Still, Diego could have kept Lavender in the room for a few more minutes until Travis left for school. If Travis had been as noisy as normal, Diego wouldn't have forgotten he was a potential problem.
He opened the door to the bedroom. Lavender didn't look up. Something must have happened. He pulled the chest back in front of the door to give them some privacy.
She frowned. "I'm not in the mood."
He lay beside her and ran his hand up her leg. "That was quick."
She looked away.
He slipped his finger into the leg on her shorts. "Tell me."
She threw her head back and her arms out. He moved up beside her and put his hand on her belly under her shirt. "Please."
"Stop that." She moved his hand.
He ran his fingers through his hair. She was so tempting; he had to fight not to touch her.
"What happened?" Was this about running into Travis just now? Or something else?
She stared at the wall.
"I'm very sorry, but I can't read your mind." He kissed her neck.
"Do," she took a deep breath. "Do you think I'm pretty?"
What had he been doing that last four days if it wasn't trying to convince her of that? "Am I inept?"
She turned to look at him. "How?"
"Have I failed to prove how I feel about you?"
"All of me?"
"Yes, I love all of you."
"Even…" Her hand moved below her belly.
Even the parts she hadn't let him touch yet. "Do you want me to prove it?"
"How?"
"May I?" He tugged at her waistband.
She didn't stop him, but she was still pretty skittish about it. He undressed her and sat back to look at what he'd just touched. She covered herself with her hands. "They're ugly."
He nudged her hand with his nose. "All of you is beautiful."
"They don't… look like they should."
"They look exactly like they should." He kissed her tiny jewels. "They are just the right size on you."
"Any bigger and they'd be hard to hide."
Her pretty little jewels that only he would ever see.
He licked her, touched her, and sucked her until she only had breath to pant and moan and to whisper his name. And once she came down from the high, he mangled a couple of songs to fit the occasion. Lavender laughed, like he'd hoped.
To have met her and gotten to know her, to hear her laugh at his silliness, to lay beside her and discuss lyrics and whatever came into their heads—that made him the luckiest man to ever live.
Lavender had never been to a real museum before. This one had posh floors and walls and ceilings, even discounting the art. The gardens were fantastic, too. Being here was like visiting a mansion on the sly, only no one could really have a house this nice.
Diego walked hand in hand with her and they ate lunch under an arbor. Someday, when she had her own house, she'd have an arbor heavy with wisteria. All the flowers in her garden would be purple.
But all happy days must end. Ariel sent Diego a text asking him to bring Lavender home for supper, but that he could pick her up again afterwards. Lavender had forgotten that the others had Diego's number when she'd ignored all of Ariel's texts. Why should Lavender go back to that hateful house, where her stuff wasn't safe, one minute before she had to? All the nice things Miss Magnolia had done for her in the past didn't make up for stealing her hormones.
But Diego had agreed, because he had an errand and he thought she might need more clothes.
She'd brought enough for the two mornings she had left. But she went. Ariel met her at the door and helped her carry her bags upstairs. "You'll never guess what happened."
Lavender tossed her bag on her bed. "I probably won't."
Ariel bounced on Lavender's bed. "No. You won't."
Lavender crossed her arms. "Please."
Since Ariel was the reason Lavender had had to come home in the first place, she should either help Lavender repack or get out of the way.
"Trav, Austin's friend, well, he texted Alana. He said he knew about you and me and if she was the same way, he didn't care because he thought she was beautiful. Isn't that sweet? They're going to see a movie tomorrow."
Ariel popped back off the bed. "And Alana was so pleased that she let slip that
she
was the one who trashed your room and stole your meds."
Ariel opened Lavender's drawer. What? Her box? Her bottles and needles were still inside. Her hands shook as she carried them to the bed. She got out an alcohol pad and wiped her skin. What was her dosage? She'd done this so many times. Why couldn't she remember?
"And this." Ariel lifted Lavender's pillow, exposing her journal.
Lavender quickly turned the pages, then made herself take several deep breaths. A day and a half late on the meds probably wouldn't mess her up as much as a rushed dose. Once she was partially calm, she gave herself the shots. A load was off her mind. When she saw Diego the next time he came to California, she wouldn't be ugly or mannish.
