I open the door and step onto the porch, Lana by my side.
I turn to look behind me, to see Ada walk through the door.
Then Max.
He stands there on the other side, staring at us, then past us, into the world.
He steps over the threshold.
And grins, smile lines at the corners of his eyes. “We fucking did it.”
If he says anything about the gang being back together again, kick him in the shin, Dex tells me.
Tell him yourself. We’re almost at the car.
Fuck this, I’m leaving now.
And just like that I feel Dex leave my body. The movement is so rapid that I sway on my feet a little.
“You okay?” Ada asks me, hand on my arm.
I nod. “Dex just—”
On the street, the car door opens and Dex steps out of the passenger seat, adjusting the newsboy cap on his head. “Are we going to the fucking bar or what?” he yells up at us.
Max lets out a whoop and hurries down the steps, Ada following him.
I grin and look over at Lana next to me, expecting her to find this all amusing, even if she’s not a part of our crew. But her attention is elsewhere
I follow her eyes to see what she’s looking at.
At the street corner, under the light, in the rain, is Atlas Poe.
He’s staring right at Lana.
She’s staring right at him.
“That’s—” I begin.
“I know,” she says, cutting me off.
Then Atlas quickly turns and walks off into the darkness.
Gone.
I have to say, I feel sorry for the guy.
I nudge Lana with my elbow. “Are you going to be okay?”
She blinks and then looks at me. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.” Then she turns to me. “I’m really proud of you, you know? Not just as your doctor, but as a friend. You did good. You all did. You’re lucky to have these people in your life.”
“I know,” I tell her.
I really am.
“Do we still have an appointment next week?” she asks as we head down the steps. “I know you’re going to Hawaii next month.”
“Next month is in a week,” I say with a groan. “Time flies. It’s going to be 2018 already.”
“Might be your best year yet,” she says. “It certainly sounds like it’s starting off great. I’m jealous of all the sunshine you’ll get.”
“We’ll see if I spend most of the trip with a sunburn,” I tell her. “Might still be worth it though.”
She grins at me.
“Take care, Perry,” she says, giving me a wink before walking off to her car, her coat flowing behind her.
I wipe the rain from my face and then hurry over to the Highlander where Dex is waiting with the passenger door open, Ada and Max already in the backseat.
“Hey baby,” Dex says to me, smiling broadly.
“Hey,” I tell him. “Fancy seeing you in this body. Got to say, I missed looking at you.”
“Same goes for me.” He leans in and kisses me. I grab his collar, holding him tight, our kiss deepening. Even our kisses feel different now, so much more intimate, so much better.
HONK!
We both jump and turn in annoyance to see Ada leaning forward through the seats, her hand on the horn. “We’re going to the bar!” she yells at us. “Then you can get a room!”
I laugh, getting in my seat and buckling up while Dex closes the door.
I turn around and look at Ada and Max sitting beside each other. “Okay, Maximus, since this is your first time being among mortals in years, you should pick the bar.”
“Hell no,” Dex says, getting in the driver’s seat. He adjusts the rearview mirror and scowls at Max in it. “He’s got awful taste in music. It’s going to be country or some redneck shit like that.”
“Then I’ll pick the bar,” Ada says, bringing out her phone.
“You also have awful taste in music,” Dex tells her, starting the car.
“Then you pick it Dex,” I tell him.
“No, he’s going to pick some weird dive bar,” Ada grumbles. “All the men in there are so gross.”
“I’ll think of something,” Dex says, pulling the car out on the road.
We drive through rainy Seattle.
“Hey guys,” Maximus says after a minute. He leans forward, his head between us. “I reckon I’m homeless for the next while. Can I sleep on your couch?”
Dex and I exchange a look.
Twenty-Three
“You’re going to turn into a lobster. What kind of Italian are you, anyway?”
A shadow passes over me and I lift my head to see a Mai Tai dangling in front of my face.
I lazily pluck the drink from Dex’s fingers and manage to bring it to my face with minimal effort, my lips wrapping around the straw. Damn, I’m addicted to this shit.
“I have SPF 50 on me,” I remind him, as if he doesn’t recall slathering it on me every hour.
“Maybe we should raise this,” he says, going to the back of the wooden lawn chairs and lifting up the half-moon canopy.
“Suit yourself, I’m going in the water soon,” I tell him.
This is literally all we’ve been doing for the last few days. We go back home to Seattle the day after tomorrow, and I’m only now finally feeling like we’re on vacation. Next time we come here, we’re going to have to stay longer.
Kauai has been beautiful. We’ve been staying at the Sheraton on the south side of the island, which has the perfect crescent-shaped beach with clear warm water, soft sand, fun waves, and snorkeling too. We rented a Jeep (and now Dex wants to trade our Highlander in for a big black Jeep, which I’m not opposed to since it’s a pretty sexy car), and we’ve done a lot of the touristy scenic stuff, like checking out the waves on the North Shore, or looking at waterfalls, or hiking the canyon.
But mainly we’ve just been here at the hotel, either by the pool or renting one of these cabana loungers on the beach. It’s so cool, you have a menu and you just put up a flag beside you and someone comes and takes your order and brings you drinks whenever you like. It’s amazing.
Okay, obviously my experience with resorts and tropical vacations have been pretty nil, since I get overly excited about the littlest thing, but still. This has been my idea of heaven and I’m kicking myself for not suggesting something like this sooner.
Thank god for Dex, who is always thinking ahead. He’s been enjoying himself immensely. I think his favorite part is how tanned and brown he’s gotten and the fact that when he walks around the pool and the beach in just his swim trunks, his body all oiled up from the tanning lotion, he’s got every head swiveling, men and women. The jerk has turned this resort into his own little catwalk.
I stare up at him and smile as he brings the canvas forward, covering me from the sun.
Yes, then there’s me. Cautiously pale. I’ve been slathering myself in the goopy stuff and it’s only in the last two days that my skin has been getting the slightest hint of sun. And no, I haven’t burned myself yet.
Dex sits down next to me and I prop myself up on my elbows, pushing my sunglasses to the top of my head. “Where’s your drink?” I ask him.