Chapter 9: Too Friendly

I’m starting to think there’s something not quite right with this town.

It was after I left the Gelsper’s house that I started realizing a few things. 

One, I hadn’t seen a single piece of technology from the last ten or twenty years since arriving. Addy’s phone was an old, clunky thing, a flip phone from the early 2000s. She didn’t own a computer or any video game consoles, and as far as I could tell during my quick time in her room, the same was true for Laetitia. No electric cars, no apps, barely any internet. Malcolm had said they were “old-fashioned.” But why? It’s not like Robin’s Brook is some backwater town in the middle of nowhere. I mean, okay, it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, but that’s just rural America. I still expect to see things from this decade…

Two, the town is split in half in more ways than I thought. I took some time to wander as I drove back to Addy’s and found more signs of wealth disparity…but also different kinds of shops, different kinds of entertainment venues, everything. The western side, where the Gelspers lived, was home to several fancy restaurants, a nice teahouse, a couple vintage thrift stores, that sort of thing. The eastern side, by contrast, was home to a ratty-looking bowling alley, an old movie theater, a smoke shop, a record store, and a run-down pub. But everywhere I went, everyone was friendly. Everyone was maybe…too friendly.

Three, Laetitia’s home was freezing, whereas Addy’s place is jacked up to 80 degrees. Which also lined up with how both of them felt when I hugged them. Then there was also the Window Incident of Yesterday, which I shall not repeat again. 

There’s a nagging sensation in the back of my head. Like a prickling nugget of anxiety that’s wormed its way into my brain. My hair stands on end as I think about Robin’s Brook. I should maybe just leave. Leave and make my way to the coast, like I’d originally planned.

But then I return to the Rat & Raven and see Addy smile, and that plan vanishes into thin air. She’s so happy that I accomplished her little task that she pulls me into a crushing hug when she sees me. Maybe she’s just happy to have dodged going to the Gelspers. Or maybe it’s something else entirely. Who knows what happens in the minds of hot women who are way out of your league?

She puts me to work again, cleaning the tables, mopping the floor, washing the dishes. I don’t mind. It gives me some time to think to myself about everything that happened, about Laetitia, about her soft, ice-cold lips on mine. Rey and her crew are in the corner of the room hanging out. I try to avoid their gaze so they can’t see how much I’m still blushing. Every now and then there’s a flash in my mind and I can see Laetitia again, feel her leaning into me, smell her perfume. Someone says something nearby, but I’m too lost to hear them. I imagine her pushing me onto her bed. Crawling on top of me. Calling me degenerate. Kissing down my neck. Claiming me. Her hands in my hair. Her legs straddling my hips. Then that voice again—

“Hey Lum,” the voice calls out to me. “Lum!”

I shake my head to rid it of distractions. The world comes into focus, and I realize Rey has been trying to get my attention. “Earth to Lum!”

“Sorry, my head was in the clouds,” I say. “What’s up?”

“I was wondering if maybe you were gonna join us Saturday night?” Rey says. “We’re having a bonfire. It’s sort of a weekly tradition. I know you’re just passing through, but…”

Yeah. Right. Passing through. Shouldn’t I be gone already, then?

“Uhhh, I don’t know,” I say truthfully. “Depends on what Addy’s doing, I guess.” She’s holding the keys to my continued existence at the moment, so that seems fair to say.

Rey lights up. Her smile is infectious. “Oh, she’ll totally be there! She always is.”

“I always am,” Addy says over my shoulder, apparently having snuck up behind me. She throws an arm over my shoulder, and my initial shock turns to some kind of sludgy thoughts about warm, soft skin around my neck. Blood rushes to my cheeks. “And yes, Lamb, you’re totally invited. It’ll be fun,” she says.

Between Laetitia and Addison, this place is going to kill me.

“S-sure,” I sputter. “I'll be there.”

Rey beams. Her grin makes me want to smile, too. Something about the way she smiles compels me to make her smile even more. It's like a drug. “Awesome! I can't wait,” she says. Her eyes practically sparkle.

I smile back, but there's a pit in my stomach. Why is everybody being so nice to me? Why did Laetitia kiss me? I've never had a way with people, so it's not like it's me. Heck, I arrived here just yesterday looking sad and pathetic. They're just taking pity on me, I realize. That must be it. I'm a lost little lamb, just like Addy says, and they're taking me in out of pity. 

Or maybe leading me to the slaughter.

My hackles raise a bit. Rey seems to notice, taking a step back. Her smile falters a bit. “Right. Well, I'll, uhh, see you then!” she says, retreating to her seat with her other friends. 

Addy spins me around by the shoulders and examines my face. “You okay, lamb? You're looking a bit down all of a sudden.”

“Yeah, it's nothing,” I lie. “Just, uhh. Do you mind if I…?” I motion towards the back room. Addy nods suspiciously. I take the opportunity to back away, out of her embrace and out of the room. The moment I'm in the kitchen it starts to spill out. Tears prickle at the edge of my vision. I lean over the sink and splash cold water on my face. Godsdamnit, Lum, you idiot. What have you gotten yourself into?

A few minutes later, there’s a knock on the door to the kitchen. Addy’s voice, soft and caring, wafts in from behind the counter. “Lamb? You okay in there? I’ll give you some space if you need it.” Always so considerate. I swear to gods, this woman.