Ariel grinned. "She was jealous."
Lavender put her stuff back in the box. She would need a safer place for it. "That's no excuse."
"Are you glad I made you come home?"
"Why didn't you just tell me?" Maybe she should carry her meds with her from now on. One needle and two bottles wouldn't take up much space. Neither would her journal. But she'd have to start using her big purse again.
Ariel plopped onto Vish's bed. "I just found out."
"So this wasn't why you made me come back?"
Ariel shrugged. "If Miss Magnolia had wrecked your room, she wouldn't have hidden the fact. She would have boasted. And I couldn't imagine why she would have taken your meds. She knows how important they are to us."
"So I should forgive her?"
Ariel rolled her eyes. "She didn't
do
anything."
So tearing Lavender's habits and personality to shreds was nothing? And during the whole, excruciating lecture, Miss Magnolia hadn't let Lavender clean up anything or offered to help. Plus, once she did learn that Lavender's meds were gone, she acted like Lavender deserved it. That was something in Lavender's book.
*~*~*
Diego hopped down the courthouse steps. He had the papers he needed, but what to do until Lavender was free again?
He called Patrick. Jessica answered. Yes, Patrick wanted him to come over, but he was too distracted by an online game to remember that his best friend would only be in town for a few more days.
Diego stopped by a store for beer on his way over, and bought flowers for Lavender, as well as some for Jessica's table. Jessica put the flowers in a vase. "Patrick, you could learn from Diego."
Patrick killed his opponent. "I don't need to buy you flowers. I'm already sleeping with you."
Jessica picked up a dishcloth, walked into the living room, and whacked Patrick with it. He paused his game and pulled her over the back of the couch. Diego turned away to avoid the shrieks and giggles coming from the living room. He checked his phone. Would Lavender have her flowers yet? What other flowers could he send her after he went home?
"Thinking about your girl again?"
Diego grinned and put down his phone. "Always."
Patrick opened one of the beers Diego brought. "Were those 'have sex with me' flowers?"
Diego grabbed a beer. "More like 'have sex with me again'."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you two."
Patrick leaned on the counter. "Was she any good?"
"Patrick!"
That would be an understatement. "The best of my life."
Jessica tossed her dishtowel on the counter. "Do you talk about me this way?"
Patrick pulled her close. "Not for ages."
She pushed out of his arms and crossed hers. "Ages?"
Patrick glanced at Diego. "When we first met, wasn't it?"
Diego lifted a hand. He didn't want a fight. "He just asked if I compared lovers, and I don't see how someone couldn't."
Patrick rubbed Jessica's shoulders. "He's been with everyone."
"Everyone? Isn't that an exaggeration?"
Diego held up his beer. "They've all been about my age, and legal, of course."
None had been the five years younger that Lavender was, but she was special in more ways than that.
Patrick nodded. "Like your dark angel."
"My lady in purple." That last word had too many syllables, but Diego shoehorned it into the tune.
"And you date men as well as women?"
"Not at the same time."
Patrick nodded. "Serial monogamy."
"Because not everyone finds the love of their lives at fourteen." Diego tipped his bottle to them.
Jessica snuggled against Patrick. "We were lucky."
He wrapped his arms around her. "So she was a ten, or just a very good eight?"
"Patrick!"
Diego laughed. Jessica was fighting a losing battle. Patrick always wanted to know what Diego's sex life was like. "She's off the charts."
"Where? You didn't take her to Mom's?"
"I did, indeed."
"In my old bed?"
Jessica put her hands over Patrick's ears. "You shouldn't be hearing this."
"You did the dirty in my mom's house with my brother next door."
If Travis had been home, Diego might have been more reluctant, but it wouldn't have stopped him completely. "Not the first time."
"Do tell." Patrick tugged Jessica's hands down and kissed them.
"The beach, moonlight, a few blankets, after a sunset and sandwiches."
Patrick frowned. "Sounds uncomfortable."
"You had to be there." Diego was very glad Patrick hadn't been.
