Siren's Mark

Chapter 6

𝔸𝕧𝕒

"Heeyyyyy! Where have you been?!" Jen's voice says on the other end of the phone.

"Hey," I say, trying not to sound like I've been crying. "Sorry, I left my phone in Mike's car."

"What's wrong?" she says, her tone suddenly serious.

"Mike and I broke up."

"Oh," she says. "I'm so sorry, honey. What did he do?"

"It... he just... he didn't love me the way I think he should have."

"Damn right," she replies, matter of factly. "I'm sorry, hon. I don't mean to be insensitive. It's just... I tried so hard to like him. I really did. But from day one I just thought he did not deserve you."

"Thanks," I say. I don't know whether or not she'd still feel that way if she knew everything that happened last night with Zane. On the shitty girlfriend scale, I'm pretty sure making out with a handsome British stranger after denying flirting with him is kind of top-of-the-charts.

"What?" Jen asks. I guess she's now progressed to just straight mind reading.

"I don't think he's entirely at fault here. Or a least, I'm not blameless."

"What do you mean?"

"I uh... I kind of made a mistake. You remember that British guy, Zane, from last night?"

"Yeeahhh...?"

"Well he ended up driving me back to my place and we sort of... kissed."

"Woohooo! Yessss!" she cheers. "Wait, I swear you said Mike was taking you home."

"Yeah, it's a long story, but... woohoo? You're not disappointed in me? I'm not a giant whore-y whoreball from whoreville?"

"Okay," Jen says with a giggle. "First of all, I'm totally going to use that in the future. Whore-y whoreball from whoreville? That's amazing. Couldn't have done it better myself. Secondly, that guy was ridiculously good looking and honestly I've been 'Team Anyone-But-Mike' for quite a while now."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, but you can't tell your friend that you hate who they're dating. It's a one-way ticket to your friend never talking to you again."

"I wouldn't do that," I say.

"Come on, I wasn't about to open that can of worms. People always shoot the messenger on those kinds of things."

"Fair enough..."

"So, how was it? Macking on the man candy?"

"'Man candy'?"

"I mean he's got that accent, and he's pretty great-looking..." she says. "For a dangler, that is."

"Okay new subject!" I say. "If we're talking details... how was your make-out sesh with Miss Bartender?"

"Ohmygod Ava, sooooo good!"

I feel like I'm about to regret having asked...

ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖

I approach Kami's crisp white, Spanish-style estate. The entrance is flanked by elaborate topiaries. The rounded double doors are made of thick, dark wood and are almost twice as tall as most. A wrought iron chandelier hangs above. As I press the doorbell, a regal chime echoes on the other side of the doors. After a moment, they swing open.

"Well look what the cat dragged in!" Kami says, pulling me in for a hug. Her eyes catch Kieran standing behind me and her expression changes immediately. "Oh. You brought him."