A Simple Life Ch. 11-23

Chapter 11

The moment I was done work I am tearing across town straight for Kayla's place. Cutting through alleys and weaving through traffic I make record time to her quaint eco-friendly neighborhood in New Town. As gas powered vehicles were not allowed within the walls I park in the lot by the gates then grab one of the whisper quiet electric scooters that were lined up there and continue on my way.

Silently I whiz along the winding teflon smooth road and marvel, as I always did, at how this area that had been scrubby bushland less than a decade ago had been completely transformed into an environmentalist's paradise. The area consisted of a large central complex for shops and shared services surrounded by dozens of identical white pod houses spread out across a rolling green park. The place was dotted with decorative planting, community gardens, courts for tennis and volleyball, and idyllic little ponds but what really stood out were the houses themselves. The way that each pod was made up of two attached symmetrical domes with the top of each dome covered with a circle of black solar panels and a small wind turbine at the peak it made them look like a pair of breasts complete with nipple pasties and spinning tassels. It was literally a land of boobs with the central building as the great big set of knockers to rule them all. Officially the neighborhood was simply called 'The Meadow' but we locals had given it the moniker 'The Tits'.

It had been over a week since I'd been to see Kayla and now that I was here I am glad that I had. I always had a good time with her. She didn't understand me, few did, but she had this easy way about her that allowed people to just be themselves. I had known her since grade school and she was one of the few I had allowed to get close. While she was kind, fun and understanding I was well aware that it had always an uneven friendship between us. For Kayla, being the social butterfly that she was, I was simply one of a bevy of close relationships that she had. Whereas myself, being the loner that I was, Kayla was the closest thing to a best friend that I had outside my grandpa.

As I glide through the Tits I wonder again what I was even doing here. Why did Winona want me to talk to Kayla before asking her out on a date? The three of us did share a potentially awkward connection as both Winona and I had dated Kayla in the past but I knew Kayla well enough to know that this would be no issue for her. Known to her friends as 'Kinky Kayla' she was what might be politely called promiscuous.

It was her unique combination of having a caring spirit and a free and open attitude toward sex that gave me the opportunity to trade in my V card, because goodness knows I was never going to have the confidence to do it on my own. Thanks to her matchmaking I had lost my virginity to Lauren, the woman who later went on to marry my big brother Jack. A bit weird to be sure but this was a small island after all. During our senior year Kayla and I messed around ourselves a bit and then, a few years later, we even gave the boyfriend-girlfriend thing a try. The spark just wasn't there though and the truth was that our 'relationship' was simply one of convenience during a moment when Kayla had little else going on. Basically during that time we carried on being good pals just with sex involved. We lasted close to a year but things eventually crumbled as Kayla, never one to be nailed down for too long, wanted to explore new sexual opportunities with other men and women. She offered to involve me but I was not comfortable with that and so we called it off then on good terms. After playing the field awhile her next quasi-serious partner was Winona, a coupling that lasted less than six months.

I roll up to her pod and park the scooter at one of the nearby charging stations. As I walk around Kayla's EV and approach her front door I can hear the bass of Taylor Swift's You Need to Calm Down pumping on the inside. Knowing the routine I step up to the door and stand without knocking or ringing a bell. A few seconds later I hear inside the pod's computer voice interrupt the music to announce. "There is somebody at the door Kayla."

"Music off Babe." Comes my friends muffled voice. "Open the door."

The tunes cease and the door clicks and slowly swings open. A wave of hot humid air washes over me and inside I see my friend on a yoga mat in soaked skin tight gray leggings, which showed off her nice legs and tight butt wonderfully, and a sports bra. Her sumptuous brown skin shone with a heavy layer of sweat and her naturally voluminous curly hair was wilted from the heat. Glancing over her shoulder she sees me then spins on a heel to hurry forward.

"Avery!"

"Hi Kayla." I smile then look to the ceiling. "Hello Babe."

"Hello Mr. Beckett." Comes the pod's AI.

Kayla and I hug despite her damp state. "Just in time." She says. "I'm about ready to melt. Whooo!" She waves me outside. "Babe, environment to normal."

"Yes Kayla." Answers the computer after which comes the immediate hum of venting fans.

