Fourteen
July Twenty-Fourth
Whitney
“I can’t believe you got him to agree to come out tonight again.”
Shianne drove the three roommates to the community center, excitement buzzing in the car. Whitney was going to meet Fade there, and Brittanya, who was freshly placed on the island, seemed eager to see who was looking for romance at the event.
“I’m going to get us a table,”
Shianne announced before her departure.
“Wolfgang messaged me,”
Brittanya said, looking over at Whitney with a mischievous glint.
“What? Why?”
They slowly walked behind Shianne, curiosity flickering across Whitney’s face.
“He told me Shianne asks him to attend the Community Day every time, and he asked me not to indulge in the enjoyment of watching him suffer.”
Whitney laughed. “How come you’re not interested in him?”
“Growing up next door to each other, our families have been through a lot. I had a crush on him when I was younger, but it was more of an infatuation. We’re more like siblings now.”
“Oh.”
Whitney responded, realizing how little she really knew about Brittanya despite living together for two months. She sat next to her and left a space open for Fade. “So, you’re a hairstylist?”
“Apprentice,”
Brittanya corrected with a small smile. “I should be able to work for the public in six months.”
“Oh wow,”
Whitney said, half-impressed, half-sarcastic as Shianne joined them with water.
“What is your job?”
Brittanya asked, curiosity evident.
“I have an office in the mountain doing solar engineering.”
Fade’s voice entered her ear. “Do you want to reminisce about our first interaction and join me in the drink line?”
“Hey, baby.”
She stood, kissing him softly before he escorted her toward the line. “How was the gym?”
She took in his appearance, appreciating the way his hair was pulled up tonight. She loved it down just as much, but up, it showed off the strong line of his neck and the tattoo behind it, one he usually had hidden.
“Good,”
he said simply, letting her stand in front of him.
Her fingers trailed along the Roman numerals inked sideways along his skin. “What do these stand for?”
“It’s a memorial tattoo for a buddy of mine. He always had my back.”
Whitney’s lips pinched down momentarily, her voice soft. “I’m sorry.”
Her hand dropped to find his. “So,”
she teased with a smirk, “what’d you go to prison for?”
“Beating the shit out of this guy who touched my ex.”
She batted her eyelashes playfully. “Lucky girl.”
He grabbed her chin and pulled her lips up to his. “Not as lucky as me.”
Whitney’s laugh rolled from her, light and genuine. “That’s not a great response.”
“Well, I am here with you now, aren’t I?”
He pulled her in by the hips, planting another soft kiss before stepping to the counter.
October Twenty Second
Whitney
“Hey,”
Brittanya caught Whitney walking inside the house, “Happy late birthday. Did Fade do anything special for you?”
Whitney smirked, looking up from her laundry bag with a brow raised. “Yeah, dominated me.”
Brittanya paused, her eyes widening. “Oh. Is that what you—?”
She couldn’t even finish her question.
Whitney scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Yes, Brittanya, it’s what I wanted. You should try it sometime.”
“O-okay. I’ve only had regular style.”
Brittanya turned back to the stove, clearly flustered. “Are you staying for dinner?”
“Yes. Do you need help with anything?”
“I wouldn’t mind if you put the salad together.”
She kept her focus on the pan, flattening its contents with a spatula.
Whitney picked up her bag and carried it through the kitchen, dumping all of it into the washing machine without sorting a thing, it was mostly dark clothing anyway. “Yeah, I can do that.”
She set the empty hamper down and closed the door. “Brittanya, do you ever go out?”
“I hung out with Emma last week,”
Brittanya replied, turning the burner off.
Whitney grabbed a large bowl, cracking the lettuce over it with practiced ease. “Okay, but do you ever go out and drink or meet guys?”
“No. I know all the guys around my age.”
She tossed in some extra chopped vegetables, shaking her head. “So? You can still let your hair down with guys your age. What are you waiting for?”
Brittanya frowned in disapproval. “I don’t like any of them.”
She started setting three plates on the table.
“Well, you’re eighteen now, your pond just got a whole lot bigger. What’s your type?”
Brittanya grabbed the salad bowl, pausing for a second as if considering her answer. “I don’t know. I’ve always thought blue-collar men were kind of hot.”
“I get that.”
Whitney’s lip curled into a teasing smirk. “But like… looks?”
She leaned on the counter, clearly pressing for more information.
Brittanya shrugged. “I don’t know, Whitney.”
Whitney placed a piece of chicken on each plate. “Are you lesbian?”
Brittanya burst out laughing, caught off guard by the question. “No! I just don’t have a specific taste, I find beauty in everyone.”
“Alright, whatever.”
Whitney waved a hand dismissively. “Can you promise me this, though? Whenever you find someone, I get details. I love a good juicy gossip session or a love story, in this case.”
“Sure, Whitney.”
Brittanya smiled as she wiped her hands on a dish towel. “I’m going to go get Shianne.”
November Twenty-Seventh
Fade
Fade sat across the table from her, his dark eyes flickering with warmth. “Thank you for not making me go to Community Day last week.”
Whitney shrugged, setting her bag next to her. “You wanted to go to the gym anyway.”
She gripped her menu, her fingers tapping lightly against the edge. “Are we going to go over our agreement today?”
she teased, a playful smile tugging at her lips.
