Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Graham
Fate really had a way of humbling you. The weekend had started out so good.
I’d been invited to a weekend away, where I wouldn’t have to think about school, or work, or any other thing that stressed me out back in New York.
Having never been to the famous Martha’s Vineyard, it sounded like a great opportunity to not only enhance my New York social circle, but stretch my travels to so many other amazing states.
So why was the universe humbling me with a reminder from one of my lowest moments?
I had tossed that night up to a blip. Something beyond my control, but nothing to be ashamed about.
I appreciated my body enough not to just give it to anybody.
Not that I was judging others, but I took pride in the fact that it didn’t just take a pretty and available person to get me to open that part of myself.
Sex was going to be a part of my future, whether it was a really nice hookup, or a committed relationship, but it wasn’t going to be something I shamed myself for not doing. It made it harder when the only person to ever reject you, was going to be your housemate for an entire weekend.
“Jacqueline, this is Kaihautū, Avi's tattoo artist, and this is Graham, his cousin.” Walking over to dry my face off with a towel, I waited to see if she was going to bring it up, but because her body language read uncomfortable, I nonchalantly answered Yenory back.
“Actually, Jacqueline and I have met before,” composed and collected, using the towel to absorb some of the moisture from my hair. “The library, right?”
Her expression suggested she thought I was about to admit something more personal, so when she whimsically nodded, she later added that she didn’t think I’d remember her.
“Well, you’re kind of hard to forget. According to the girls, I mean,” I admitted, masking anything that may have suggested I was resentful of our last exchange. “Really great turnout. I’m sure the girls would be more than happy to see you again.”
With time to sit on it, I’d really had no ill will toward our last encounter.
I’d put myself out there and got rejection in return, but that was life.
I’d faced rejection applying for schools, I was sure to face rejection when I finally entered the workforce.
Why should I be more resentful when I faced rejection with my love life?
Jacqueline had simply made a choice based on the information she had in front of her, and with no context, I didn’t blame her. Did it suck? Absolutely. But I wasn’t entitled to her, just because I thought we meshed well.
“Now that you’re all here, I wanted to show you to your rooms,” Yenory announced, and I was just glad there’d be a place I could close a door and exist by myself, as when we first arrived, she hadn’t wanted to divide the rooms until her friends had arrived.
I’d had the pleasure of meeting Avi when he first got here, and it was surreal to be sharing a house with a guy I couldn’t walk an avenue in New York without seeing posters from his former New York Nocturnes team.
Baseball wasn’t my childhood pastime the way the rugby had been, but living in New York, I could appreciate that it was to everyone else, what the All Blacks were to me.
He just seemed so normal; I can’t believe my cousin did most of his tattoos.
“Now, I figured you two would want to be closer together,” Yenory started, re-walking us through the house like the tour she’d given us earlier. “Jaq, Carly, you guys will be the rooms on the left.”
“We were so eager to scope out the place, we hadn’t even unpacked our luggage from the trunk,” Jacqueline—or by their account, Jaq, said.
“If you two need any help, we haven’t unloaded either,” Kaihautū admitted, as we all seemed to make a trip of backtracking to the garage, the ladies with far more luggage than one could deem necessary for a weekend trip.
Jaq and I managed not to blow our cover that we’d hooked up in the past, and I assumed she wanted to keep it that way.
But when we both reached the side door back into the estate, there was that awkward run in, where if I didn’t just let her go first, there’d be that uncomfortable bump. “Ladies first.”
This weekend could have been worse. I could’ve had to share a room, and I loved my cousin, but I wasn’t sure I could survive an entire weekend with him either.
Not with all the people he brought back to his place.
He had a reputation of being a repeat, serial philanderer.
Man couldn’t leave a club, a pub, a social outing or event without bringing home a body.
Last thing I wanted to do was wake up to a shaking bed and a room full of moans that kept me up all night.
At least now, I could play my guitar in peace. Which was exactly what I did the moment I could claim a room for my own. My guest suite probably had one of the best views of the coastal blue water, something I really missed back home, since New York’s beaches didn’t stand a torch to New Zealand’s.
Knocks came at my door, after about an hour of hibernation, as Kaihautū accused me of working on homework, as opposed to getting to know the house guests. I wasn’t uncomfortable around Jaq or her friends. I just wasn’t sure she’d be uncomfortable around me.