After grabbing a glass water bottle and a small towel she comes out to join me, the pair of us sitting on her front step with the door wide open behind us. Letting so much heat just escape to the outside didn't seem very environmentally conscious to me, but what the heck did I know about this stuff.

She leans her shoulder into mine as she quenches her thirst. "Ahhh. What's up pal?"

"Um...Jack and Lauren are having a party tomorrow. They were wondering if we wanted to come."

"Ewww!" Kayla's expression scrunches up like she just bit into a lemon. "How about, fuck no!"

I giggle at the expected reaction. "There will be barbecue."

"I think I'm vegetarian that day." She quips then as naturally as breathing she provides me an easy escape. "How about we do a movie instead? You can tell him we already had it planned. I can invite a few people over. We can have a little party of our own."

Still giggling I say. "I already said no."

"Good."

I sigh. "I...I tried to punch him today."

"You...you what!?" She turns to me. "No way! Are you serious?"

I nod, fully ashamed of myself. "Yeah."

"Ha ha!" She gives me a shake. "YES! It's about time! I hope you..."

"I missed."

"Oh."

"And then it was nighty-night time. Right there in the store."

"God damn it." She pats my knee. "Fucking asshole."

"Yeah." I take a deep breath. "But forget about him. I'm actually here to talk to you about something else."

Daubing the sweat from her brow she asks. "What's on your mind pal?"

My chest lifts and my voice brightens. "Winona."

"Winona?" She looks at me, in general puzzled but even more so when she sees my grin. "Winona Crow?"

"Crow? Is that her last name?" She had a bird for a last name? Cool!

"If we're talking about the Winnie that I think we're talking about, then...yes?" She says. "Why are you thinking about her?"

"She's back on the island."

"No way. I hadn't heard that."

"She just got back yesterday." I say. "I helped her move in."

"You helped her...?" She waves her hands. "Woah, woah, woah. Hold up. What is going on? Are we talking about the same girl that you specifically told me to keep away from you? The same one that you told me you hated?"

"I never HATED her."

"Avery!"

I laugh. "I got to talk to her a little and...she's...not actually that bad."

"Not that bad, huh?"

"In fact...I kinda like her."

"Oh boy." She says.

"I'm...thinking about asking her out...on a date."

"Ohhhh boy."

"She wants me to ask her out!" I hasten to add. "But...she wants me to talk to you about it first. I don't know why."

I look to her expectantly. She stares back at me for a few seconds, seemingly at a loss, until a look of realization gleams in her brown eyes.

"Ohhhh no!" She shakes her head side to side. "No way."

"What?"

"I am not doing her dirty work for her." She laughs. "That cheeky bitch! Ha ha ha!"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"She swore me to secrecy." She continues to chuckle. "What the heck is Winnie playing at?"

"Secrecy?"

"You are having me on. Are you serious right now?"

Clutching my hands together I say. "Um...yeah. I-I-Is that okay?"

"Avery." She turns to face me directly and takes me by the shoulders. "I like her. As a friend she is great. She's nerdy and rough around the edges, but I like her. She's fun to hang out with. Great in the sack. But I've known you a lot longer. And I care about you Avery." She peers into my eyes. "Take my advice my friend...and run."

My heart drops. "Run?"

"Run." She says again more firmly. "I never told you about Winnie because you didn't want to hear about her. There was a reason she and I didn't last too long."

"Oh?"

"So many reasons actually. Where to start? She is jealous. She is possessive. A bit obsessive. She acts tough but on the inside she is as fragile as glass. Maybe a tad too desperate for love or something. For reasons that are her own she doesn't date very often, but when she does yikes. Clingy! Not an attractive look." She says. "She has these sappy, romantic notions of soul-mates and 'the One' and all that stuff. She's not chill like us Avery. Not at all. Stuck in the old ways she is, mainland ways. I mean, she comes from South Dakota. Ya know?"

"No."

"Did you know that she tried to give me a promise ring after just a couple of months? Can you believe that? A promise ring, nowadays?"

"Oh." What was wrong with promise rings?

"And envious!" She continues. "Now that I think about it...shit! She might only be going after you to get something that I once had. I wouldn't put it past her. That's probably why she sent you to me. Rub it in a little." With another shake of her head she says. "I told her what a good lover you were, yeah, I bet that's exactly what she's doing." I blush at the compliment. Kayla had always told me that, though I knew it just her trying to boost my confidence. "Yeah. Yeah. Banging the blond pretty boy so that I can't hold it over her. I bet that's it." She nods to herself.