He didn’t look up from his menu, his voice calm and certain. “I broke that agreement months ago.”
“Why’s that?”
She tilted her head, watching him closely until he finally looked up and met her gaze.
His face softened, the rough edges of his usual demeanor melting. “Because you were more than I was expecting. You check all my boxes, and I don’t want you going anywhere. I fell in love with you. I can assume you feel the same since you’ve got my name on that beautiful ass of yours.”
She smirked, arching a brow. “For now.”
“Yeah,”
he chuckled, glancing back down at his menu with a knowing look. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“Did you think we’d last a year?”
Whitney set her menu on the edge of the table, leaning forward slightly.
“No,”
he admitted without hesitation. “I thought you’d be a good time for a little while and then turn crazy.”
“Wow.”
She widened her eyes in mock offense. “But then you found out I had a top-notch personality.”
“Yeah,”
he said with a grin, “You forced me to hang out with you.”
He placed his menu on top of hers and rested his arms on the table. “What about you? Did you think we’d make it this far?”
“First off, I didn’t force you. You begged me to come over again and again.”
She laughed softly. “And yes, I felt something from the start. I still feel this connection between us. You’re supposed to be in my life.”
He reached across the table and took her hand, brushing his lips against the back of it before resting their joined hands on the table. “I love you, Lilith.”
His eyes locked onto hers, the words coming out soft but certain.
“I love you, Justin.”
The sound of his birth name on her tongue made his lips twitch into a smile. At that moment, a thought struck him, marriage. He hadn’t thought about it in years, but with her? Ronnie, Veronica, Lilith, and Whitney, every name she’d ever gone by felt like a piece of the woman he loved. He couldn’t imagine his life on this island or anywhere in the world without her. He was hers.
December Twenty-Fourth
Whitney
“Hey,”
Whitney’s voice rose in surprise as she entered the house and found Brittanya at the kitchen table, working on a jigsaw puzzle. “Are you not spending time with your family for Christmas?”
Brittanya palmed a puzzle piece and stretched her back, rolling her shoulders. “Christmas is tomorrow. Besides, it’s only my great grandma, mom, stepdad, and teenage brother—who doesn’t want to hang out with his older sister. And my mom has work tonight.”
She waved a hand dismissively and returned to her puzzle. “I’ll see them tomorrow.”
Whitney pulled out a chair and sat across from her. “Oh, okay. When did you start this?”
She glanced down at the half-finished puzzle, the scattered pieces spread across the table.
“A few hours ago.”
Brittanya looked up and caught Whitney’s shocked expression. “What? It’s only a thousand-piece puzzle.”
“You’re definitely going to finish this tonight,”
Whitney said, bouncing a piece between her fingers, trying to find its match.
Brittanya chuckled. “Well, then we’ll have the kitchen table back tonight.”
“Did Shianne go to her parents’?”
Whitney rested her chin on her hand, still scanning the puzzle for the right spot.
“Yeah,”
Brittanya said, not looking up. “And you’ll never guess what.”
“Hm?”
“She started her period—so we can stop counting tampons. Honestly, I was thinking about it—who would even be the dad? She’s obsessed with Wolfgang. How did I get you wrapped up in that theory of her being pregnant?”
Whitney laughed, finally giving up on the piece she was holding and swapping it for a new one. “I’m not sure. It made sense in my head at the time.”
She placed a piece, and it slid into place perfectly. “You know, I am surprised it’s taken this long for them to fill Emma’s room. She’s been gone since June, and there’ve been three Placement Days since.”
Brittanya tilted her head thoughtfully. “Sometimes it takes a minute. The second half of the year can be slow. They probably want to make sure they pick someone who’s a good fit with the current girls.”
“Oh,”
Whitney said, focusing on the puzzle. “So, were you born here?”
“No. My mom brought my brother and me when we were little.”
“Finally!”
Whitney exclaimed as another piece clicked into place. “Where were you born?”
“Georgia. But I hardly remember much of it.”
“What happened to your dad?”
Whitney asked softly.
Brittanya paused, taking a sip of her warm tea before answering. “My parents divorced shortly after my brother was born. The war had already started, and from what I know, my dad willingly joined. It was his death sentence, he didn’t want to live without my mom. It was like one of those ‘If I can’t have you, I don’t want to live’ things.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Whitney reached out and squeezed her hand gently.
Brittanya shrugged it off with a small, sad smile. “How did your dad get out of being drafted?”
she asked, changing the subject.
Whitney set her puzzle piece down. “He was our sole provider, unfortunately. That exempted him.”
Brittanya frowned thoughtfully. “Hm.”
She scanned the table before picking up another piece. “Well,”
she said after a pause, “are you not spending the holiday with Fade?”
Whitney pulled one leg up onto the chair, hugging her knee to her chest. “I am. I just came home to wrap his present and grab a few things for the weekend.”
“Oh,”
Brittanya’s lips curved into a teasing grin. “What’d you get him? Wait—do I want to know?”
Whitney laughed, shaking her head. “Relax. I got him workout stuff, like shoes and shorts.”
Brittanya grinned back. “I never know with you.”
“Hey,”
Whitney protested, laughing, “I have some boundaries.”