AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Six
Aziza
The Lizard & the Lime was perched atop a cliff, affording it amazing vista views. On a beautiful day like today, Vivi and I would be dining on the balcony that hung right off the edge, seemingly floating over the ocean.
As I headed into the restaurant, Vivi was pulling into a parking space with the pink golf cart she’d driven. It was the only vehicle on the island that wasn’t painted in some shade of green and made her look even more Barbie-ish. She caught my laugh and flipped me the requisite bird.
As I approached the table, it was her turn to chuckle as she informed me I still had half the arena dirt smeared on my cheek and in my hair.
“We make quite the pair.” I settled in across the table from her while attempting to look more presentable.
“Yes, love. Just a couple of lassies living the dream, we are.”
“At least we are living in one,” I conceded as I took a moment to absorb the beauty of the vast ocean and feel the sun’s kiss.
“We don’t even need the emerald-colored glasses, today,” she teased, referring to our inside joke about life in OZ’s emerald empire not always being the paradise it appeared. In fact, the view from the dark side of the rainbow was very different from the idyllic one before our eyes.
Willa, a Caribbean native and the restaurant’s curator, made her way to our tableside and chatted a bit before taking our orders. Then, getting down to business, I asked Vivi, “How are things going at The Winds?”
“Just peachy, Zee.”
“Don’t you mean pinky?”
She arched a perfected brow at me. “Don’t you have some online shopping to do? Because my ring size is six.”
“You really think I’ve forgotten your size already?”
Vivi broke into a laugh. “You do seem to owe me more and more these days.”
“Oh, just wait. This day is far from being over,” I muttered. I flexed my shoulders and stretched my neck.
“Sorry, love. I know you pulled an all-nighter too.” Vivi caught the bartender’s eyes, which wasn’t difficult, seeing as how Alex had been ogling her since we’d gotten here. I watched curiously as she used sign language to order us two Outbreak Energy drinks.
“I see you’ve learned more than just the bad words in ASL. Are you and Alex…?”
“We’re friendly,” she was quick to say. But the sparkle in her eyes told another story, as did Alex’s fingers stroking against hers when he hustled over to set her drink down.
I glanced away, partly to give her privacy and partly because of the jealous pang in my heart. I wanted the sweet exchanges, the learning of another person’s language, the nights tangled up in each other’s bodies… I coughed before my thoughts went the way they had last night.
Was that really just last night?Seemed like a week ago.
As Alex walked away, we both signed thank you, but Vivi’s looked more like blowing a kiss than mine did.
Vivi caught my grin. “He’s a great communicator.”
“He can’t hear or speak.”
“He doesn’t need to.” Vivi closed her eyes and made a happy humming sound. “Everything he needs to tell me he can do with his hands, and he’s very good with his hands.”
“Obviously.” I’d never seen Vivi so blissful. It made my heart happy.
“And it’s so peaceful and quiet.”
“My best spy wants peace and quiet? There’s no hope for me now.” I laughed out of pure exhaustion.
Vivi tilted her head with a smile. “No, you never bring me peace nor quiet, but I still love you, darling. And I adore this job, I do, but we all need some decompression time. Even you.”
Avoiding the subject of my needing a break, I asked, “Did I tell you I just got a request from Gillikin Records? DV8 wants to bring a full entourage to the island to shoot his next video.”
