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“I’m so happy to finally meet you. I’ve only been back for three days, and we can’t drag Ethan off the topic of you,” she added a wink.
“Likewise. My best friends are sick of hearing about him as well.” Keisha laughed. She wasn’t looking at Stella, though; the wistful tone was directed towards Ethan, who had caught sight of her and started jogging over, a broad smile stretched over his face.
Chuckling at the scene, Stella remarked, “He’s a smitten kitten if I ever saw one. This is my friend, Quinn,” she added.
Quinn, for her part, only had eyes for Amy, who was chasing down the ball that Ethan had unceremoniously dropped. “Someone else is smitten,” Stella mumbled under her breath.
“Keisha, you made it.” Amy bumped her shoulder when she ran up to the group, her feet kicking sand all over their blankets.
“Who raised you?” Stella teased, swiping at the sand sprinkled on the fabric.
“Oh, shit, my bad.” Amy crouched, helping Quinn with her towel. Quinn whispered something to her and Amy giggled.
And just like that, Stella felt like a fifth wheel. Ethan was helping Keisha down on their blanket, and Quinn lightly pushed Amy on the upper arm. Not for the first time, Stella’s mind wandered back to Avery, wondering what she was doing, how her mom was faring, what she was wearing.
The sand crunched under her elbow when she twisted to the cooler, reaching for a thermos of wine. The cool sting hit the back of her throat. After a couple of swallows, the numbing sensation took over her limbs.
Though she was surrounded by the people she was closest to, Stella’s loneliness gripped her heart. Even the glistening water and warm sand between her toes couldn’t pull her from the funk she’d crashed into. Waves crashed onto the beach, pummeling a drifting log. Out and in, destined to be at the mercy of the sea for the foreseeable future. She wanted to drag that log to shore, to save it from the endless torment of waves she had no control over.
“We’re going to grab some nachos from the cart over there. Anybody want anything?” Ethan asked, standing before helping Keisha up.
“I’ll come with you. We’ll probably want drinks, right?” Quinn offered, looking at the group.
“Excellent, I want to hear more stories of our friend Stella here, stuck in a house with a bunch of beautiful women she couldn’t touch.” Ethan rubbed his hands giddily.
“Great,” Stella huffed, although she was glad to have a moment alone with Amy.
“Quinn’s something else, huh?” Amy watched her leave, a small smile gracing her lips that had Stella frowning.
“Amy,” she warned. “What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, turning back to her. “Hey, toss me the green bottle. I put a screwdriver in it.”
Huffing, Stella dug through the cooler, tossing the drink to Amy’s waiting hands.
“Now, what do you mean?” Amy asked again after clicking the lid shut.
Stella sat up. “I feel protective of her. The show was hard on her, and I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“Jeez, Banana, you’d think I was going to ask her to sell drugs on the streets.” Amy rolled her eyes. “Plus, I don’t know if she’s spoken for. You won’t tell me anything about the show.” She gulped down more of the drink.
“I just want you to be careful. You can’t deny that you tend to feast for a few weeks or months, then move on. Plus, why do you care? I’ve never seen you date a woman.” Stella pulled out the sunscreen, tossing it to her reddening friend.
Amy didn’t say anything as she applied the lotion and stared out into the ocean, a little wrinkle on her nose. “Are you just projecting your issues?”
“I don’t understand.” Stella reached for the wine bottle again.
“Well, you’re hung up on something. Stella, I know you. You just finished a show that was your big break, and you haven’t been able to crack a smile.”
“Amy, we’re not talking about me. Plus, I’m not wrong. You’ve never dated a woman.” Stella was losing the thread of the conversation.
“Straight, gay, queer, pan, it’s arbitrary, Stella. What happened to love is love? Why can’t you tell me anything? I want to see if there is a connection. Quinn is hot, funny, and smart. She’ll probably see quickly that she’s out of my league.” Amy’s shoulders slumped.
“Hey, don’t talk bad about my friend.” Stella tossed a pinch of sand onto her blanket.
“I didn’t. I complimented her up the wazoo.”
“Not Quinn, you. Don’t sell yourself short, Ames. You’re a catch, and if you want to explore your sapphic side, I’ll welcome you with open arms. But we can’t say anything about the show. You’re probably right, anyway. I know I’m projecting. I’m hung up on someone but can’t talk about it.”