“Avi just got back with pizza because he gave his chef the night off. And I know that sushi we ate earlier got you hungry as fuck,” Kaihautū taunted.
Hating to be that guy, I really was one of those types of people who could eat an entire pizza by himself, but I was respectful of others. Maybe I got that from having nothing but sisters, but just because I could eat a lot, didn’t mean I disregarded others were hungry.
“I could go for some pizza,” I beamed, making sure not to make any unwarranted or wanted eye contact with Jaq.
“Hey, he comes out of his room,” Avi, the link between us all, gave me a proper handshake.
“To be fair, this was a long trip,” I dismissed the room to booing. “And Yenory was holding off all the rooms until everyone got here,” I gushed.
“But you came out for this pizza, though,” Carly teased.
“I mean, I will make an appearance for food.”
Kaihautū turned up all six boxes, damn near revolting at the sight of no pizza with pineapple. “Oh, so you just gonna ignore my request?” he accused Avi, who was quick to say the closest pizza spot didn’t offer it.
“Why do you want pineapple on pizza, that’s disgusting. It’s either cheese or pepperoni, I do not make the rules,” Carly snarked.
Climbing onto the kitchen counter, I honestly stuffed any slice in my mouth, defending pineapple as a topping to the death. “It’s not even Hawaiian, but it’s so good. You guys don’t know what you’re missing.”
“So what kind of pizza do you guys eat, considering you’re not from here? Not gonna lie, I’m too New York for all that Chicago, or California style pizza. Give me New York pizza, or give me death,” Avi asserted.
“Well I’m not from Australia, and the kind I’ve tried out there is wild—”
“I know you not talking,” Kaihautū interrupted. “The New Zealand special basically has tinned spaghetti on that bitch.”
“Okay, but is it any better than sunnyside up eggs on a friggin’ pizza?” I argued back.
“That would be a hell no for me.”
“But there’s bacon on both,” I made note. “Bacon makes everything taste better.”
Jaq, who had been sitting at the table, as far from me as I could allow, chimed in, bringing in her own unique take on the debate. “I used to be New York only, all day. But then I tried New Haven style pizza, and I don’t know. They give us a big run for our money.”
“I’ve never tried New Haven style pizza before,” I admitted to no one in particular.
“Damn, why you say it like that?” Avi leaned over the counter, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what he meant.
“Like what?”
“New Haven. It’s New Haven,” Avi corrected.
“That’s what I just said,” unable to defend myself without laughing.
“New Haven?” Kaihautū repeated, to the same dismissal I received.
“You can tell when someone isn’t from the New England, all that stress they put on New,” Avi joked.
“Well no shit, I’m like a nineteen-hour flight away. Probably why I haven’t been back home in years, that kind of travel back and forth and is really hard on your psyche,” I admitted.
Jacqueline stood, throwing her plate away as for all my efforts, I hadn’t managed to avoid eye contact with her forever.
“It’s weird hearing you swear,” she admitted, though I’m sure she hadn’t meant it for everyone to hear considering neither of us were owning up to how intimately we’d known each other.
“Being around kids,” I dismissed, stoically. “Kaihautu’s aware I can get vulgar. We’ve had enough sleepovers to last a lifetime,” I joked.
“Anyone open to watching a movie? Or are we calling it a night to be bright and early for Noir Noise?” Yenory addressed the whole room.
“What kind of movie. Because if it don’t keep my attention like something crazy, like Fast 18, I don’t want it,” Carly joked.
“If it’s all good to you guys, I’m just going to retire for the night. I’m not used to dressing eclectic, so I wanted to get up early enough to do my festival makeup,” I avowed.
“I’m with Carly, pick the right movie and I’ll be up in the morning anyway, I didn’t come here to sleep,” Kaihautū boldly declared.
“Good night everyone,” as I disappeared toward our designated side of the house, planning to mindlessly play my guitar until sleep took me. But before I hibernated for the night, I ran to my room to grab all the stuff I’d need to have a quick shower, only my housemate had had the same thought.
Jacqueline and I bumped into each other despite all my efforts to avoid it. “Sorry, were you trying to get in here?”
“I was, but I’m sure there’s a second bathroom in here, I was just choosing this one because it was closer to mine,” I defended.
“You’re right, you go. I just liked the shower in this one,” Jacqueline tried to offer it back to me.