When I turned left, instead of into the wine cellar, she got even more agitated. The place gave me the shivers. It seemed like a war bunker. The number of rifles on the wall was astounding. A glass window protected them jealously, as if they were too precious to be displayed.
But I wasn’t interested in those guns, and Taylor knew that. I unlocked the second drawer of a steel piece of furniture.
At first glance, the empty space was barely noticeable. Everything seemed to be where it was supposed to be in the row of well-organized pistols.
“I got to them once, so that it didn’t seem like he was missing one.”
“He’d never notice?”
“He uses his rifles more. You know that. But if he comes down here on a whim to disassemble them and clean them, then he would.”
“It’s been a year, and he still hasn’t done it,” I whispered, bemused. She tugged at me like she wanted me to wake up from that nightmare.
“Those losers should worship the ground you walk on. They’re ingrates, James.”
“Don’t talk about my friends like that.”
“I’m referring to that bitch Amelia and her brother. You know that.” The ground felt more slippery. I thought I’d fell.
“I better go home.”
For a moment, the ghost jumped out of my body and showed itself for what it was. Weak and defenseless.
Even Taylor noticed. She immediately softened when she saw I was shivering. She took my hands and tried to warm them up in her soft palms.
“No, James. Stay here. We’ll have fun, I promise.”
“Whatever you want.” I tightened my shoulders.
So we went back to the living room, where Tiffany seemed to be in her own little world full of music and unicorns. She smoked and kept dancing like nothing could touch her.
Fuck, I envied her.
“Why don’t you go dance too?” I urged Taylor.
I sprawled out on the couch and pulled everything out to roll a joint as Taylor closed her eyes and started moving to the beat. Taylor wasn’t like me and Tiffany. She never let anything get past her, but now, her glass was teetering a bit, spilling tequila on the rug. She didn’t even notice.
“Are we boring you?” asked Taylor, as Tiffany tried to get her attention again.
There was no question that Tiff had a weakness for Taylor, I was sure of that.
Taylor was the only one who didn’t seem to get it.
“Yeah.”
Tiffany and I looked at each other as she tried to twirl a lock of Taylor’s hair around her fingers. It wasn’t very graceful, so she changed her strategy. I saw Taylor startle when her friend lowered her hand to her boob, but she was too drunk to take her seriously, and she started to giggle. She only stopped when Tiffany gave her a peck on the lips.
“Cut it out, Jamie’s here.”
I licked the paper with the tip of my tongue, without taking my eyes off the girls.
“Is that how you two make out?” I asked, almost contemptuously.
Taylor was definitely gone. I saw her open her mouth in an exaggerated way when her friend stuck her tongue down her throat as she kept her eyes on me. I followed the movement of Tiffany’s hands as she sculpted Taylor’s hips and then moved under the red fabric around Taylor’s legs. Tay didn’t protest.
Tiff and I were more drunk and high than Taylor, but she didn’t protest even though I was convinced that she’d never allow something like that, not even when drunk.
“Now?” asked Tiffany.
