And yet, a little voice in my head reminds me that I’m once again using a Trevor tactic by not giving Alka my real name. I close my eyes for a minute to breathe through that realization. I’m sure our reasons are different.
I kept my name to myself for self-protection. I don’t want anyone recognizing it later. Roux isn’t a common name. How many Roux’s are you going to run into in your lifetime?
I didn’t do it to hide something like Trevor probably did. He was living a lie according to what Lix found out, so he’d done so for misleading reasons. I’m willing to bet a lot of people on Kala give false names. Everything about this place is anonymous.
I’m not sure if my justification is sound or not. Should I just tell Alka my given name?
Everything with him is different than anyone I’ve been involved with. Without conversation, we’re taking it slow. We’regetting to know each other. We have tentative plans to keep seeing each other when the summer is over.
Not in so many words but… in questions.Do you want to get married? Do you want kids? How do you feel about polyamory? How do you feel about Oscar creating porn because it will affect you eventually?
Those are intentional questions. Questions that see if what we want and how we feel align for the future.
I’m so ready for it.
A little notification pops up saying that there’s a new email in the thread and asking if I’d like to show it. I click on the “show” button, and the chain moves up to reveal Lix’s response.
Hey, Roux.
So glad to hear from you and I’m happy that you’re having such a good time. I hope you’re being safe. I’m not, in fact, worried about pregnancy. I trust that you can manage to avoid that. I just don’t want you to get caught up in having a good time and put your health at risk. That can lead to consequences you may have to deal with for the rest of your life.
Anyway… No more lecturing. I know you’re old enough and smart enough to make these decisions. I’m proud of the person you are and trust that you think things through. I truly am glad you’ve met some friends and are having a good time.
I called RDU, and they’re still processing your account. There’s a smaller crew in the office over the summer since there are so few people on campus, so while the admissions office isn’t quite as short staffed as others, there are fewer people there and they also help out in other offices over the summer.
They’re not guaranteeing transfer, but the woman I spoke to says they can’t see a reason why it wouldn’t go through. They haven’t heard from the soccer team, though. She saidthere’s a chance I/you won’t know until right before it’s time to move in. She talks as if admission is a sure thing, so I’m choosing to think that’s a good thing.
As for Longwood, you don’t ever have to go back. We can call and withdraw whenever you want to. There’s no pressure. You can stay with me and Noah if you don’t want to go home, too. We’d love to have you.
Be good and have fun. Love you.
Lix
I smile and close the email without answering. I need to remind myself to stop every few days to make sure I check in with Lix at the very least. Before signing off completely, I scan the short list of unread emails, getting rid of SPAM as I do, just to make sure that RDU didn’t email me directly and leave Lix off the chain.
Since I don’t see anything, I close the browser and log off the computer. “Goodbye, Roux Kipler” flashes across the screen before it goes black.
This time, when I open the door, I look before I rush out. There’s no one in the common area, so I cross it for the outside door. I can see through the tinted window, though I couldn’t see in when I was outside. I’m comforted that the guy I almost knocked out saw me coming. That likely saved him from leaving here with a huge bump on his head at the very least.
Once outside, I jog toward the beach. Reflexes have me looking at my bracelet as if it’s my smartwatch. Obviously it’s not. I wonder if I could have upgraded this little rubber band to have a clock in it. Maybe I should suggest that. Needless to say, it doesn’t tell me the time, so I don’t know how late I am.
However, the run is good for me. I haven’t exercised since stepping foot on Kala.IfI make it onto the soccer team this upcoming school year, I’m going to have to kick some ass during conditioning to get myself into shape again. Maybe I should startrunning on the beach. That’ll really motivate me to choose the gym instead.
I round the corner onto the path that runs in the front of the bungalows until I get to Alka and Oscar’s. I stop to catch my breath then walk around the side of the house where I find both men sitting on the deck. The deck is the one place where there’s seating for more than two. The rest of the bungalow is set up to accommodate just the two individuals, as if making it clear that it’s for romance and shit, not entertainment.
Except the deck. That’s apparently okay for entertaining.
Alka smiles as soon as I turn the corner, his eyes immediately on me. I love the way he looks at me. How instant his smile is.
“Sorry I’m late,” I say as I step onto the deck. Alka gets to his feet and reaches for me. I happily go into his arms for a hug and kiss. “I have been really bad about checking in with my brother, and time gets away from me when I’m not wearing a watch,” I explain.
“No worries,” Alka says. “Not a big deal.”
When he takes a step back, Oscar’s there. He touches my elbow and leans in to kiss my cheek. He has such a charming smile. It reminds me of how people of earlier societies held themselves with quiet confidence and politeness.
“Hello, Ruby,” he says.
My heart flutters a little. “Hi.”