“I’m okay,” I say, lying through my teeth.

“Mind if I come in?”

I shake my head, then realize she can’t see me from where she’s standing and reply, “sure.”

Addy ventures closer, notices my wet face and bangs, and tosses me a hand towel. “You don’t have to tell me what’s bothering you, but I’m here for you if you want to talk.”

I throw the towel over my face and sputter out a thank you. 

“Want to tell me what’s wrong?”

I hand the towel back and shrug. “I don’t know. This place…everyone…it feels unreal.”

“Unreal?” Addison’s brows furrow in concern. For just a moment, I watch her shift uncomfortably before her posture returns to normal. “Unreal how?”

“I’ve only been here a day and you’ve offered me money and a place to stay, and Rey is inviting me to this bonfire thing, and everyone is being so nice to me, and Laetitia…” I trail off.

Her expression turns angry. “Laetitia what? Did she do something? Did she hurt you?”

Quite the opposite, actually. “No, nothing like that,” I eventually say. I sigh, dig my palms into my eyes, and run my fingers through my hair. Finally, I spit it out. “Look, I get that people are taking pity on me because I’m stranded here, but it feels like everyone in the entire town is so…so focused on me or something. Am I crazy? It feels like I’m going a little crazy.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” she says reassuringly, pulling me in for a warm hug. I melt into her, holding back sobs. “Nobody’s taking pity on you. We may have only just met—and I can’t speak for Laetitia—but Rey and Val and I genuinely care about you.”

I can’t help but guffaw. “But why? Why care at all?”

Addy takes my cheeks in her hands and peers into my eyes. Hers are etched with somber understanding. “Oh, lamb, honey. You really have been through it, haven’t you?” she says, then pulls me into an even tighter embrace. I bury my head in her sweatshirt (is she really wearing a sweatshirt in a place this warm?) and try not to cry all over it. “You don’t need to do anything in order to get us to care about you. This isn’t a transaction. I care because I like to help people. I care because sometimes life is cruel, and I want to balance the scales. I care because I can tell that you’re a good person, and you deserve a stroke of good luck. And if you need a selfish reason, most of all, I care because I love the way your smile lights up the place. That’s enough for me. Can that be enough of a reason for you, too?”

I’m mush. My insides are mush. Nobody’s ever treated me like this before. I let it all out, a week of hell following years of being treated like dirt on the sole of the world’s shoe.

“Why don’t you head upstairs and rest up a bit? Take the rest of the day off. We close in just a couple hours, anyway. I’ll wrap up down here and join you and we can get some burgers and just watch silly movies or something. How’s that sound?

It sounds amazing. Addison is amazing. I don’t care about leaving anymore. I want to stay. I want to stay with her.

---

The evening is short. Addy doesn’t have Netflix—go figure—so we end up watching an honest-to-gods VHS tape of 10 Things I Hate About You before I inevitably conk out on the couch. She must have tucked me in before heading off to bed herself, because when I wake in the middle of the night, I’m cocooned in a thick blanket like a burrito, an extra pillow behind my head. It’s sweet, but unfortunately, with how warm Addy keeps the place, it’s making me gross and sweaty all over. 

I throw the blanket off of me and head to the bathroom to wash up. The bags under my eyes are stained black with mascara thanks to me rubbing my eyes so much last night. A habit that is impossible to break, apparently. After washing up, I head back toward the living room, stopping instinctively at the doorway to Addy’s bedroom. It’s temptingly ajar, and I can hear the sounds of rustling bedsheets from the other side. Then, a sleepy moan. A strange, cloying part of me wants to peek inside. I bury it. I’m not going to violate Addy’s privacy. But, to see her sleeping face, to see her sprawled out on her bed in the boyshorts and sports bra I caught a glimpse of her wearing as she headed to bed…there’s a lot of things I would do for a glimpse of that.

But this isn’t one of them. I tiptoe away from her bedroom door and collapse back onto her couch, frustrated. Frustrated at myself for even having that thought, and frustrated in…other ways. Like I said, it’s been a while, and let’s just say recent events aren’t particularly helping. Laetitia’s kiss, Addison’s enveloping hug, Rey’s sparkling eyes, it’s all mixing together into a porridge of sexual frustration and unfulfilled fantasy that is driving me crazy. Before I realize it, my fingers are venturing under the waistband of my pajama pants. I reach down to my sex and realize I’m already drenched. That’s all it took, just the briefest memory and the realization that I am stupid for all three of these women. My finger grazes my clit for just a moment, and I inhale sharply, then slap my hand over my mouth.

Okay, one way or another this has to stop—I either have to get this out of my system or crush it into oblivion, before I do something stupid. Addison has been so sweet to me and I’m going to totally ruin everything. I’m about to pull my hand out from under my pants when I hear it. More rustling of bedsheets and another moan from Addison’s room, only this time, it sounds less sleepy and more…

Oh. Ohhhhh. Oh gods.

They’re subtle, and very quiet, but the wall to her bedroom is right next to the couch, and it’s paper thin. I press my ear against it to make sure. Another sharp inhale, a soft shlick, a muffled moan. It’s not my degenerate imagination. It’s exactly what I think it is.

I fall back onto the couch, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes. Holy shit. Addison Grey is touching herself not ten feet away from me.

My hand slides right down to my core again. I was wrong. I wasn’t drenched before. Now is another story.

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