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The question was filled with vitriol, but at least it got them away from Monica’s poor excuse for an answer.
“There was very little damage done to the house. I’m sure we’ll get the all-clear from the fire folks soon, and we’ll all be tucked into our beds by the hour.” Stella held in an eye roll. She couldn’t imagine anyone who could sleep after something like this.
A woman in fire gear jobbed over to address the group. “Hey, everyone, you can all go back in. The crew is finishing cleaning up the mess, and it’s now safe for everyone to return. The room with the most smoke damage didn’t appear to have anything in it. We’re closing it off, but there didn’t appear to be any other damage.”
“We’ll need help sleeping. Want to join us?” Echo catcalled, and the women around her pushed her playfully.
“Hey, careful, I’m injured.” Elizabeth’s scared voice rose from the rowdy group.
“Okay, everyone, get back inside, and let’s sleep this night off.” Stella motioned for the group to go inside.
She hung back, giddy to see Avery did as well. Monica tried to get her attention, but she shrugged off her hand and said, “Not now. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Monica looked as if she wanted to argue but acquiesced with a nod instead.
Quinn was in the middle of a group up ahead, while Avery was still only a few feet away, bent over to her shoes.
“Need help?” Stella asked when she caught up.
“No, I was just pretending to tie them as an excuse to wait for you. They don’t even have laces.” Avery pointed with a smirk at her Crocs.
The sun was peeking over the mountains in the distance. A breeze kicked up, bringing back memories of when they walked to the hotel room, which now felt like a lifetime ago. The bed Stella was so keen to return to moments ago was a distant memory now that she had Avery alone for a moment. “Want to watch the sunrise in the backyard with me?” she blurted out.
There were a million reasons why this wasn’t a great idea, but every one of them disintegrated with Avery’s answer. “Yes.”
They walked around the house, not wanting to go inside, their hands brushing together. Stella mentally kicked herself for not leaving her number in that note all those weeks ago, but thinking of the past wouldn’t do any good. All that mattered was that she might get another chance, even if things were complicated.
“What a night, huh,” Avery stated, slumping down on the lounge chair.
Taking in her position, Stella wanted nothing more than to sink in close to her, but she didn’t have the freedom to do so. Instead, she slid into the seat next to her. “That’s an understatement,” Stella remarked with a yawn.
Orange, pink, and yellow burst across the sky as the sun crested. The colors coated Avery’s face, bathing her in light that took Stella’s breath away. She wished she had her phone to capture the moment.
Avery turned on her side to look at Stella. Stella wanted nothing more than to reach out. Having her near, without anyone else around, was both soothing and hellish. They couldn’t talk about anything substantial, but just being in her presence was bliss.
“How are you feeling?”
Avery took a moment before answering. “Honestly, I don’t know. My body feels okay, but it was scary.”
“It’s hard to believe just a few hours ago you were horseback riding through a vineyard.” Stella was desperate to change the subject, but she wasn’t sure why she went in that direction. It had been torture to watch from the sidelines.
“Right. Time is funny that way.” Avery lowered her tone but didn’t elaborate. She didn’t need to since Stella knew exactly where her mind went.
Avery sighed, placing her hand in the space between them. There wasn’t great light, but they still had to be careful.
Stella stared at her fingers before slowly sneaking her hand towards her, tentatively reaching out to brush against her hand. Avery gave no outward indication on her face, but her fingers told another story as they sought hers, interlocking them together. If anyone looked out into the yard, or even through the cameras hidden around, they wouldn’t pick up the darkened space between them. In their bubble, they held hands, reconnecting after so long. It wouldn’t fix everything that was working against them, but at that moment, Stella was finding it hard to care.
A splash of water spilled down her cheek, mixing with the drool from sleep puddled on the outdoor pillow. Stella fought through the layers of fog as she woke, trying to place where she was and why she wasn’t in her bed.
A blanket she didn’t remember grabbing fell from her torso as she sat up and looked around. Her arm was tingling as it regained feeling after she’d fallen asleep on it. A small group of women played in the pool, which explained the splash on her cheek. The rest of the night came roaring back. Avery wasn’t anywhere to be found, but presumably, that was the answer to the extremely short mystery of why she was under a blanket. Avery must have grabbed one after she nodded off.
There was a small part of Stella that was sad Avery was no longer next to her, but logically, she knew it wouldn’t be good for them to be caught sleeping outside together.
Stretching out her muscles, she walked inside for a cup of coffee, taking in the damage from the fire for the first time in the light of day. A tinge of smoke permeated the air, along with the scent of fresh paint and wood from the quick remodel.
Monica had reworked the schedule, allowing Stella to drag herself up the stairs, careful not to slosh any precious liquid. Her bedroom looked the same, yet so much had changed. Her phone vibrated, still on the charger by her bed. Putting the cup down, she peeked at the screen, seeing it was a call from her best friend, Amy. Exhaustion pulled her to the bed, and sleep pulled her under before her phone stopped vibrating.
Chapter 8
Whispers