"That d-doesn't sound like...her."

"You did catch her eye on that game night. She used to ask about you."

"I did? She did?"

"Listen Avery." Gripping my shoulders she leans in. "Either she's going after you just to assuage her competitive ego or she's going to try to chain you down. Either way, it's not good."

My shoulders sag. "Oh."

"Besides, she is...erm...a lot to handle. In the bedroom. A LOT to handle." She says. "Kind of selfish and domineering. I could barely hold my own with her. You wouldn't stand a chance." She smiles warmly as she rubs my back. "You're a soft boy Avery. She'd chew you up and spit you out."

"But...I like her. I think she's beautiful. I think she's nice."

"She is certainly a one of a kind. I'll give you that." Seeing my crestfallen disappointment Kayla pulls me into a hug. "Hey pal. There are plenty of fish in the sea. This one's not for you."

"Yeah."

"I'm pretty impressed that you were willing to ask her out though. That's a big step for you."

"Yeah."

She tilts her head and searches my expression. "Hey, if you're ever feeling that itch, for a little feminine companionship, you know the invite is always there."

I shake my head. "No. I'm okay."

"I could hook you up." She offers. "I met this shy, sweet little thing at the college last week. Real nice girl. You two would be absolutely adorable together."

"N-no thank you." Looking up the slope toward the island's center I sigh. "I-I'm supposed to meet her tonight. To make a character."

"Do you want me to call her for you? Get you out of it?"

"No, I'll do it." I say sadly. Looking down at my work clothes I only now realize that I hadn't even bothered to take off the apron before I shot out of there. "I-I should get going."

"Sure Avery." She says. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm good."

"Call me if you're interested in the movie idea."

"I will Kayla."

We get up and say our goodbyes. Kayla heads back into the house. "Babe, continue the music."

"Yes Kayla." A moment later the tunes start again.

As I walk down her drive I am lost in a sea of thoughts. I had been so looking forward to sharing my excitement but now I just felt confused. That had not gone the way I thought it would. And I'm pretty certain it wasn't what Winona had expected either. Kayla's heart seemed to be in the right place but...I was so confused.

"Hey Avery."

I turn. "Yeah."

"If you do end up asking her out just...uh...erm." She struggles to think of exactly what to say. "Keep an open mind and...bring lube. Okay?" She gives me a weird sort of sympathetic grimace and repeats. "Just bring lube." With that she heads back inside and closes the door behind her.

Now I was even more confused!

***

Chapter 12

Despite Kayla's warning an hour later I am standing in front of the bathroom mirror obsessing over every little detail of my appearance to make myself look as good as I could before heading over to Winona's. There were three reasons why I disregarded my friend's well intentioned advice. First, this wasn't a date. We were simply making a character for a game. Second, the way Kayla had described Winona as 'going after' me in some spiteful way just didn't fit what had actually happened. It had been a purely chance encounter that we met the way we did yesterday. There could have been no plan or ulterior motive in us bumping into each other how we did. Finally, deep down in my gut...this just felt right. It felt natural. I felt good on the inside about going to see her again. And according to grandpa that was the most important thing.

That said I would definitely keep my guard up. I trusted Kayla's opinion and even I had to admit that it was a little weird that Winona had sent me to our mutual ex first before agreeing to go out with me.

I smooth out my tight blue jeans. I straighten my black belt that was a perfect match for the leather shoes I'd be wearing tonight. I make sure yet again that my gray t shirt under layer didn't clash with the gray of plaid flannel over shirt. I tease at my hair for the millionth time even though I knew it was all going get flattened once I put on my helmet. Once I was absolutely satisfied with how I looked I finish it all off with a little spritz of cologne.

I walk out into the living room to the quiet side-eye glare of my roommate as he plays he plays his game. I had forgotten to bring home the pizza and soda he asked for and he was not impressed that he was going to have to head out to get his own supper. Doing my best to ignore I cross the room to stick my head through the curtains to look out our third floor balcony window.

"Oh no." I mutter to myself.

In the brief time I'd been getting ready the weather had turned. It was now blustery, the sky was overcast and far in the distance I could see an ominous bank of dark clouds hovering over the Pacific. I knew our local patterns well enough to know what a storm bearing down on Ehkolie looked like. I hurry for my phone and call grandpa.

