I turned sharply at the sound of his voice. My eyes flared at his close proximity.
"You should see the place when the sun's out. It's gorgeous." His eyes searched my face. They appeared more golden than usual.
I could feel the air sizzle again with that...tension. That gnawing feeling that something was growing, attaching itself to me and pulling me closer.
The sound of laughter from downstairs pulled me out of the moment. It was a stark reminder that although the loft appeared private and secluded, it was essentially an open, doorless room. We would get a full view of the living area if we looked over the banister.
"Let's go down." I quickly brushed past him without waiting for a response.
The afternoon was spent putting our gear away and exploring the house and grounds. There was a side door in the kitchen that led to the basement. It had a television, pool table, dart board, and two small couches.
Even though there was a drizzle, I put on a light rain jacket and stepped outside into the damp, muggy air. I breathed in the clean smell of pine trees and earthy mud.
Rain splattered on my nose as I trudged through the damp leaves, my boots making a moist, slushing noise. I could already feel my hair frizz against the humid air. It was why I decided to wear my hair in a French braid, to protect my temperamental hair against the elevated elements. I was going to deep condition it again when I returned home.
The backyard had a large grass area with a small fire pit and eight wooden armchairs nestled in a circle around it. Tall trees lined the property, and the glimpse of a mountain range played peek-a-boo among the mist.
I gave a delighted shiver, my hands itching to sketch what I saw.
Footsteps approached, and a smiling Eden soon joined me. "Isn't this place beautiful?"
"Sure is." I turned to resume staring at the mountain range. "How's your room?"
"So good! That jacuzzi is epic. I can't wait to try it later."
I was glad that my room was upstairs. No way did I want to hear my best friends going at it.
"And how's yours?" Eden bumped my shoulder. "Your new roomie seems charming today."
I snorted. "Stop. I'm gonna sleep on the couch in the living room."
"Mmm hmm, sure."
I didn't want to talk about Simon. It was already confusing enough that the man I previously despised and tore a new asshole to was the same person who promised to have tea with their elderly neighbor.
"You know, he apologized to me today."
I turned to my friend, my eyebrows lifting in shock. "He did? For what exactly?" Simon had a lot to apologize for. Long overdue, in my opinion, but I was curious which misdeed he was sorry for.
"Maria, for starters. For bringing her to our engagement party. Then for...ya know."
I nodded in understanding; an explanation wasn't needed. After all, I was there during the fallout of her teenage relationship with Barron.
"I wasn't expecting it, to be honest."
"Apologizing to you and Barron?"
"No." She shook her head. "Well, yeah, that. But all of it, really. I play nice with him because he's Barron's cousin, but I thought he would be too stuck up to think he even owed me an apology for anything."
"Do you think he was sincere?"
Eden nodded without hesitation. "Yeah, I do. Either he's changed a lot over the last couple of years, or I read him wrong this whole time."
I rolled my lips in but stayed silent. I'd interacted the most with Simon, unbeknownst to Eden, so I knew his abrupt turnaround was relatively new. Besides, if I confessed to Eden all the times I had run-ins with Simon, Eden would surely think something was brewing between us. So I kept quiet.
"Argh! Die motherfucker!"
I stifled a laugh as I watched two grown men sitting cross-legged on the floor, stabbing at their controllers as if they were real guns.
