A Simple Life: Chapter 30 (Patreon)

“This one here.”  I point the to the pod ahead though I probably didn’t need to.  Bopping pop music could be heard from here as well as a upbeat voices voices from an open window.  We walk around Kayla’s electric car and come stand on the doorstep.  Winona goes to knock but I hold up my hand to stop her.  “Hold on.  Check this out.”

Just then the volume of the tunes lower a moment as Babe announces our presence.  “There is somebody at the door Kayla.”

Winona’s eyebrows raise at the AI’s voice.  “That’s Babe.”

We hear Kayla through the window say loudly.  “Here’s mah boy Avery!”

In the pause before Kayla can get to the door I whisper to Winona.  “Everything is going to be okay.”  She gives a tense nod.  I then wait a heartbeat before muttering softly.  “Mommy.”

Winona’s head snaps to look at me just as the door swings open.  The pair of us are suppressing chuckles as we greet our host.

“Hi Kayla.”  I smile.

“Hey Kay.”  Winona says, her voice almost apologetic.

Kayla’s big smile disappears the moment she sees my surprise date only to reassert itself a second later.  “Winnie?”

Winona holds her arms out wide.  “Surprise.”

Kayla holds her forced grin as she looks from Winona to me with a quiet ‘WTF?’ look in her eyes.  “Wow.”

“I, um, I brought a date.”  I say.  “I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course it is!”  Kayla says as she holds my gaze in hers.  “What a wonderful surprise.  Winnie!  It’s great to see you again.”

“Been awhile Kay.”  She replies.  “Good to see you too.  I, uh, I’ve been meaning to call…”

“Oh yeah.  I get it.”  Kayla cuts her off.  Standing at Kayla’s side this whole time looking terribly uncomfortable is a tiny brown haired, brown eyed woman in jeans and a frumpy maroon sweater with an owl on the front.  Just now remembering that the woman was there Kayla turns and says.  “Hey, this is Briar.  She’s a new friend.”  She looks at Briar.  “This is Avery, and his date Winona.”

“Oh!  I see.  Yes.”  She says in a nasally voice.  “Good to meet you two.”

By the way Kayla leaned into the words ‘his date’ I catch right away what was happening here.  Last time I talked to Kayla she mentioned a ‘shy, sweet little thing’ that she could hook me up with if I was interested.  This Briar was clearly the sweet little thing.  Kayla had been looking to play matchmaker tonight and I’d just thrown a spanner in the works by showing up with a plus one.  Bad enough I roll up with her ex unannounced, now this.  Could this moment get any more awkward?

“Hello Briar.”  Winona smiles and nods politely.

“H-Hey.”  I say with a little finger wave.  She waves back and squirms.

Thankfully it was Riley to the rescue.  “WINNIE!?”  The ebullient, buxom, curly-haired bottle blonde force of nature known as Riley comes bowling right through Kayla and Briar to give Winona a big hug.  “Oh my God girl, I’ve missed you!  AHHHHHH!!!”

Winona hugs her back.  “Yeah.  I warned you I’m not so good at keeping long distance friendships.”

“Me neither!”

“But I’m back now.  Hopefully for good.”

“Well come on!”  She grabs both Winona’s hands in hers and pulls her inside.  “We’ve got so much catching up to do!”  Winona shoots me an amused look of helplessness as she is dragged into the living room.  “Cain!  Look who it is.  Winnie’s back.”

“Hey Winona.”  Cain, Riley’s boyfriend of many years, says in his deep silky voice.  He gets up from the chair beside the sofa to give her a fist bump.  Even through his snug gray sweater his sculpted muscles looked carved from marble.  His brown skin was a shade darker than Kayla’s and his eyes a shade lighter.  “Heard you were back.”

“Hey man.”  She says.  “I like the beard.”

“Thanks.”  He grins and rubs his chin that was as impeccably trimmed as the tight buzz cut on his head.

Cain offers me a hello nod which I give back then the three of them sit down to catch up.

Kayla, Briar, and I stand at the door in an uncomfortable pause before Kayla breaks the tension with a poke to my belly.  “Mister Surprises here.  Ha!  Tea?”

“Oh, uh, y-yeah.  Sure.”

“Tea?”  She asks Briar.

“Yes please.”  Briar grins.

Kayla winks at me.  “I found another tea drinker.”  She turns and starts for her kitchen.  “Jack still your drink Winnie?”

“I’m driving.”  Winona calls back.

“I still make a mean mock mojito.”

“Hook me up Kay.”

“Oh my God!  I want one!  I WANT ONE!”

“I heard you Riley.”  Kayla chuckles.  “I’ll make a pitcher.”

Despite knowing about Winona’s familiarity with this group I hadn’t been ready for just how much she blended right in with the rest of them.  Kayla, Riley, and Cain, as locals close to my own age, I’d known most of my life.  Kayla and Riley I’d graduated with and Cain was just a year ahead us.  And yet, for Riley and Cain at least, I was still mostly a stranger.  Being a quiet loner I think I creeped out the naturally extroverted Riley and Cain was soured to us Becketts thanks to some unfortunate run-ins with my older brothers over the years.  To Cain’s credit he never held it against me, but neither did he warm to me.  And my stuttering ass wasn’t about to build that bridge from my end.  Yet here was Winona who had only known this gang for a couple of years at most getting along like old friends.  It didn’t make me feel jealous but it did make me feel unworthy of being with someone so effortlessly cool.