"Hey kid." He answer brightly.

"Grandpa. There's a storm coming."

"I noticed." He chuckles. "I'm all tied off and battened down matey."

"Do you need any help or..."

"I'm okay Buttercup." He says, the warmth of his voice flowing through the phone. "It's not supposed to be that bad."

"Okay." I say, his confidence alleviating my worry. If there was anybody who knew how to handle the conditions around here it was my grandpa.

"Hey. I still have a few things to do here." He says. "But thanks for checkin up on your old gramps. You're a good boy Avery."

"I love you Grandpa."

"Love you too."

I hang up to see Brayden making gagging motions at my sappy goodbye. On this though nobody could make me feel bad. My grandpa was the best.

I look the clock and swear under my breath. "Hey...B-Brayden, could I borrow your car?"

"Why?"

"I-I need to g-go out later. Just a c-couple of hours at most."

"Nah. Sorry dude. I've got to go out and pick up my supper." He looks right at me. "Thanks to you."

I sigh. Looking back outside I try to guesstimate the storm's arrival. If I was going to go to Winona's on my bike I would either have to leave soon or drive through the storm show up soaked to the bone. We'd never set up an exact time but my plan had been to show up at 8:05. Early enough to give us an hour or two to make the character, late enough that I knew she'd have eaten her supper and so that I had an easy excuse for cutting out at tasteful hour and not overstaying my welcome, and the ':05' so that it didn't look like I was timing my arrival for the exact minute, even though I was. This darn storm had completely upended my plans.

Maybe I should just cancel. I consider that for a moment but after my brief talk with grandpa I had 'the wind in my sails', as he would say, and I didn't want to squander that momentum. In the end I decide that it had to be now. I could handle getting drenched on the way home but I wanted to look my best for my arrival. I hurry to grab my backpack and into it I stuff my goggles, rain gear, a pad of paper and a few pencils. I hadn't even eaten yet but to heck with it. My belly could wait.

Helmet, jacket, and shoes on I am soon out the door and speeding eastward out of town. Giddy with an excitement far in excess of what making a game character deserved. As I approach the T intersection I could see from aways out that Winona's truck wasn't there and the whole garage looked dark and dead. Damn it. I'd come way too early. Now what?

Having come all this way I follow through just to make sure. If she wasn't home I'd head back into town and figure things out from there. I roll up and park my bike close to the building. Taking off my helmet I smooth my hair in the mirror then make my way around back. The moment I round the corner I see her suite window was also dark.

"Shoot!" I kick the dust.

"Bang!" Comes a voice from nowhere.

"Huh?" I spin around looking for the source until quiet laughter draws my eyes upward. There she was, Winona, or her face anyway, peering down at me from over the side of the room. Her chin rested on the back of one of her hands directly on the roof just above the door, her other hand pointed at me with a finger gun, and her two long braids hanging down over the edge like Rapunzel's locks. I hold my heart. "You got me."

She blows across the tip of her finger like an wild west gunslinger. "I never miss."

"I-I didn't think you were home."

"Truck's in the bay." She gets to her feet and dusts herself off. She was back in comfy t shirt and overalls. "I didn't think you'd be so early."

"Sorry."

"It's cool." She says. "I was wondering if you'd bother with the weather."

"Oh, uh, I-I've rode in worse. It's no biggie."

"Sure." She smiles and waves me up. "Come on. Ladder's over there."

I put down my pack and helmet and walk around to the side opposite the drive to see the ladder. I scoot up the ladder and climb up onto the flat roof. The center was recessed from the border and in the middle sat a broken down old table, a couple of ratty kitchen chairs, and what looked like a driving green mat of fake grass. Standing at the western edge of the roof she beckons me closer.

"Check out this view." She says.

Coming up beside her I look out over the peninsula, the town, and vast ocean and threatening clouds beyond. It was a sight similar to the one I'd camped at yesterday, not quite as breathtaking but definitely one worth pausing for.

"Wow."

"Reminds me of home." She says softly. "The clouds rolling in over the plains. It looked like the world went on forever." Glancing over at me then back to the West again. "You ever been to the Black Hills Sprout?"

"No."

"There's magic there." She says. "Real magic. I feel it here too."