Lavender swirled her grape juice and ginger ale. Miss Magnolia ended every dinner with drinks in the parlor. This was when discussions happened. Miss Magnolia said that anything more than small talk at dinner was bad for the digestion, but wouldn't that also apply to any serious discussion right after?
Miss Magnolia didn't agree. She asked Caiside for a second martini and called the girls to sit with her. Lavender sat on the short sofa that she normally shared with Vish. Alana hovered beside Vish's cushion. Did she think she'd be forgiven simply because she'd returned what she'd stolen?
Miss Magnolia stared at the empty spot. Alana looked at Miss Magnolia, the cushion, and back at Miss Magnolia. She sat in one of the arm chairs. Good. Lavender couldn't deal with Alana right now.
Ariel sat on a wingback chair with her legs up over one arm. Miss Magnolia tisked. "Sit like a proper lady."
Ariel rolled her eyes and tucked her legs under her. Miss Magnolia sighed. Caiside handed Miss Magnolia her glass and sat beside her. That might be the safest spot tonight, out of Miss Magnolia's easy line of sight.
"Thank you, Caiside dear. You are such a sweet one." Miss Magnolia gulped her drink. "I wish all the girls were as sweet as you."
Caiside leaned back in the couch and rolled her eyes. When Miss Magnolia's gaze returned to her, she straightened up and looked innocent. She accepted Miss Magnolia's empty glass and carried it back to the minibar.
This next martini, Miss Magnolia sipped. "I love you. I love all of you so much. My heart breaks for all of you."
When she wasn't doing the heartbreaking with her weird rules and forever telling them that they would never be loved.
"I nearly fainted when I heard that Miss Vishva…" Miss Magnolia dabbed at her eyes. "Miss Vishva might…" She covered her mouth like she couldn't go on.
Ariel shrugged. "I thought Vish had good news."
"Good news?" Miss Magnolia downed her glass and passed it back to Caiside. "I've been around longer than you have. I've heard this story before. Far too many times before. Miss Vishva will go under that wretched knife and the man who she thinks loves her so much will up and leave, maybe stranding her in some faraway place where she can't get home. These stories never have happy endings. Thank you, dear."
She ate the olive out of her new drink.
Ariel frowned. "They can't all end badly."
Miss Magnolia pointed at Ariel with the toothpick. "Each and every one."
Lavender didn't believe that. "But even if she doesn't have him," and Vish deserved better, "she'll have her new body. No one’s going to take that away."
"But she won't be a jewel anyone. She won't be special."
Lavender crossed her arms. "Vish will always be special."
"But what he sees in her will be different. He's a fixer; I know his kind. He thinks he wants her now, but once she doesn't have her little problem anymore, she won't have anything to fix and he'll cast her off. Her career will go down the toilet."
"Then he isn't worthy of her." The special parts of Vishva, like her voice and personality, wouldn't change. She'd still draw attention. Success would find her. It was only a matter of when.
"But if she has her operation," Ariel set her glass down on a doily coaster, "why does she need this particular man, anyway?"
Miss Magnolia put her hand to her chest. "Are you saying you want to be a mistress to some man in exchange for slicing off parts that God gave you?"
Hypocrite. Miss Magnolia had been a mistress for years. Was it only bad if the woman took the man's money for the wrong reasons? Her future instead of diamonds and furs?
Ariel shrugged. "God gave me the wrong parts."
"For shame."
Caiside carried the martini glass back to the bar as Miss Magnolia explained yet again why they should be happy with the way they were born. As if she'd understand. Caiside leaned close to Lavender and whispered, "How many of these before she passes out?"
Too many. Lavender would never get away.
Miss Magnolia's eye turned to her. "And what does your gentleman say?"
"Diego likes me the way I am."
Miss Magnolia grinned. "He wants you to stay this way."
Lavender shook her head. "He doesn't mind either way."
At least, that was the idea she'd gotten.
Ariel nodded. "Probably because he's bisexual."
Was Diego bi? Why hadn't he told her? If it was some ghastly, hidden thing, how did Ariel know?