It’s like otherworldly.”
“It’s literally Johnson & Johnson.” Simone sighed dramatically.
“You’re lying.” Anya sat up and stared at Simone. “It’s for sure perfume.”
“It’s my natural essence.”
“It might be sunscreen,” Kira pointed out. “I love how it smells when you get home from the beach and you’re all salty and coconutty, you know?”
“Yes,” Anya agreed.
“So we’re not gonna answer my question?” Gabe asked, looking amused.
“What question?” Anya gave him a big innocent look, then burst out laughing. “No, wait. I actually forget what question.”
“I was saying, we need shots.”
“Oh my god, nooooo,” Anya protested.
Kira high-fived Gabe. “We’re doing it. I’ll come with.”
They strode off toward the bar. As soon as they were out of earshot, Simone poked Anya’s arm.
“So?” she asked. “You two buried the hatchet?”
“I guess? He apologized, so that was nice.” Anya took a sip of her drink and smiled as Simone gave her a smug grin. “Feeling pleased that your little scheme worked out?”
“Whatever could you mean?” Simone batted her eyes innocently, then leaned toward Anya. “But be real—how good did he look with that white shirt in the rain?”
“Oh my god, I didn’t notice,” Anya insisted, but she automatically glanced toward Gabe at the bar. He and Kira were laughing and talking, neither one seeming the least bit interested in a nearby group of women who were obviously ogling them.
“Now I know you’re lying.” Simone peered at Anya. “Why won’t you admit you like him?”
“Because I don’t!” Anya squeaked. “I mean—whatever, he’s empirically handsome. I said as much to him tonight.”
“You did?” Simone sat up a little straighter. “What did he say?”
“Ugh, it was so embarrassing. He asked if I wanted him to be interested in me in, like, the saddest voice imaginable—like he pitied me.”
“Wait wait wait.” Simone shook her head. “Back up. He asked if you were into him?”
“Yeah?” Anya bit her lip.
“And what did you say?”
“That I wasn’t. What else should I have said?”
“Anya. Sweet summer child.” Simone pinched the bridge of her nose. “Aren’t you supposed to be the straight one? A man does not ask if you’re interested in him unless he’s interested in you.”
“This one did, believe me.” Anya tried to sound convincing, but her heart was speeding up again, traitorous organ.
“Has he also been staring at you all week because he’s not interested?” Simone prodded. “Has he been totally miserable that you’re angry with him because he’s not interested?”
“Don’t be absurd, he has not been totally miserable.”
“That’s not what Kira says.” Simone took a sip of her drink, glaring at Anya over the glass rim.
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter if he’s interested in me,” Anya brushed her off. “Because I’m not interested in him.”
“Sure, that’s why you’re having sexy dreams about him.”
“That is not—”
“Anya!” Simone groaned with frustration. “You’ve spent the last eight months surrounded by homosexuals. You deserve to bang a hot straight! You’re literally sharing a bedroom—”
“A children’s bedroom!”
“—in a mansion on a tropical island! Like! Babygirl, I don’t know what else I can do for you!”
“Beyond trapping us together in a canoe on a bioluminescent bay during a magical rainstorm?” Anya bit back a smile.
“I don’t know why I waste my time,” Simone sniffed, and they both burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny over here?” Gabe asked, his arm looping over Anya’s shoulders as he deposited a shot in front of her. His shirt was still damp from the rain, and the cool fabric sent a chill down her arm.
“We’re not seriously doing this, are we?” Anya gave Gabe a mournful little puppy look.
He rested his elbows on the table and put his face in his palms, which brought his gaze more or less level with hers.
“Anya, I would never ask you to do anything that would make you unhappy,” he said seriously. “Luckily, this shot is going to make you very, very happy.”
Simone shot Anya a look, and Anya sighed good-naturedly and picked up her glass. “Fine. What are we drinking to?”
“To old friends.” Simone lifted her glass and smiled at Gabe and Anya, and then turned to Kira. “And new ones.”
Gabe looked Anya right in the eye. “I’ll drink to that.”
The tequila went down smoother than expected—Gabe and Kira must have bought some nice shots. After another round of drinks, Anya was properly tipsy, and Simone and Kira were making out on the dance floor.
“What do you think?” Anya asked Gabe. “Are they gonna date for real?”
“If Simone wants to,” Gabe said. “I’ve never seen Kira take a girl this seriously.”
“Yeah?” Anya brightened. “Simone likes her so much.”
“That makes sense, because Kira’s the absolute best.”
“Totally.” Anya nodded, the motion making her brain feel sloshy. “What about you?”
“What about me?” Gabe turned to Anya.
“Have you ever taken a girl that seriously?” she asked earnestly, then immediately felt embarrassed. “I’m sorry, that’s such a personal question—forget I asked.”
“No, it’s okay.” Gabe ran a hand through his hair. “I, you know, I would have to say that no, I’m not a real relationship kind of guy.”
Anya laughed, one of those good deep belly laughs. “Why does that not surprise me?”
“Because you always think the worst of me?” Gabe grinned.
“That’s not true!” Anya argued, and Gabe raised his eyebrows. “Okay, fine, it’s a little true.”
“I bet you’re a relationship girl though, right?”
“Oh yeah, because I’m so easy to be around and deferential toward men—they love that about me,” Anya joked.
“What kind of idiot wants a girl to defer to him all the time?”
“Um, are you kidding?” Anya laughed. “All of them! I mean no, not all of them, I’ve dated a couple of really nice guys—but then they always want to defer to me.”
“And you don’t like that?!” Gabe was incredulous.
“Why, because you think I get off on bossing people around?” Anya said without thinking, but the mood shifted instantly. It felt dangerous, throwing his words back at him in a very different context. He leaned in, his eyes locked on her.
“Well,” he said. “Do you?”
“I mean…” Anya’s breath was shallow. “I like to get my way—at work. You know what our jobs are like, I spend all day making decisions. When I’m with a guy, it’s like, do I have to make all the decisions here too?”
“Interesting.” Gabe leaned back, considering her.
“What?” she asked, instinctively pushing her hair out of her face.
“It’s not what I would have imagined,” he said. “I like it.”
“What do you like?” she asked.
“When you surprise me.”
She didn’t know how to respond, so she took another sip of her drink.
“Come on then,” he said, getting up out of his chair.
“Come on where?” She was confused.