"Thanks." She takes them. "I will manage that part myself."
"Oh—yes... naturally." I step back, feeling my face go crimson.
Mason's jacket is still around her shoulders. He doesn't take it back.
"Night, Beth," we all say from the doorway.
"Night." It's already mostly a sleep-sound. "Thank you for carrying me."
Mason actually smiles.
We file out. I take one last look, and pull the door shut.
The lock clicks into place with a quiet, final sound, and the three of us stand in the hallway.
"The smell," Arthur murmurs without any preamble. "At the clearing. What was that?"
Mason's jaw tightens. So they both smelled it.
"I don't know," I say. And that's the problem. We've been around Beth for weeks. She smells good but she sure never hit us likethat.
"It was sweet," Arthur says. "But not—sweet isn't the right word. It was—"
"Intoxicating," Mason says.
Can confirm. It was like her scent enthralled me.
"But it doesn't make any sense at all," I say. "She's been living with us and we all know she doesn't smell like that... and I'm quite sure she's not on scent blockers."
"So what do you think happened?" Arthur asks.
"Don't laugh but, we ate rich food. Pheromone response can be affected by diet, alcohol, environmental—"
"So the tacos did it," Mason says, deadpan.
"I'm saying it'spossible," I reply.
"Come on man, you can't be serious—"
"I'm saying we're exhausted," I cut in, keeping my voice low. "Scent profiles fluctuate. A sudden spike like that couldbe triggered by a dozen different variables. Yes, food included. There are studies on this."
Mason stares at Beth's door. It takes a visible physical effort for him to finally pull his gaze away.
"Let's keep a cool head guys," I say. "If this wasn't a fluke, we'll know soon enough."
11
Beth
When Arthur, Knox, and Mason offered to take me out and show me the town properly last week, I really thought we were turning a corner.
They haven't mentioned it since.
Waking up to my alarm on Saturday, the reality finally sets in: their sudden urge to be my personal tour guides was fake news brought to you by good vibes and alcohol. Possibly the horchata.
Along with that promise, whatever olfactory illusion I experienced that night has vanished, too. It leaves me wondering if my brain just fully invented the whole thing.
I try to push the sting of it away as I take another sip of my tea.