Meanwhile I stand like a lost puppy near the door with an equally lost Briar.  Each of us not really sure of what to say to the other.  I already suspected by the fact that Kayla was looking to hook Briar up that she was a fellow introvert, the always helpful Kayla only played matchmaker where and when she felt she needed to, and this painful silence between us only confirmed that suspicion.

“Get over here you two wallflowers.”  Kayla beckons Briar and I.  She laughs as the pair of us hurry to her side thankful for the interruption.  “Birds of a feather, I swear.”  She directs Briar to the kettle.  “You mind getting the water boiling and finding some mugs?”

“Sure Kayla.”  She says sweetly.

“Hey, sorry about the misunderstanding Briar.”

Briar glances my direction and shrugs.  “That’s okay.  It’s cool.”

“I’ll make it up to you.”  Kayla says.  She then turns to me.  “Limes are in the fridge.  You wanna get one cut into wedges?”

“O-Okay.”

The upbeat music plays and the living room chatter continues as I find the limes, knife and cutting board Kayla gets a pitcher and mint leaves.  She stands shoulder to shoulder with me.  The moment our backs were turned on the rest of the room we were whispering.

“Oh my God!  Why didn’t you tell me you were bringing Winnie?”

“I-I forgot.”

“Poor Briar.  That must have been so embarrassing.”

“Y-Y-You n-n-never told m-me!”

“I guess we’re even then.”  She nudges me shoulder to shoulder.  “Your loss might be my gain though, eh?”

“Kayla!”  I nudge her back.  “You are s-so bad.”

She chuckles.  “You two woulda been perfect together though.”  She peeks over to look at Winona then looks back to me.  “You sly dog!  You actually asked her out!”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Avery.  For you?  That’s amazing!”  She says happily.  “I’m proud of you pal.”

I smile bashfully.  “It kinda happened by accident.  B-But I’m glad I did.”  Sheepishly I peer over at her.  “Y-You’re not upset?”

“No way.”  She says.  “Surprised.  Confused.  Concerned that you didn’t listen to your old pal Kayla.  But definitely not upset.”  She leans in even closer.  “So you know?  About…ahem, her?”

“Yes.  I know.”

“Crazy, huh?”

“I think it’s…she’s…wonderful.”

“It’s wonderful alright.”  She laughs.  “We’ll talk later.”  Putting some lime and mint into the pitcher she begins to muddle them.  “Sooo, spill it.”

“Spill?”

“When you left here you were going to nip it in the bud.  Now here you are all dressed up and on a date.  What happened between then and now?”

“I dunno.  We just…get along.”  I say.  “She’s nice.”

“Oh?”

I smile as I remember back.  “She texted me today from Portland just to get my opinion on love seats.”

“Dude.  She’s getting you to choose furniture!?”  She elbows my arm.  “What’d I say?  It’s not too late to run.”

“Nuh uh.”  I shake my head.  “I like her.”

“Well good luck with that wild mustang.”  She says.  Adding some sugar and more lime she smashes the ingredients into a juicy pulp.  “You’re in for a hell of a ride cowboy.”

“She’s not at all like you say.”  I say.  “She’s caring and gentle and…makes me feel good.”

“Did you two…?”  She waggles her brows up and down suggestively.

“Kayla!”

She laughs.  “Well, did you?”

“No!”  I say.  “We just made a Fables of Fantasy character and…”

“You guys play FoF?”  Interrupts Briar’s nasal voice.  “Which edition?”

“Oh!  Briar.”  We turn to look to see her standing directly behind us with three boxes of different teas in her hands.  “I didn’t realize you could hear us.”

Briar blushes.  “Um…I mean, I’m right here.  Did you want me to…go over there?”

Kayla puts and arm around the blushing brunette.  “Not on your life darlin.  You stay right here with me.  With everyone pairing off we single gals gotta stick together.”

Briar laughs as she is gently shook by our mutual friend.  Kayla returns to her task filling up the pitcher with ice and club soda leaving us to chat.

“I was just wondering what kind of tea you would like Avery.”

“Th-The green chai would be nice.”

“Good choice.  That’s what I’m having.”  Briar says.  “Milk and honey?”

“Yeah.  Thank you B-Briar.”

“No problemo Avereeno.”  She says, trying way too hard to act cool and casual.  God did I know that feeling.  “That’s how I like it too.  Sweet and milky and…yeah.  Like that.”

“Hey.”  I say.  “Y-you play FoF?”

“Um, well, I used to.”  She says.  “I haven’t found a group since moving here for college.  But I sure miss it.”  She hesitates a moment before blurting out.  “Are you looking for a player?”

“I think so.”  I say.  “We’ll have to talk to Winona.  She’s the Fable Master.”

“That would be so awesome!”  Briar does little lift from her toes, sort of like a hop without leaving the ground.  “I can play any role.  I know all the rules.”

“I’m a nature wizard.”  I say proudly.  “Elf.”

“Nature wizard?”  She says.  “Cooool!”

I giggle and she giggles too.

“Oh my God, you two are such nerds.” Kayla says with a good humored tease.  “Here.”  She puts frosty glass of mock mojito into my hand.  “Go cast this at your Fable Master, mister wizard.”

“Ahem!”  I stand tall and raise my chin.  “That’s madam wizard, thank you very much.”  As Briar laughs and Kayla cocks her head curiously I spin on my heel and take the drink to my date.

Chapter 31