"Bee, are you alright?"I ask.
"Sure."She smiles at me."Same shit.Different day.I'm going to get a plate."Then she walks off.Aurei and I both look back at our table to see that Ann and Mia have finished their argument.Mia is nowhere to be seen, and Ann has followed Bee.When she reaches us, she gives Aurei a 'that bitch is impossible' roll of the eyes, shaking her head.
He says."Explain."
"I know when you were dancing, the two of you were unaware of what was going on around you, but everyone had their phones on.She had to make a big deal about your dance being blasted all over social media."
"What about it?"He asks.
She looks at me, then back to him.She sighs, obviously not wanting to say it in front of me."Mia was upset because the two of you will most definitely be making the news again tonight."
His eyes narrow, and his jaw sets."What else?"
"Just that she warned you not to bring Siri here."
His beautiful heart-shaped lips compress."Because?"He leads her to tell the rest.
"Because she thinks Siri isn't good enough for you given your position."She looks at him."Bee told her to fuck off," Ann adds, then smirks."Bee's a little emotional right now."
"And your words with Mia?"Aurei's words sound normal, but his jaw is set, and I see that slight tension in his eyes.
"Mia started screaming at Bee."Ann looks disgusted."I told her not to speak to Bee ever again.She had done enough damage to our relationship, and I wouldn't have it anymore."
"Wow!"I blurt out.
Aurei only nods.
"Bro, I hate it for you, but she's impossible.We are done with her meddling shit.Things have changed.I have to look after me and mine now.I'm not playing her stupid games anymore."She puts her hand on his arm then looks at the food on his plate."Damn!Are you going to feed an Army?"
He chuckles, and the tension vanishes.I'm amazed they both let it go so quickly."Let me get to Bee."She says, then walks off.
Not wanting the tension to return, I lean over to inhale the fumes of the BBQ meat.My tummy growls right on cue."Umm.It smells delicious!I'm ready to chow down!"
I follow him through a gap in the grills to the fence row.He sets the plate on the top rail and says as he begins to unbutton his shirt."Let's go have a quiet picnic under the stars while we wait on Karaoke to start."He doesn't wait for me to answer.He simply pulls his shirt out of his jeans then takes it off.
"BBQ stains?"I ask, curious as to why he stripped but glad to feast my eyes on his flesh.I think again, looking at his perfect body in the moonlight.He should never wear clothes.
"Affirmative."He drapes it over my shoulder and reaches for the plate of food again, then turns toward the barn, and I follow him.
On the quiet path, I ask."Who is going to eat all this?"
He doesn't answer, so I let it go.My mind drifts to Mia as loose gravel and sand crunches under our feet.Mia is a hopeless cause.No sense bothering with her.She has deeper issues than I can fix.Best if I do what Bee does and just stay out of the way as much as possible.
The barn is lit as if it were daylight, and I ask Aurei as we approach."Why are all the lights on?"
He laughs."That's a closely guarded secret."
"Ah!You and your secrets."I punch his arm.He smirks down on me as I shake it out."Damn.That hurt my hand."
"Serves you right for picking on me."He laughs."Especially when I'm defenseless."
"Defenseless?Good Lord!I'd like to see that."I giggle."An image of you tied to the bed defenseless just flashed in my mind, but then I saw you break the post pulling on them so hard they snap and the whole canopy collapsing on us like Samson or something."
He chuckles with me."Don't get any Switch ideas, Madam.That wouldn't be a real possibility."
"Mmhmm.I bet."I rub his arm and ask as we enter."So spill the secret.Why are all the lights on?"
"We turn the lights on, so the dogs think it's daylight and are less prone to bark."
